Empire’s Gambit

Empire Rising Book 13

D. J. Holmes

https://www.facebook.com/Author.D.J.Holmes

d.j.holmess@hotmail.com

Comments welcome!

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales are entirely coincidental.

Copyright © D. J. Holmes 2022

Prologue

Wreck of IS Misfit, 16th March 2484 AD, (sixteen hours after the battle of Mar’am).

Four hours, Scott said to herself as she glanced at the chronometer on her left wrist. You’ve only been awake four hours. Pull it together. Despite her words, Scott’s hands moved almost of their own accord up to her eyes. Vigorously they tried to rub the drowsiness from them. Whether from a concussion or some other injury, Scott did not know, but despite being unconscious for more than seven hours after her ship was attacked, she still felt like she hadn’t slept in days. There was no time to rest though. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself before she stepped into the small briefing room in Misfit’s officer’s quarters. It was the only one they had found with power.

When she entered, she nodded at each of the gathered officers. Lieutenants McKenzie and Browning were the only surviving Lieutenants from Misfit’s compliment of eight. Sub Lieutenants Harris and Begay were also the only two left from their number. When Scott locked eyes with Chief O’Sullivan, she couldn’t help but feel relief. Despite all the bodies she had awakened to find, she had nearly shouted for joy at hearing O’Sullivan was alive. O’Sullivan knew every square inch of the cruiser like the back of his hand. He was going to be invaluable when it came to what Scott intended for them to try and pull off.

“All right,” she said to the senior officers she had left. They were all standing around the briefing room table. The chairs were still strewn around the room. No one had bothered to pick them up. “Let’s start with our current status. Just how bad is it?” Nodding to McKenzie, Scott indicated for him to go first.

McKenzie grimaced before he spoke. “There is still about thirty percent of the ship we haven’t been able to search. Most of those areas are open to space though, and so we’re not holding out much hope.” Before continuing, he took a deep breath. “We’ve found sixty-two survivors. Half of them are in need of medical attention. Thankfully, sickbay is intact. Doctor Jennings is dead. Two of her aides are doing what they can for everyone we bring to them.”

Scott had to bite her lip. The numbers were worse than she had feared. Misfit’s full complement was three hundred and eighty. Less than a sixth of her crew had survived. She was almost tempted to let the pain of her failure overwhelm her. Yet, she now knew she had sixty-one other people she was still responsible for. She could grieve later. “And what of the bodies?”

“We’ve been moving them to storage compartment four for now. When we have finished our search, we can vent the storage compartment’s air and let the bodies freeze. It’s the only way we will be able to preserve them. At least until we get more power back.” Looking down, McKenzie didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

Scott understood. Leaving one’s fellow crewmen, and even one’s friends to freeze was not something she liked either. But it had to be done. She turned to O’Sullivan. “And our ship?”

O’Sullivan shook his head. “It’s not good. From the damage, I reckon we took two antimatter hits. At least one full hit and a proximity hit. We’ve lost about a fifth of the ship’s forward sections. They are simply gone. Antimatter has also eaten a hole amidships on our starboard side. In places, the antimatter has penetrated through seven decks. Our reactors and engines immediately shut down when the seriousness of the damage was detected. Not before they’d blown out most of our inertial dampers though. I think most of the engines are operational. But our primary and secondary power relays have been shot to bits. There are outages all over the ship and that doesn’t even take in the parts of the systems that have simply been wiped out by antimatter. We’ve also lost two thirds of our emergency power capacitors. At the moment, we have just enough power to keep life support on in areas we still have air.”

“And the reactors?” Scott asked as she held her breath.

O’Sullivan shook his head again as he spoke. “One, two and four are done for. They won’t even respond when we try to cold start them. Maybe if we took two of them apart and salvaged components for the third one, we might be able to get it working. But it could take weeks or even months. I know how to run them, but I’m no nuclear physicist. If there is a serious problem, we may never be able to fix them. Reactor three shows promise. At least she’s responding to basic system checks. I think we should be able to cold start her. We’ll need to divert all our emergency power to her though. Even then, it may take up to an hour to just charge up the capacitors enough to jumpstart her. It could get pretty cold in here.”

Scott couldn’t help but smile as she nodded to O’Sullivan and then glanced at the other officers to show them her pleasure. “One will do. One is all we need. What about the shift drive?”

“I think it’s operational,” O’Sullivan replied. “Though we haven’t looked her over thoroughly yet. It wasn’t a high priority.”

“It’s not right now, but it will be,” Scott said.

“But how?” McKenzie said as he looked up. “We can’t run the shift drive on one reactor.”

Scott’s smile widened. Like O’Sullivan she might not be a nuclear physicist, but she was an astrophysicist. And she had designed several of Misfit’s key components. “Oh yes we can. It’s not going to be easy. And it’s going to take a hell of a long time. But we might be able to make something work. First things first though, we need to get a reactor going. Then we need to test our sub light engines. The Karacknids will have taken note of our ballistic course. Sooner or later, they’ll send a frigate to make sure we have been destroyed. We need to get power to the engines as soon as possible and carry out a course change. Then we can worry about the rest of the ship. We need to make sure Misfit’s structure is intact enough to survive the entry and exit into shift space. Next we can worry about the shift drive itself.” Still smiling, Scott continued to outline her plan to her officers. Though her smile was meant to instill confidence in her officers, it was working on her too. She had wanted to be a naval captain for as long as she could remember. In part it had been because she loved solving problems. That love had helped her when her father had forced her to study astrophysics. It had also helped her as she had learnt from James how to be a naval officer and then a ship’s captain. Now it was going to help her get her crew home. Yes, it was going to take a hell of a long time. But she knew what she and her ship were capable of. “We can do this,” she said as she took a moment to look around at each officer and hold their eyes. “We can do this.”

*

Worldship Nebula, Kulrea, 12th October 2484 AD, (four weeks after the Varanni Prime conference).

Emilie braced herself as Nebula prepared to revert to real space. She was about to become one of just a handful of Humans who had visited the Kulrean home system. In fact, she was about to become one of the few non Kulrean sentients who had ever set foot in the Kulthar solar system. The slight tremor that ran through the worldship told her they had arrived. Immediately, the massive holo display dominating Nebula’s bridge began to update. The view did not disappoint. “Unbelievable,” she couldn’t help but say as her eyes darted from one wonder to another.

The first things that drew her attention were the massive mining facilities ringing the system. She counted ten of them. Each was right on the edge of one of the large asteroid fields spaced around Kulthar’s outer system. They’re not just mining facilities, Emilie told herself as the holo display tracked her eyes and zoomed in the image. They have to be more. Likely, they were smelting and processing facilities as well. Their entire raw material industry is located in their outer system. It made them very vulnerable to attack, but it would also free up a lot of space within the inner system.

Next she turned to look at the nearest world. It was a gas giant. What Emilie saw made her frown. There were no gas mining cloudscopes to be seen. Instead, hundreds of large structures hung in orbit around the planet. They were larger than any space station she had ever seen. “What are they?” she asked as she still stared at them.

“Habitats,” Ninrold, Nebula’s Captain answered. “They provide homes for Kulreans that wish to live in orbit around Hastush. It is our system’s only gas giant, so she is sacred to many of us.”

Emilie could hardly believe it. “Habitats,” she repeated. Each was more than ten times the size of Nebula. “They must be able to house hundreds of thousands of people.”

“Eight point five million exactly, if memory serves me correctly,” Ninrold said.

From her tone, Emilie suspected the Kulrean was enjoying her amazement. She didn’t care, what she was seeing was amazing. In front of her there were at least one hundred of the stations, and as Hastush continued to rotate, more and more were coming into view. She couldn’t help but shake her head. There were more Kulreans living in orbit around the gas giant that there were Humans on half the Empire’s colonies.

When she eventually tore her eyes away from the large planet, her astonishment only grew. Every planetary body was covered in the stations. There were far too many for her to count. Though she was tempted to try anyway. What stopped her short was Kulrea itself. The Kulrean’s homeworld put everything else to shame. The planet gave off a faint orange glow, but what that was from, Emilie couldn’t tell. Her view was being blocked by the thousands of stations that littered Kulrea’s orbitals. Yet even they didn’t hold her attention for long. What did was the largest sentient-made structure Emilie had ever seen. Enveloping the planet was what Emilie could only describe as a planetary ring. Yet it was not made of asteroids, but of metal!

“How is that even possible?” she managed to ask after staring for what had to have been at least a couple of minutes.

“It is an impressive feat of engineering,” Ninrold agreed, easily guessing what Emilie was looking at. “We began construction on it four centuries ago. Since then, we’ve added new sections as and when they are needed. The housing demands of our population have long since outstretched what Kulrea can provide. We call the ring Home One; it is where most of our population now lives.”

Emilie shook her head. There were a lot of things she didn’t understand about the Kulreans. Why they refused to colonize any other systems was one of them. She guessed it kind of made a little more sense to her now. Why would they need to colonize other systems if they could build such things? Yet why would they bother building such things when they could easily colonize another system? She didn’t know.

“We have been cleared to enter construction berth twelve,” one of Nebula’s officers reported as he looked up from his command console.

“Lay in a course,” Ninrold ordered as she gestured towards Kulrea.

Moments later and the worldship began to rapidly move through the system, for despite the battle damage she had suffered, she could still reach ninety percent of her maximum thrust. For just under an hour, Emilie sat mostly in silence as she took in the system around her. Here and there she asked a question when she saw something she didn’t understand. But for the most part, she was simply content to take it all in. The Varanni Prime system, the capital of the Varanni civilization, had impressed her greatly. Yet it couldn’t hold a candle to what the Kulreans had built in their home system. Even the sheer volume of ships was mind-boggling. When she had asked, Nebula’s sensors and computer had given her a count of thirty thousand. Even if all the freighters, pleasure yachts and private craft in the Empire were added together, it was still three times more ships than Humanity had throughout all their colonies.

“Ah, here we are,” Ninrold said as Nebula began to close with one of the stations that orbited Kulrea.

Now that they were close enough to see it in detail, Emilie recognized the station for what it was. Though it wasn’t exactly like a Human one, it had all the familiar marks of a shipyard. Strangely though, at least in her experience, there were no ships under construction. Nor were there any in the nine other shipyards that hung in orbit beside the one Nebula was heading towards. There was however a beehive of activity around the construction yards. Hundreds of what had to be construction drones were buzzing about each yard. Emilie knew they couldn’t all be for Nebula. “Have your Superintendents decided to build more worldships?” She asked as she turned to Ninrold.

For once, Ninrold didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked down at her console. She tapped on it several times before looking up. “It seems Superintendent Hallock has already discussed the matter with the other Superintendents. They have decided to accept your uncle’s request that we build ships for your fleet. The construction yards are currently being prepared to work on the designs that will be sent from Earth and Varanni Prime.”

Emilie’s world stood still. Despite everything she had seen, it was this final revelation she couldn’t believe. She had been the one to suggest to James that he try asking the Kulreans to build ships. Logically, it made sense. If the Kulreans were happy to send their worldships to protect Human fleets so that Human warships could attack and destroy Karacknid ones, why couldn’t they build ships for Human crews to use as well? Yet the Kulreans’ morality was not something she understood. Even her uncle hadn’t been sure that they would respond positively to the idea.

“And here is our berth,” Ninrold continued, unaware of Emilie’s shock. “The full extent of our damage and repair needs was sent ahead from Varanni Prime by the tachyon pulse generator. Repair crews are already in place. They already have an estimate for when they will be done. Two weeks. Then we can begin the search for your Kalassai.”

Emilie found herself shaking her head again. Ninrold had taken her on a tour of Nebula. The damage she had received was significant. Several Karacknid antimatter missiles had struck the worldship. They had gouged deep holes into the ship’s superstructure. She had estimated a Human construction yard would have taken four or five months to repair the damage. Yet the Kulreans would do it in two weeks.

“If you like,” Ninrold asked, “I could take you on a tour of Kulrea and the rest of our system while we wait. Of course, we have to plan our mission. But I’m sure we will have some time for sightseeing.”

Emilie nodded at the suggestion. She could hardly imagine what other wonders she was about to discover on the Kulrean’s homeworld itself.

*

Nebula, 30th October 2484 AD, (eighteen days later).

“And you’re sure this is safe?” Ninrold asked. Her voice trembled ever so slightly as she spoke.

Emilie had to fight not to crack a grin. Ninrold had taken great delight in amazing her again and again as the Kulrean shared more and more of her species’ secrets with Emilie during their two-week wait for Nebula to be repaired. For once, she had an advantage over the Kulrean. By Emilie’s count, she had ten wormhole jumps under her belt. Ninrold and Nebula had none. In fact, no Kulreans had yet used the Gift’s wormholes. “Perfectly safe,” she said. “I’ve done it many times. And if our ships can handle the stress, I’m sure yours will have no problems.”

Ninrold nodded, though to Emilie it looked a little forced. “Very well then, take us forward.”

As Nebula began to move towards the swirling vortices of gravimetric eddies, Emilie felt the tension sharpen around her. Even she had to admit her shoulders tightened. No one ever got used to going through a wormhole. She almost jumped when alarms went off from several consoles.

“They’re warning about dangerous levels of gravimetric waves,” an officer reported.

Ninrold looked to Emilie. “They are normal,” she reassured the Kulrean Admiral.

“Switch them off,” Ninrold ordered.

As soon as Nebula was surrounded by the vortices, her sensors lost all contact with outside space. For nearly thirty seconds, the ship continued on blindly. Then the event horizon came into view. It was different than all the other eddies. Instead of firing off copious amounts of gravimetric waves, it sucked them in.

“Take us through,” Ninrold said when several officers turned to her.

Without stopping, Nebula moved up to the event horizon of the wormhole. As soon as her forward section touched it, the Kulrean ship was sucked in. For about thirty seconds, Nebula’s bridge took on a completely new perspective. From where Emilie sat, everything looked like it was being stretched and then pulled. All of the Kulreans around her were looking about frantically, fear written on many of their faces. Emilie had warned them all about what to expect, but nothing could really prepare you for it. For her part, Emilie tried her best to sit back calmly, even if her heart rate was racing. She still found it unnerving.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, Nebula exited the other side of the wormhole. At once her sensors began to pick up hundreds, and then thousands more gravimetric eddies. They were in the Gift.

“Where to now?” Ninrold asked.

“We’re being targeted!” an officer shouted before Emilie could reply. “Four separate targeting sensors have locked onto us.”

“The Gift forts,” Emilie reassured them. “Transmit our codes. They won’t have been expecting us, so don’t move until they acknowledge.”

“They have responded,” another officer reported moments later. “We have permission to proceed.”

“Head towards the forts,” Emilie instructed Ninrold. “The next wormhole will be between them.”

As Nebula moved closer to them, the forts came into view. Not as large as Nebula, they were still pretty impressive in Emilie’s eyes. Together they guarded the wormhole that led to the far side of Karacknid empire and Conclave space. No one knew if the Karacknids had learnt about the Gift yet, but if they had, and if they tried to send any ships through, they were going to get a surprise. “There is the event horizon,” Emilie said as she pointed between the four forts. “It will be the same as last time. Only longer. Two minutes or so.”

“Alert the rest of the crew we will be jumping again,” Ninrold said to her officers. “Then take us through.”

All around her, Emilie saw the Kulreans tense up again as Nebula moved forward and then touched her second wormhole of the day. Just as she had said, the trip was slightly longer, but no less weird. Then it suddenly came to an end as Nebula was dumped back into real space.

“Plot us a course out of the eddies,” Ninrold snapped at once. “Make sure we have our emissions cut to a minimum.”

Emilie mentally nodded. There should be no Karacknids for at least fifty light years. But it paid to be safe. As soon as Nebula edged out of the swirling gravimetric eddies that hid the wormhole, her sensors reached out to sift through every joule of electromagnetic energy that touched the ship. At once, the bridge’s massive holo display began to be populated with nearby stars.

“Coordinates confirmed Captain,” Nebula’s navigation officer reported moments later. “We are in the Conclave sector. Five thousand light years from our previous location.”

More than one Kulrean let out a strange sound. Emilie took it that they were impressed. Even Ninrold didn’t have her usual smug look when she turned to Emilie. They nodded to one another as Ninrold began to give orders. “Plot us a course for Scalatar. We will check in with the Gramrians and then our hunt for the Kalassai can begin.”

Chapter 1

To win peace for the Empire and for one’s own family, often leaders must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Earth, 28th January 2485 AD, (three months later).

For the first time in many months, Emperor James Somerville did not feel very much like an Emperor. With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and simply enjoyed the sensations all around him. The beach chair fit perfectly around his body, allowing every one of his muscles to relax. The warmth of the hot Mediterranean sun warmed his upper body and legs. Twisting his feet left and right, he allowed the hot sand to run between his toes. He was in heaven. At least, as close as he had come to it for years. And we’re only a five minute shuttle flight from the Palace, he thought to himself, amazed that he and Christine hadn’t visited the island of Menorca before. For a moment ,his mind tried to remember the last time he had enjoyed a holiday away from the Fleet. It had been before the war with the Karacknids. He knew that much at least. As he began to count back the months, the battles and losses he had suffered came to the fore. He stopped himself. You are here to relax. Not fill your mind with things you can’t change. With an effort he returned to focusing on the feeling of the sand between his toes.

A small squeak from just in front of him made James lean forward and open his eyes. Jonathan was sitting in the sand in front of Christine and his chairs. He had a plastic bucket and spade and had been digging away to his heart’s content. James smiled when he saw what had happened. Somehow, Jonathan had just managed to shovel a big pile of sand onto his head. The grains were still running down his hair and into his shirt. With a shake of his head, Jonathan flung the rest off and then went straight back to filling his bucket. James turned to Christine, his smile still on his face. “This was a good idea.”

Christine frowned, though James could tell she was faking it. “Of course it was,” she said. “I’m insulted you ever thought otherwise… So maybe now you’re going to apologize for how hard you made me work to get you out here?”

James shrugged his shoulders as he sat back in his chair. “I think I’m too relaxed to worry about apologizing. Your plan might have worked too well.”

Christine’s humph made him smile again. Intentionally ignoring her, he reached over to the opposite side of his chair. Lifting up his cocktail glass, he took a long sip of his mimosa. “Even ordering one of these wasn’t a half bad idea,” he idly commented.

A sudden movement from Christine made James turn towards her in alarm. She had reached down and was holding a large handful of sand. Instinctively James raised a hand to protect his drink. “Don’t make me do it,” Christine warned. “You know I will.”

Out of the corner of his eye James spotted movement over his shoulder. A couple of Imperial Guard Marines had stepped out from behind the small thicket of trees they had been keeping watch from. When they saw everything was alright, they just as quickly disappeared. “Alright, alright,” James said as he turned back to Christine. “You win. You were right. We should have done this months ago. I needed it.”

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Christine asked as a smug smile spread across her lips. She then reached down and took a sip from her own drink.

James rolled his eyes. “A confession given under duress is not permissible in court. Surely the Empress of Humanity should know her own laws.”

“This is not a court of law,” Christine retorted. “And the truth is the truth, no matter how one comes by it. So, I will accept your apology. And maybe next time you will not be so slow to heed one of my suggestions.”

“It is hard to believe we are so close to the Palace. I’ve grown so used to the snowcapped peaks and storms. We could almost hold our weekly Inner Council meetings out here.”

Christine snorted. “Let’s not get carried away. We are supposed to be getting some work done in those meetings. I know you like to snooze off in them. Having them here would be perfect for you. But some of us take them more seriously than others.”

This time James feigned hurt. “I’ll have you know I hang on every word that is said in those meetings.”

That brought another snort from Christine. “Sure you do. And I understand every bit of technobabble that Andrea and the others spurt about their new ship designs and weapons systems.”

“What?” James asked as he sat forward. “You mean you don’t? But you are our Empress!”

Christine waved his protest away with a flick of her hand. “That is what I married you for, silly.”

The cry of “Water!” suddenly put an end to their mock fight. Both Christine and James turned around to see Jonathan had gotten to his feet. Leaving his bucket and spade behind, he was in the process of running towards the gently lapping waves of the Mediterranean.

“Your turn,” Christine said as a smile played across her lips.

James jumped to his feet. “My pleasure.” He then raced down the beach after his son. By the time he caught up with him, Jonathan was already waist deep in water. As each small wave splashed over his waist and pushed him back, he would giggle and then redouble his efforts to go deeper. James moved close enough to intervene, but then let Jonathan continue his struggle. Only when he was almost up to his chest and a wave crashed into his face did James reach down and scoop Jonathan up. “I think that is far enough for you.” As Jonathan twisted and turned trying to get free, James moved him back to where the water was waist deep and set him down. Then he placed the two floating ducks he had picked up on his rush down the beach. At once Jonathan let out a delighted squeal and grabbed for them.

Over the next half an hour James played with his son. They let the waves take the ducks, and then raced after them. They splashed one another and chased after one another. Jonathan eventually figured out he could reach down into the water and bring up handfuls of sticky sand. They soon began to be flung in all directions. Eventually, Christine joined them. Taking Jonathan in his arms, James moved out deeper with Christine until they had to tread water to stay afloat. Taking turns passing Jonathan back and forth between them, they enjoyed the embrace of the warm water. Only when Jonathan began to look like he wanted down on his own two feet again did they come in. “I think I’ll go and finish my drink, if that’s ok?”

Christine took Jonathan from him and set him down in the water so he could stand up. “Of course. We will play here until he wants some lunch.”

James smiled at her, gave Jonathan one last splash, and then walked up the beach. As soon as he sat in his chair, its cushioning began to absorb the water from his body and shorts. By the time he had taken a few sips, it had mostly dried him. The sun would do the rest. The sound of giggling and Christine’s laughter drew his attention back to the seashore. Feeling more contented than he had in years, James was satisfied to simply sit back and watch his family play. It didn’t take long for his mind to begin to turn to other things, however. Not because he wanted to think of them. But his joy in the morning of freedom he was enjoying forced them there. They will not stop coming for us, he knew as he couldn’t help picture Karacknid invasion shuttles racing across the open sea and landing on the beach around him. They would destroy all this and take away any chance of us enjoying such mornings. They would take it away from everyone. And all because of him. Though James had no idea what the Karacknid Imperator looked like, over the last number of months he had conjured a horrifying vision in his mind. It consisted of everything that made the Karacknids so terrifying opponents to meet face to face, multiplied several times over. The Karacknids fought for the glory of their Imperator. They worshiped him almost like a god. James was now certain there would be no peace without forcing the Imperator to give up his desire to conquer Earth and Humanity’s colonies. He could destroy ten thousand enemy warships and a million of their crew and still the Karacknids would keep sending more fleets to continue the war. It would be a never ending cycle until eventually Humanity’s fleets would be overrun and its colonies conquered. Then everything James loved about his people, his homeworld and his family would be no more.

“What are you thinking about?” Christine asked as she broke into his thoughts. James had been so busy he hadn’t seen her bring Jonathan back up from the sea. Nor hand Jonathan a packet of vegetable chips for him to munch on. “This is supposed to be a time to relax and forget our troubles. You can’t fix anything right now anyway.”

“I wasn’t, I promise,” James said. Christine eyed him warily. “Honestly. At least, I wasn’t worrying about strategies or ship construction schedules or anything like that. I was just thinking about this.” With the hand that wasn’t holding his empty glass, he gestured towards the beach and the sea. “And about us. This is what I want for us. The freedom to take holidays. Time to spend with you and Jonathan… Peace… I am tired of war and of all the fighting. I want peace,” as he spoke, James’ voice hardened as he thought of the Karacknid Imperator again. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it.”

Christine leaned over in her chair and squeezed his forearm. “I know you are dear. I know you will fight to your last breath for us. I too want nothing more than a lifetime of days like this. But I can’t help fear that when you leave, you will never come back. All the way out there. There will be no reinforcements to save you. No Kulrean worldships to suddenly appear. I am scared.”

James had to fight not to grimace. He had spoiled their morning. Now both of them were thinking of the future. He also had nothing to comfort Christine with. Everything she had said was true. If it wasn’t the only way he could see to bring an end to the war, he would be calling the proposed Operation Hail Mary a suicide mission. In all likelihood it was. And yet he meant what he had said. He would do whatever it took. Setting down his glass, he placed his free hand on Christine’s and squeezed it. “Everyone is scared. There is nothing we can do about that. The Karacknid threat is even bigger than before. Even if we have been able to enjoy a few months’ respite thanks to the Kulreans. But we have no choice but to try and end their threat once and for all.”

“I know, I know,” Christine whispered as she turned to look at Jonathan. “I am not trying to stop you from going. I know what needs to be done. I just wish it weren’t so.”

“As do all who find themselves in such times,” James replied. “But it is for better times that we fight. Better times for Jonathan.”

Christine nodded her head fiercely. “And that is why I love you.” Standing she moved over and sat in James’ lap. Then she gave him a deep kiss. “But I can’t promise I won’t cry when you do finally have to leave. Nor that I won’t complain some more between now and then.”

James laughed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Both of them turned when an Imperial Guard appeared as if from nowhere. Purposefully she strode down the beach. “Empress and Emperor, I’m very sorry to interrupt you both. But I have received a message from Minister Fairfax. He requested I share it with you right away.”

“Of course, go ahead,” Christine said as she sat up in James’ lap. They had both long since given up protecting their modesty around the Imperial Guard who watched over them night and day.

“He says several reports have just come from the frontline. Additional Karacknid warships have been detected amassing on the border. He would like to bring forward the planned meeting of the Inner Council to this afternoon.”

Christine took a deep breath and then nodded. “Then I guess our brief break must come to an end. Send a message back and confirm that Fairfax can reschedule the meeting. Inform our shuttle we will be leaving, and call Jonathan’s maid to help us pack up.”

“At once, Empress,” the Imperial Guard snapped.

James and Christine then shared a look. If the new reports were concerning enough that Fairfax had interrupted their first full morning off in weeks, it was not going to be good at all.

Chapter 2

The size and might of the Karacknid empire and its warfleet were never fully understood during the War of Doom. If it had, our forefathers might have surrendered immediately. We are fortunate they did not.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Imperial Palace

“Admiral Lightfoot’s scouts have detected an additional eighty ships joining the fleet opposing Gamma-fort,” Lieutenant Ivanov said as she carried out her weekly briefing for the Imperial Inner Council. “Both Lightfoot and Captain Nimring are still confident they can hold the fort system if attacked, but they are requesting we prepare to send reinforcements to them if more Karacknid ships make an appearance.” With a tap on her datapad, the holo display zoomed out from the Gamma-fort system to show the frontline of Humanity’s war with the Karacknids. “Together with the other reports we have received over the last month, that takes the total number of new warships spotted along the front to five hundred.” Another tap zoomed the image out further to take in Varanni Alliance space. “And across the entire theatre of war, the number has now reached two thousand.”

“A worrying trend,” Fairfax, Empress Christine’s Chief of Staff commented.

“And one that is worsening,” Andrea Clements added. “If memory serves me correctly, it was one thousand the month before, and eight hundred before that. Their reinforcements are arriving in greater and greater numbers.”

“You are correct Admiral,” Ivanov said to the head of the Fleet’s Procurement and Logistics Division.

“But where are they getting the ships from? They can’t all be new constructions,” McCarthy asked.

“Our best guess is they are pulling in garrison and escort fleets from the surrounding systems,” Ivanov answered. “Thanks to Admiral Becket’s raid deep into Karacknid territory, we know they keep sizable garrison fleets throughout their space. It is true some of their latest ships do appear to be newly constructed. The majority however, are older designs.”

“So they are stripping their inner systems of ships,” Fairfax mused. “Which means they are getting desperate. Or at least, they are not willing to give us any more free time to rebuild our forces.”

Ivanov glanced at James before she spoke. When he nodded, she altered the holo display to show the complete distribution of enemy ships along the frontline. At least, it was as accurate a picture of the enemy dispositions as their scouts had been able to get. “The Karacknids know they could not defeat our fleets, not with the Kulrean worldships protecting them. Not with the numbers they had. But that is changing. All along the frontline they are increasing their numbers. It has forced us to spread the worldships out thinner and thinner. Sooner rather than later, the Karacknids will amass enough ships to strike at one of our fleets. Then the war will resume again in earnest.”

“Which means our time is running out,” James said as he spoke for the first time in the briefing. “We must accelerate our plans for Operation Hail Mary. Both here and in Alliance space. I intend to send a recommendation to Varanni Prime today to that effect.”

“But can we go ahead with the plan if the Karacknids are threatening to attack us once more?” McCarthy asked.

James paused before answering. The ex-smuggler’s question was one that had been haunting his thoughts more and more over the last month. For four months after the Kulrean worldships had helped drive the Karacknid battlefleet away from Earth, the Karacknids had stopped all offensive operations. It had given Humanity and the Varanni Alliance some breathing room to replenish their losses and refortify the border. But then two months ago, large numbers of additional Karacknid warships had started showing up at the border. Probing attacks and small raids had quickly followed. All along the frontline the Karacknids were threatening to renew their offensive. “No,” James reluctantly admitted. “If they launch a major push, we will have to divert what little reserves we have to stop them. That is why I think we need to push up the timetable for the first phase of Hail Mary. We need to strike first to draw the Karacknids’ attention onto us. I fear it is the only way we can stop them renewing their offensive and thwarting the main elements of Hail Mary. If the council is in agreement, I am proposing we send orders to Admiral Lightfoot to begin his part of the preparations. And that we request Alliance High command send the fleet elements we need to us immediately. We should aim to launch our plan within the month. By then we should have the first two deliveries of Kulrean-built ships operational. That should give us sufficient strength to begin Hail Mary.”

“You are talking about taking a considerable gamble,” Andrea suggested. “Even more than Hail Mary already is. Especially if the Karacknids keep adding more ships to their fleets at the rate they are.”

“And yet, we have no choice,” James replied. “The Kulrean worldships are acting like a dam. Yes, they are keeping the Karacknid fleets from flowing into our systems and conquering them. But they are also causing the Karacknid numbers to build up and build up. Eventually, the dam will break and the flood will destroy us all. We have no choice but to act now. The whole operation is a gamble. But in order to give the later stages a realistic chance of working, we must take more risks now.”

“I am in agreement,” Christine said as she glanced from James to Andrea. “You know as well as anyone Admiral that we cannot match the ship numbers the Karacknids are adding to the frontline. Even with the Kulreans’ help. The Kulreans bought us the relative peace we have enjoyed these last months, but they can buy us no more. I fear this war is reaching its end stage. Either we end it, or the Karacknids will.”

As the other members of Christine’s Inner Council joined in the discussion, James let them say their piece. It was important that all their voices were heard, for once Hail Mary was put into operation, there would be no time for discussion. Eventually the consensus was clear. Though it would put even more strain on the Empire’s stretched economy, the timetable for Hail Mary had to be pushed up. It was agreed that orders would be sent out to all the fleet elements involved in the operation to begin their preparations now. James and his command staff were also tasked with drawing up the final plans for the initial attacks. Once that was agreed, the council meeting turned to other matters. Though James listened intently, his mind was already elsewhere. Hail Mary had been his idea, though he hadn’t chosen the name for it. That had been Admiral Jourm’s idea. A bad joke as far as James was concerned, but it was too late to change it now. The full plan called for a raid deep into Karacknid space, all the way to their capital. For James was convinced that unless the Karacknid Imperator was forced to sign a peace treaty or captured and used as a bargaining chip to agree one; there would be no end to the war. At least, not one Humanity would end up surviving. And yet with so many Karacknid ships amassing on the Human and Alliance’s borders, there was no way a sizable fleet could be diverted from the frontline. Not without at least buying some breathing room from the impending Karacknid attack. That was what the initial phases of Hail Mary were intended to achieve. Which meant he could not fail. As a result, the political and financial matters the other council members wanted to discuss could not hold his attention.

“Then let me bring this council meeting to a close,” Christine said formally, drawing James’ mind back to those sat around him as they all began to get up. He stood, shook hands and exchanged a few words with most of them. Within a few minutes it was only Christine, Fairfax and General Johnston left.

“What do we have next on the schedule?” James asked Fairfax, knowing Christine’s Chief of staff had remained behind to make sure they headed where they needed to go next.

“Your weekly combat and self-defense training,” Fairfax said as he eyed Johnston.

The marine General smiled at James. “I thought that as I’m already here, I may as well join you. Maybe I’ll even see how far you’ve progressed myself.”

James groaned and rolled his eyes. When he and Christine had become Emperor and Empress of the Human race, Johnston and many others had insisted they receive some of the augments special forces marines received. Then, after the attack on Christine’s shuttle, Johnston had also insisted they receive weekly training. Of course, Johnston said it was in case they ever got into a situation the Imperial Guard couldn’t handle. Secretly, James thought Johnston also liked the idea of James getting thrown on his butt once a week.

“Come on dear,” Christine said as she linked her arm through his. “We may as well make the most of it. And once we’re done, maybe we can find a few more tasks for our General here. If he has the time to personally oversee our training, maybe we’re not working him hard enough.” The smile Christine flashed Johnston caused James to grin. Even though they both knew she was joking, Johnston’s face had lost all its smugness.

As they moved out of the briefing room the council had met in, Johnston and Fairfax fell behind. James was glad; he had so little time with Christine it was nice to even get a chance to walk with her in private. For the first minute or so they walked in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. Christine was the first to speak. “How worried are you about these new enemy ships?”

“A little… in fact more than a little. I don’t think they will launch a major push until they have tested our defenses more. They will want to know just how well a fleet of fifteen or so Kulrean worldships can fight. Probably, they’ll also want to test our reaction times. At the moment, our planned response to a major enemy push is to pull in the Kulrean worldships from nearby border worlds before fully confronting the Karacknids. The enemy commander will likely guess that. He’ll want to test how quickly we can combine them. Once he has that information, a full-on attack will not be far behind.”

“So we may get some warning. A powerful probing attack will be the sign the real offensive is about to begin.”

James nodded, but only slightly. “That assumes word will reach us in time. They could probe several of our systems and then attack before we hear about it here.”

“You want to be at the front?” Christine guessed as she pulled James closer.

“I want to be here with you and Jonathan. But I know I can protect you better there.”

Christine looked up to meet his eyes as they continued to walk. “Well, you have been needed here these last few months. This has been your hare-brained scheme. Without you, I doubt we could have convinced everyone to get behind it like they have. Even with the Varanni High Command seemingly on your side. I’m still not sure what I think about it.”

“Nor am I,” James said seriously. “But we have no other choice.”

“Then you’ll have to spend more time with Jonathan,” Christine reminded him. “He will miss you when you do have to go.”

James felt guilty. His son was now two. The last five months were the longest he had spent with him since he had been born. They had been sweeter than he could have imagined. And yet now, Jonathan would be hurt when he left and there was no way to make him understand. And you may not come back, a voice in James’ head told him. He dismissed such thoughts with a shake of his head. He was already all too aware of the risks with his plan. None of them might come back. But as he had already said, what choice did they have?

Christine picked up on his change of mood. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing much,” James said. “Just thinking.”

“About the future?”

“About a lot of things. Things out of my control… Come on,” James said as he forcefully brightened his tone. “Let’s go and see which way the marines want to kick our butts this week.” Picking up his pace, he led Christine towards the Imperial Guard barracks that was on one of the Palace’s lower floors. Maybe a good bit of exercise is what I need to stop my mind from brooding, James found himself thinking.

When he got to the sparring gym within the barracks, he quickly changed his mind. Sergeant Harkin usually oversaw his training. He was standing beside a very complicated looking obstacle course. One that had several laser rifles to one side of it that were pointing menacingly into the course. “What fresh hell have you concocted for me now Sergeant?” James asked as Christine let him go.

“Nothing too fancy,” Harkin replied, a small smile on his face. “Just something to help you work on your reflexes.”

“I’ll see you after,” Christine said, a similar smile on her face.

James watched her go as he shook his head. It looked like the female Marine Sergeant who worked with Christine had taken out some weights. If his wife’s previous training sessions were anything to go by, they’d do some weightlifting and then move into close quarters grabs and throws. James wished that was what Harkin had planned. A giggling from outside the barracks made James turn. He was just in time to see Jonathan come running into the gym, one of his maids running closely behind him. Continuing to giggle, Jonathan ran around the gym as he enjoyed being chased.

“Sorry,” the maid said as she ran past Christine, “we just couldn’t get him settled. Fairfax said you wouldn’t mind us bringing him here.”

James looked over to Harkin and raised an eyebrow. Harkin shrugged his shoulders. “As long as he doesn’t enter the obstacle course, I don’t see why not. He’ll have to train with us one day too. And the more he does before his implants, the better it will be for him.” Before James could reply, Jonathan stopped in front of the obstacle course. He stared up at it and then let out a loud, “ooohhhh.” Immediately, he moved towards it.

“I don’t know if bringing him here will have made your life any easier,” James chuckled as the maid rushed forward and picked Jonathan up before he could reach the course. Immediately, he began to wriggle out of her arms.

“I think you better get started,” Harkin suggested. “Once you begin, the course will close you within it. He won’t be able to get in then.”

“Alright, I suppose,” James said as he fought back a sigh. “Shouldn’t I stretch first?”

“Consider this your warmup,” Harkin said. “The course is designed to test and hone your reflexes. Those laser rifles are powered just enough that you’ll feel their zap. It’ll feel like you’ve just grabbed a hot poker. It’ll also leave a mark on your skin, but it will pass in a couple of days. If one is really bad, we can get it treated later. They are programmed to fire a shot every three to five seconds. However, if you stay still for too long, they will cycle every two. So you need to keep moving. You’ll get a warning from each cannon before it fires.”

“And just what is the point of this?” James asked as he stripped off his naval uniform to reveal the protective body armor he wore below.

“Imagine you are in a combat situation. You’ll need to keep moving to stay alive. This will train you for that.”

As he moved up to the obstacle course, James glanced longingly at Christine. She was already working her way through a set of reps her Sergeant had given her to do. Then he stepped into the course. At once metallic bars appeared, locking him into a large cube about fifteen meters by fifteen. All around him were various metallic structures of seemingly random design. Some resembled tables or chairs, others were like pieces of string hanging from the top of the course, while others were just odd shapes unlike anything James could compare them to. A countdown suddenly appeared on a screen beside the three laser rifles. James quickly glanced at Jonathan. He had been set down again and had moved close to the course. “I guess you’re going to see your father work up a sweat,” he said to him as he flashed Jonathan a wide smile.

Three quick beeps told James the countdown had ended. Immediately, he began to move. He knew from experience to take Harkin’s warnings seriously. Jumping over a table-like object, he then slipped between two more obstacles. From over his left shoulder, a whining noise began. It increased in pitch rapidly for about two seconds. Then, just as James turned around to see it was coming from one of the laser cannons, a sudden pain in his left wrist made him fling his hand into the air. He had been hit by a low-powered laser beam!

James’ eyes flashed accusingly towards Harkin. The Marine Sergeant was simply staring at him, his face expressionless. In contrast, the man standing beside him had a wide grin on his face. “Come on Emperor, you can do better than that!” Johnston called out.

James gritted his teeth. Before he could shout back a retort, a different laser rifle began to let out a whining noise that rapidly increased in pitch. At once, James began to move. He raced forward, then suddenly stopped his advance and ducked behind one of the obstacles. He wasn’t quick enough. For the briefest of seconds, a red-hot pain flared on his right shoulder. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but it lingered in James’ memory long enough to get him moving again.

Determined not to get hit again, James began to call upon all his enhanced speed and strength. Running flat out, he used the obstacles to twist and weave his way through the course. Now and then, he glanced towards the three laser rifles. They were all tracking him perfectly. Except, as he squinted at them, he could see that they weren’t. They’re anticipating my movements. Thanks to his enhancements, James realized he was moving so fast, the rifles had to anticipate where they were aiming. I can use that, he figured. As the whining began again, James rushed around one obstacle. Then, just before he guessed the rifle was going to fire, he grabbed onto a long pole and used it to spin him around one hundred and eighty degrees. When the whining ended, he wasn’t met with a searing pain.

“Well done Emperor,” Harkin called out. “You’re getting it. Now just keep at it. Pretend you are in a real firefight.”

James wanted to swear at the Sergeant, but Jonathan’s cackling at his daddy’s strange movements reminded him not to. Instead, he focused all of his attention onto not getting hit again. He failed. And he failed again. Over the next twenty minutes, James lost count of how many times he got hit. In fact, he lost track of everything but the need to constantly keep moving and the whining of the laser cannons. Almost entering into a trance-like state, his world narrowed down to the obstacles in front of him and the next laser beam coming his way.

When the bars locking him suddenly retracted, James almost collided into an obstacle in surprise. He kept moving until he was able to turn and see Harkin. He only stopped when the Sergeant waved him over. “The exercise is over Emperor. You may leave the course.”

Stepping out, he took a moment to take several deep breaths. His heart was beating furiously. He then grabbed one of the water bottles that had been set out for him. “How did I do?” he asked as he moved over towards Harkin and Johnston. He was sure he had failed. Even a quick glance at his arms and legs showed his armor had a number of scorch marks on it.

“It took you a while to get going,” Harkin replied in an even tone. “But you got into the zone eventually. Did you realize you didn’t get hit once during the last four minutes?”

James shook his head. Johnston laughed. “It’s a fun exercise, isn’t it?” He continued before James could answer. “We use it to force our special forces marines to get used to their new abilities. It also trains the mind to focus solely on the most immediate threat. You actually did pretty good for your first time.”

“Thanks, I think,” James replied as he looked around for Jonathan. He was over watching Christine practice some grappling moves with her instructor.

“I guess he got tired of watching his dad get fried,” Johnston said as he patted James on the back. “Now that you’re warmed up. What say we have a little sparring match?”

“Us?” James asked as his voice rose involuntarily.

“Sure,” Johnston said with a smile. “It will be fun. And besides, you’ve been spending too much time sparring with Harkin. You need to keep varying your opponents. Plus,” Johnston added in a whisper as he leaned in towards James. “I’m guessing Harkin has been taking it easy on you. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be the marine who puts his Emperor in the hospital.” Johnston then winked at James as he stood up straight again. “I, on the other hand, have no such qualms.”

James swallowed hard. He had no desire to spar with Johnston. Yet he had put the Marine General in charge of their protection. Which meant he had to do as he was told. “What kind of sparring will we be doing?”

“Let’s go for nano-carbon knives,” Johnston suggested, as his eyes twinkled.

James did groan this time. He knew Marines loved their knives.

Chapter 3

As much as we in the naval branch of the imperial Navy like to think of ourselves as the bulwark of our Empire against alien aggression, we must never forget the sacrifices of our marine brethren. They have bled and died just as much as we have in the Empire’s wars.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

“Raise up the combat ring,” Johnston called. Moments later, a circular sparring ring rose from the floor. Beside it, a weapons cabinet also rose. When it stopped moving, it swung open to reveal a varied collection of hand-to-hand combat weapons.

“Now I know I need to stretch,” James said. He was certain Johnston wasn’t going to go easy on him.

As Johnston inspected the weapons, James worked through a number of stretches to loosen his arms and legs. Thanks to his workout in the obstacle course, he was feeling nimble. When he approached Johnston, the marine General tossed him a replica of a nano-carbon knife. He also pulled out two padded sparring suits. “Here, put this on. It will absorb some of the impact from our blows. Oh, and watch the edges of that knife. It releases a powerful electric shock as soon as it makes contact with anything.”

More pain, James said to himself. Of course, he knew the Marines liked to make almost all their training exercises include pain. It made them more realistic. And it taught them to keep going despite being hurt. He also suspected the level of pain the laser rifles or even the replica knife would cause him wasn’t quite at the full level the marines trained with. Still, up to this point in his two years of training, they hadn’t used such techniques on him. Again, he suspected Johnston’s presence had something to do with that.

When Johnston had donned his sparring armor, he moved back to the cabinet. “Better put this away,” he said as he tapped a button to have the weapons cabinet descend again. “We wouldn’t want Jonathan getting curious now, would we?”

“Look who is becoming a concerned parent,” James said as he grinned at Johnston. He was happy to be able to think about something other than the training he was being put through. “How is Clare? How many weeks is she now?”

“We can talk later,” Johnston replied, not a hint of playfulness in his tone. “Keep your focus. Let’s go.” With his empty hand, Johnston gestured towards the ring.

Reluctantly, James moved ahead of him. As he stepped into the ring, he walked around its perimeter to get a feel for how big it was. He also jumped up and down a couple of times to test its springiness. One thing he had learned early on from Harkin, his enhancements opened up a whole new realm of combat moves. Most of which involved intricate jumps. With his improved muscles, he could jump six feet into the air effortlessly.

“First to ten hits,” Johnston called out as soon as James turned to face him. “Harkin can keep count.”

James balked at Johnston’s suggestion. Ten hits would be a draining match. Not to mention painful. Even with his augments, he wasn’t sure he could last that long. And he was sure it was Johnston who would be scoring all the hits.

“Now before we begin, I want you to take this seriously,” Johnston said as he tossed his knife from hand to hand. “Imagine I am a terrorist. I’m here to kill Christine and Jonathan. You’re the only one left who can stop me. Imagine it. Really imagine it. Remember what it was like when their shuttle was shot down. Remember how helpless you felt. Because someday, it may very well be that you are the only one standing between them and certain danger… Now, show me what you have got.”

It wasn’t hard at all for James to remember. Despite all the horrific things he had seen in his career. Despite all the trauma he had suffered himself, there were only two memories that still gave him nightmares. The moment he had seen Suzanna’s body after she had been shot by the UN cronies, and the moment he had watched helplessly as Christine and Jonathan’s shuttle had been shot down. Never again, he had sworn that day. Summoning the rage he had felt that day, he charged at Johnston. Swinging wildly, he tried to slice his knife along Johnston’s upper right arm.

Taking just half a step back and to the side, Johnston easily dodged. He flashed James a smile. “Good. But don’t let your anger control you. You must control it.”

James barely heard. His heart was beating fast and his emotions were raging. Launching himself into the air, he did a front flip over Johnston. Spinning, he lunged out with his knife. He hit nothing but air. Johnston had already moved. With a snarl James continued on the offensive. He charged and jumped and twisted as he slashed at Johnston again and again. Not once did he make contact. That was, until his knife suddenly hit Johnston’s. Then in a flash, Johnston’s free hand grabbed his knife hand and pinned his knife against James’. Before James could pull it free, Johnston’s leg had struck out at his knee. As pain shot up his thigh, another movement by Johnston sent him tumbling across the mat. Before he could get up, Johnston was on top of him. With one hand Johnston pinned his knife to the mat. Then much more slowly, he moved his own knife down towards James’ chest. Instinctively James reached up and caught Johnston’s wrist. The marine only smiled. Then he leaned forward and effortlessly pushed down with his knife until it made contact with James’ chest. The electric shock lasted only a fraction of a second, but it made James gasp in pain all the same.

In a flash, Johnston was on his feet holding out a hand to help James up. “You know how to use your knife. You know the techniques. But you have no idea how to fight in a brawl.” As he pulled James to his feet, Johnston glanced over at Harkin.

“He could take on two or three trained terrorists with the speed and skill he just showed,” Harkin responded, though not in the loud tone James was used to.

“And what if he is fighting someone who is augmented? Or a Karacknid for that matter?” Johnston said. “You have been mollycoddling him. That ends today.” James didn’t like the sound of that. Yet as Johnston turned back to him, he hid it from his face. “Don’t you agree Emperor? You want to be trained to your full potential. Even if it means Harkin has to give you a few bruises and even break a bone now and again? That’s what we have all our fancy medical advances for anyway.”

James knew the right answer, and so he gave it. “Yes. You are not to hold back Sergeant.” Though he suspected he would come to regret it, he was serious. Johnston had got him riled up, and if he ever did have to fight an augmented Human who was trying to hurt Christine or Jonathan, he wanted to be prepared.

“Good,” Johnston said as he nodded to James in respect. “Good. Now let’s go again. Only this time, don’t let me use your momentum against you so easily. Watch how I move. How I conserve my energy. You don’t have to be the one charging to really be the one who is on the offensive.”

James merely grunted as he threw himself at Johnston again. Though he did try to be more careful. In the end it mattered little. As soon as Johnston stopped trying to dodge his attacks, he was able to strike James’ armpit with his knife. The electric shock brought another yelp from James.

“Again,” was all Johnston said as soon as James turned to face him once more. As they entered into their dance for a third time, James found himself falling more and more into the trance-like state he had achieved in the obstacle course. His world shrank down to himself, Johnston, and their knives. For the first time, he noticed when Johnston’s body shifted onto the offensive. He wasn’t quick enough to stop himself from being electrocuted. But it gave him hope. Again and again they fought. For more than thirty minutes they traded blows and throws as James managed to get close enough to land a kick or a punch. Not once did his knife ever come anywhere close to Johnston. In the end, it was easy for Harkin to keep count.

“I think that is ten,” Johnston said as he helped James to his feet once again. “You were getting better. A month or two with Harkin, and maybe you might be able to win a point next time.”

“Sure,” James said, not believing a word Johnston said. Johnston’s skills and reflexes had been honed over the last forty years. There was no way he was going to be able to beat the marine. But you could maybe make him work a little harder for it, James thought as he noticed Johnston wasn’t even breathing a little heavily.

“Now, let’s talk business,” Johnston said as he took James’ knife and handed him a water bottle instead. He then led them over to two chairs that had been set out. With a wave of his hand he dismissed Harkin. James gave the Sergeant a thankful nod. Then he looked around for Christine and Jonathan, but they had already left. A part of him was thankful his son hadn’t been there to witness his zero-to-ten defeat.

“What do you want to talk about?” James asked after taking a long drink of his water.

“My force composition for Operation Hail Mary. We have our four Marine Assault Ships fully kitted out with marines and all their equipment. That’s eight thousand marines in each, along with all the shuttles, atmospheric fighters, and battle tanks they need to make a ground assault. Plus, our fleet will be carrying another eight to ten thousand stationed on our warships.”

“And they almost all have combat experience,” James commented. “So they will know exactly what they’re going up against when they have to fight the Karacknids.”

“Yes. But that’s not enough,” Johnston said as he set his water bottle down and turned to fully face James. “Not nearly enough, I fear.”

James nodded. “Go on.”

“We have no idea what is awaiting us in Karacknid space. Especially if we make it to their homeworld. But I can tell you one thing. The Karacknid Imperator won’t simply walk out of whatever fancy palace he lives in. And his people will fight to the last to stop us getting in. Which means it’s going to be a blood bath.”

“How many more do you think you’ll need?” James asked as he thought through what Johnston was saying. Up to this point, his focus had been almost entirely on the fleet side of the operation. Actually getting to the Karacknid homeworld would be a herculean task in and of itself.

“As many as we can take,” Johnston said. “The more forces we bring, the more options we will have.”

“We can’t just load up every combat soldier in the Empire,” James responded. “We’d need to bring food and supplies for them all. It would slow the fleet down. Eventually, we would reach a point of diminishing returns. If we don’t make it to the Karacknid homeworld, we could load up five million marines if we had them, but it would all be for nothing.”

“I understand that, and my staff have been working on it. We’ve come up with this,” Johnston said as he pulled out his datapad. After a couple of taps, a small holo image of an Imperial cruiser appeared.

“What is this?” James asked as he leaned in to get a closer look.

“I know that we did not request the Kulreans to construct any Marine Assault ships for us. And it is too late now anyway. But this is the Hipper class medium cruiser. The Kulreans are building fifty of them for us. I’d like to request eight for the marines.”

James spluttered. “Eight? That’s a sizable force.”

“But not in comparison to the fleet we will be bringing with us on Hail Mary. You’d hardly notice their absence. Yet with just a few modifications that we can carry out here in the Sol system, they could be converted to carry four thousand marines and all their provisions. And they wouldn’t slow the fleet down as they’d be as fast as our warships.”

James brought a hand up to rub his chin. It was a nice solution to Johnston’s problem. But eight medium cruisers was a sizable force, even if Johnston didn’t think so. “I presume they wouldn’t be outfitted with offensive weapons when they get here?”

“No,” Johnston said as he shook his head. “We would need the space for our supplies.”

“And do you have another thirty-two thousand marines you can take with you?”

“No. But if our training schedules continue to meet their targets, we will be able to get half that number. We can get the rest from Earth and Mars’ Colonial Militia. They may not be marines, but they are still professional soldiers, and we will need them. Though I am proposing our forces only use six of them. I’d like to reserve the other two for Gramrian soldiers. I’ve already sent a request to Admiral Shraw that he prepare as many troops as he can for us to embark when we reach Conclave space.”

“And what if Shraw has even more soldiers than we can fit in the two cruisers you want to hold for them?”

Johnston smiled. “Then we can stuff them into the Alliance ships and every one of our freighters that has a spare inch of space. I want as many of those reptilian killers with us as possible. They can cut through Karacknid forces like a hot knife through butter. If we get word back from Shraw in time to say he has even more troops than I suspect, I’ll have no problem leaving the Colonial Militia behind to make more room for them.”

“Very well, I’ll talk to Andrea before I make a decision. She can run the numbers when it comes to supplies.”

“Just remember, there is no point going all that way and then not being able to get our hands on the bloody guy!” Johnston said as his hands clenched into fists. “It will be a bloodbath on both sides. Whoever has the numbers will win out.”

“I see what you’re saying,” James said as he raised a conciliatory hand. “I want him as bad as you. If Andrea gives it the ok, then so will I.”

“Thank you,” Johnston said as his shoulders slumped and his voice lost its aggression. “If this works, it is going to cost thousands of my marines their lives. I just don’t want it to be for nothing.”

James stood and offered Johnston his hand to pull him up. “I understand. I feel exactly the same about the fleet. I’ll talk to Andrea this afternoon. Now, let’s hit the showers. And then I want you to tell me about Clare. Christine and I are excited for you both.”

*

Imperial Palace (the next day).

Groggily, James opened his eyes. Something had disturbed him. Glancing at the chronometer he saw it was 6 am. For a moment, he thought Jonathan’s monitor had woken him but then a soft chiming went off from his COM unit. It wasn’t a priority message; he could just switch it off. But he was up now. And Jonathan would be up soon, even if he wasn’t already. Slipping out of Christine’s and his bed, he grabbed his COM unit and walked into the bathroom. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you Emperor,” Commander Ivanov said gently. “I wasn’t sure if you would be up yet.”

“Well I am now,” James replied, not bothering to hide the displeasure he was feeling.

“If you were, I thought you would want to know. The first consignment of Kulrean warships arrived in system a couple of hours ago. They should be entering orbit in forty-five minutes.”

The news fully woke James up. “I thought they weren’t due until tomorrow?”

“That’s right, they are early. Judging from the acceleration rates the ships are producing, I’d guess the Kulreans made a few small tweaks to our engine designs. The ships are pulling off velocities ten percent higher than they are rated for.”

“Thanks for waking me, you were right, I do want to see,” James said as he quickly moved out of the bathroom. “I’ll meet you in the C&C room. Order a shuttle be made ready. I want to go up to Drake when she enters orbit.”

“Yes sir,” Ivanov said before James ended the COM call.

“What is it?” Christine asked from where she still lay in their bed.

“The first Kulrean-built ships have arrived. I’m going to the C&C to watch them enter orbit. Then I’ll take a shuttle up to Drake. Do you want to come?”

Christine sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes as James pulled on his uniform. “Sure. I’ll come up and meet the Kulrean delegation. You can go to the C&C, and then I’ll meet you at the shuttle.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit,” James called as he walked out of the automatic door to their quarters. His mind was already on the new ships. When he got to the C&C, Ivanov and Rear Admiral Mandow were already there. The giant holo display was zoomed in on the Kulrean-built ships. James couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them. All three hundred looked exactly like their Human-built counterparts. The only thing telling them apart were the empty ports where their missile tubes should be and the lack of any heavy plasma or laser cannon turrets.

“It is quite amazing isn’t it, sir?” Mandow asked as James stepped up beside him. “And to think, they have sent twice as many Alliance ships to Varanni Prime.”

“Amazing indeed,” James said as he continued to stare. Ivanov had been right. The Kulreans had done something with the ship’s engines. A fleet with ten battleships in it shouldn’t have been able to go quite so fast. And yet, it was. “And to think they have promised three more fleets within the next two months.” James shook his head. Even with every shipyard in the Empire working around the clock, they had only just been able to match over the last six months what the Kulreans were going to do in four. And that doesn’t even count the two thousand ships they are building for the Alliance. James had no idea how the Kulreans did it, but he wasn’t going to complain. “Can we tell anything else about the ships?” James asked. “The last communication from Superintendent Hallock said they had made some minor modifications to our designs. I’m guessing improved engines and inertial compensators are two of them.” Now that he had seen them in action, he was eager to find out what else the Kulreans had done.

In response to James’ question, the display on the holo image zoomed in more. It then began to cycle through the various ship designs in the fleet. James carefully analyzed the visuals and energy readings coming from the destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and carriers, but they all showed what he would expect to see from a Human fleet. Whatever other changes the Karacknids had made, they were under the hood.

“We aren’t detecting any anomalous readings Emperor,” one of the duty officers in the C&C said when the images started to cycle back through the ships.

“Ok, thank you,” James said as he glanced at her. He then turned to Ivanov. “I guess we’ll have to go and see for ourselves. Are you coming?”

“Right away Sir,” Ivanov said as she gave him a rare smile.

“You’ll have to stay here I’m afraid Rear Admiral,” James said to Mandow. “I wouldn’t want to have to write you up for abandoning your post.”

“Yes Sir,” Mandow replied, disappointment written across his face.

Before he walked out, James took one last look at the new fleet. It was already starting to enter orbit. As it did, it flew past what was left of Home Fleet. There were barely one hundred warships stationed in the Sol system. The rest of Humanity’s fleet was on the frontlines. James shook his head once more. It would only take a couple of weeks to install all the weapons systems in the ships. Then Home Fleet’s numbers would swell by four hundred percent. And this is only the beginning. Operation Hail Mary was starting to come together.

Chapter 4

Human history shows us every war produces an explosion of technological advancements. Interstellar wars have only enhanced this effect.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Imperial Palace.

When James stepped out onto the shuttle landing pad, he saw Christine was already there waiting. “Well?” she asked. “How do they look?”

“Impressive,” James said as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “They are faster than they should be. The Kulreans have done something with their engines or inertial compensators. That’s all we can tell from this distance. If there is anything else, we’ll have to go onboard to see.”

“The shuttle pilot tells me it’s ready to lift off,” Christine said. “So we can go now, if you are ready?”

James turned and glanced at Ivanov. She nodded. “Then let’s go,” he said as he took his wife’s hand and walked up the shuttle’s access ramp. The three of them quickly sat down. As soon as their straps tightened, the shuttle’s engines began to whine and it leapt into the air. James leaned forward to be able to look out the viewing port. He always enjoyed watching the peaks of the Swiss Alps zip past below them and then shrink into brown and green dots as the shuttle gained attitude. When the shuttle left Earth’s atmosphere, James frowned at the sight that greeted him. Hundreds of shuttles were swarming all around his. Then he realized what they were. The new ships’ crews. Of course, he said to himself, disappointed that he hadn’t already thought of it. Tens of thousands of new naval crew had been graduating from the various naval academies throughout the Empire. For the last two months, they were being shipped to Earth to meet up with their more experienced counterparts taken from active-duty ships. Now, they were flocking to their new ships. Their captains will want to get their crews on their ships as soon as possible. They will only have a few months to train them up.

As their shuttle began to fly through Earth’s orbital stations and construction yards, James’ attention turned to the construction shuttles and drones that were buzzing around. With the Kulrean-built ships arriving a day early, they were no doubt having to rush their last-minute preparations. But they are still on top of things, he couldn’t help concluding as the shuttle passed a medium cruiser already being towed into a construction yard by two orbital tugs. Above the yard, four twin heavy plasma cannons were floating as they waited to be attached to the cruiser. James studied the warship closely. Even up this close, it looked exactly like a Human-built ship. Even down to its identification markings and stealth coating paint.

As quickly as it appeared though, the cruiser was lost as the shuttle passed more stations and ships. It didn’t take long for James to begin to feel like a child in a sweet shop. Everywhere he turned, there was a new warship to look at. The heavy cruisers and battlecruisers drew his attention the most. They were the workhorses of any Human fleet. But then he saw the first battleship, and then a second and third one beside it. They immediately brought a smile to his face. His previous flagship, IS Drake, had been one of the first of a new design of battleships incorporating Human, Mindus, and Varanni tech. Eight more had been built since, including Admiral Lightfoot’s flagship Vengeance. Around the Empire, another seven were nearing completion. Yet right in front of him were three more. And he knew there were two more nearby he hadn’t seen yet. And this is just the beginning, he thought. Turning to Christine, he widened his smile. Though he knew she didn’t appreciate what they were seeing as much as he did, he was pleased by the hope he saw the new ships were giving her.

When another battleship came into view, James’ smile disappeared. Her name was clear to see; IS Drake. James was looking at his new flagship. It was a bittersweet moment. He didn’t know how to feel. Drake, what he thought of as his Drake, had been badly damaged in the second battle of Earth. The arrival of the Kulrean worldships had just saved her from being completely destroyed. Yet in the end, she had been too damaged to repair. Instead, she was still being stripped for parts for other ships. In fact, James had insisted her heavy plasma and laser cannons be saved for the ship in front of him. Yet as he looked at his new flagship, he knew a few weapons wouldn’t make this Drake his. Superintendent Hallock had offered to build James a new flagship when he had heard Drake had been scrapped. James had been flattered. It had only been later that he had found out Hallock intended to call the new ship Drake as well. It seemed Kulreans didn’t feel as sentimental about naming their ships as James knew his navy was. By the time he had found out though, it had been too late to do anything about it. And he hadn’t wanted to insult Hallock.

Sensing his thoughts, Christine reached out and took one of his hands. “She will not replace her. Nor will she feel the same. Not with all the friends you have lost. But it is a new beginning. You will make new memories and you will forge a new team of officers.”

James gave his wife a reassuring smile. She was right of course, but it didn’t stop him from feeling disappointed as he looked at the ship that could never replace the one he had been forced to give up. Something else did however. When he saw it, he frowned. “Something is not right,” he said as he leaned forward. “Those slots for the missile tubes look too small.” His eyes then roamed over the rest of the ship. “As do the plasma cannon emplacements.”

“I think they are the right size,” Ivanov said a few moments later. “Count them. There are fourteen more on each side.”

“Fourteen?” James asked even as his mind grasped what Ivanov was getting at. The missile tubes weren’t too small, the Drake in front of him was bigger than his previous battleship. Quickly, he counted the empty holes where the tubes would go. He got to sixty-six. Immediately he turned to Ivanov, “they’ve built her bigger! Her proportions are exactly the same, but everything is bigger!”

Ivanov looked as bewildered as he did. All she could do was shrug her shoulders. “There was nothing about this in the technical plans they sent back to us.”

When James looked back around at the new Drake, the shuttle had turned so that James could look back over Drake towards the other battleships. Now that they were all in a line together, it was immediately apparent that Drake was bigger. Nose to engines, James guessed she was nearly thirty percent longer. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Christine chuckled as she looked from James to Ivanov. “I’m guessing that was the point. The Karacknids have dreadnoughts. I know our naval R&D department have been looking into designing our own. It looks like Hallock and the Kulreans have beat us to it.”

“Our first dreadnought,” James said slowly as a predatory smile spread across his lips. The Karacknids had hundreds of them. Having just one on his side wouldn’t change things very much at all. Yet as he stared at his new flagship with fresh eyes, he found his confidence levels swelling. He couldn’t wait to get all her weapons installed and to take her out for her first live firing drill. “Let’s land and see her up close,” he said, his previous Drake momentarily forgotten about.

When one of the external hanger doors retracted and the shuttle eased into the hanger, it was immediately apparent the hanger was much larger than James’ previous flagship. It was also strange to see Kulrean technicians rather than Human ones in the hanger. Stepping off the shuttle’s access ramp, James bowed deeply to the Kulrean officer who was standing to greet them. “You are very welcome to the Sol system Lieutenant,” he said as his head rose. “You bring us a great gift.”

“And you are most welcome aboard IS Drake, welcome to your new flagship. I am Lieutenant Dsfaral. Superintendent Hallock sends his greetings. He is sorry he was not able to come in person to deliver the first consignment of warships we have built for you. He hopes you enjoy your new flagship. I was told to inform you we have made some improvements to show our appreciation for all your species, and you personally have done for our people. Though I suspect you have already noticed some of the improvements.”

“Indeed we have,” James said as he gestured to Christine and Ivanov. “This is Empress Christine and Commander Ivanov, my Chief of Staff.” As Dsfaral bowed deeply to Christine and then slightly less to Ivanov, James took a moment to look around the hanger bay. It looked just like a typical hanger bay, except bigger. He shook his head; he didn’t know what else he was expecting. “Are you able to give us a tour?” he asked once Dsfaral turned his attention back to James. “We can see you have increased Drake’s size. She must be similar in tonnage to a Karacknid dreadnought now.”

“Indeed she is,” Dsfaral said, the unmistakable tone of Kulrean excitement in his voice. “Though she should be far more powerful. You have no doubt noticed that she was able to keep up with the battleships in the fleet. Well in actual fact, she should be able to out accelerate them by a factor of five percent. In addition to the minor upgrades we performed on the engines of your other ships, we made some further changes to Drake’s. No doubt your engineers will be keen to see just what we have done.”

“I’m sure they will,” James said. “And I was led to believe there were other upgrades your engineers made to the designs we sent through to Kulrea?”

“Minor ones, but hopefully, they will be helpful nonetheless. We have made some minor adjustments to your ships’ sensors. They will not be as effective as Kulrean ones, far from it in fact. But they are an improvement on what your ships had. They should help you detect enemy warships and missiles sooner and increase the efficiency of your point defenses. Hallock wanted me to inform you that he made as many changes as the other Superintendents would allow him too.”

James nodded. He knew the Kulreans had a strange moral system. Idealistically, they were pacifists. Though circumstances had forced them to bend their own rules more than a little. The threat of the Karacknid Empire meant they were willing to help defend Human and Varanni Alliance systems, though their own ships did not contain any offensive weapons. Refusing to kill other sentient species, they were only willing to go so far as to protect Human ships while they did the killing. That was why the Kulreans had agreed to build more ships for the Human navy, though they refused to build any of their offensive weapons.

“But he was able to agree one further concession from the other Superintendents. Your flagship, along with the flagships being built for Admirals Jourm and Ya’sia have received additional upgrades. This is to reflect the important role we recognize you three are to play in protecting your species and ours. And we hope, to also help you accomplish your goal with minimum loss of life.”

“The additional speed Drake has, is that what you are talking about?” James asked, almost afraid to hope there was more.

“Yes, and in addition, we have equipped Drake with a full suite of Kulrean sensors along with ten of our point defensive energy cannons.”

James’ mouth fell open. He had asked Hallock a number of times to share their advanced sensor tech or point defensive weapons with Humanity, but he had refused each time. Hallock and the other Kulreans were too concerned about how Humans or some other species who might get their hands on the tech would use it. Before James could give voice to his excitement, Dsfaral held up a hand. “However, I must stress that both the sensors and the energy cannons have been incorporated into Drake’s design behind a physical and software firewall. If your technicians try to access them, they will essentially self-destruct. We have given you access to our sensors so that they will allow you to detect and so avoid Karacknid warships in the hope that this will reduce the loss of life that may be incurred by both sides during Operation Hail Mary. The defensive weapons are to ensure that you and Admirals Jourm and Ya’sia are able to survive long enough to see the plan bear fruit.”

“I don’t know what to say,” James replied as a couple of emotions filled him. He was excited at having access to two of the most impressive Kulrean technologies. Yet it was disappointing and a little hurtful that they were being locked away as they were. He was going to be risking his life and the lives of his entire fleet to protect the Kulreans and still they were treating his species like they were children.

Beside him, Christine cleared her throat a little too loudly. She then bowed to Dsfaral again. “On behalf of my people and our fleet, let me officially thank you for these generous gifts. We hope that they will indeed go a long way in minimizing the loss of life that this war is causing, and also in protecting my husband. And on a personal note, please thank Hallock profusely for this gift. I know I will sleep better knowing my husband is so well protected.”

Twisting her head ever so slightly, Christine shot James a look that had him bowing deeply again too. “Yes, please pass on my thanks as well,” James added. “Hallock and the other Superintendents have bestowed a great privilege upon us. We understand the trust you have placed in us. I will ensure that our technicians do not try to tamper with your technologies.”

“Thank you, I will pass on your sentiments to Hallock when I return to Kulrea,” Dsfaral said as he returned Christine and James’ bows. “Would you like to accompany me to the bridge? I can share the full technical specifications of Drake with you there.”

“Of course,” James said as he gestured for Dsfaral to guide them. If Drake really was identical to his old flagship, then he probably knew the way better than Dsfaral, but he didn’t want to insult the Kulrean.

As they walked, Dsfaral began to list off the other modifications the Kulrean shipbuilders had made. Most were minor. In fact, Dsfaral almost sounded disappointed by some of them. Almost as if he thought much more was possible. James had little doubt that was true. Yet, he was more than excited by what he was hearing. More than once though, his mind kept coming back to the ten Kulrean energy weapons. Even their name kept what exactly they were, a mystery. A Kulrean worldship was equipped with two hundred of them. James was under no illusions that Drake, even a dreadnought sized Drake, could handle so many. The power demands would be enormous. Ten though, that is still more than enough. Ten on their own can probably handle five hundred missiles. Especially if they are backed up with Kulrean grade sensors. As he thought about it, James decided Dsfaral’s initial statement that Drake was more powerful than a Karacknid dreadnought was an understatement. With her sensors increasing the effectiveness of her normal point defenses and the Kulrean ones, she could probably take on three or even four Karacknid ones.

“Here we are,” Dsfaral said as they stepped up to two large retractable doors. They quickly slid aside to allow the four of them to walk onto Drake’s bridge.

Right away, James could tell it was larger than what he was used to. He guessed nearly half again as many officers could be stationed around the Admiral and Flag Captain’s command chairs. That could be useful, he mused. Operation Hail Mary was going to be the most complicated logistical operation Humanity had ever embarked upon. He was going to need more help on his command staff.

“Hallock thought you might like this,” Dsfaral said as he walked over to a console and activated the holo display. At once, a massive image of the Sol system appeared in the center of the bridge.

James smiled at the level of detail; it was showing far more than a Human display could. At least, one that was actually displaying real time sensor data. His smile widened when he focused his attention on Mars. The part of the image he was looking at immediately zoomed in to show even more detail. “A Kulrean holo display,” James said as he turned to Christine and Ivanov. They both looked suitably impressed. “You can tell Hallock I do.”

Dsfaral nodded. He then tapped the console again. The image changed to show design schematics of Drake. For about twenty minutes, the Kulrean officer talked through the various changes and upgrades his people’s shipbuilders had made. None were nearly as impressive as the Kulrean sensors or point defense weapons, yet they were all appreciated.

“And of course, if there are any modifications that you do not like, you or your engineers can let me know as soon as possible. If it is within the next two weeks, I can transmit the details back to Kulrea, and the changes can be made to the next batch of Drake class warships.”

James looked away from the holo image. “The next batch?”

“Yes of course. In the next consignment of warships, we will have five more Drake class ships. Then eight each in the last two consignments,” Dsfaral explained.

James found his mouth was hanging open again. He had thought Drake was to be one of a kind. “Eh, mm, yes, of course, we will update you with any requests we have,” he said after taking a moment to compose himself. “I take it the other Drake class ships will not have Kulrean sensors or point defenses?”

“That is correct, but all the other minor modifications we have discussed will be included. Along with any other recommendations you have.”

James found himself smiling again. He was going to have twenty Drake class dreadnoughts for Operation Hail Mary. That is if you can find the crew for them all, he reminded himself. And the Captains! Commanding the old Drake with a crew of over two thousand had been stressful enough for James’ previous Flag Captains. James reckoned this Drake would need upwards of three thousand. And it had many new systems the crew would have to learn to work from scratch. Work and fix, James thought. That was going to be the hard part, for he was sure that no matter how well the Kulreans had built the ships, they were going to need to be repaired, from battle damage if nothing else.

“Well, I must say, I am suitably impressed,” Christine said as she spoke for the first time since Dsfaral had begun to brief them on Drake’s specs. “As I am sure my husband is too. May I ask Lieutenant, how long do you intend to stay in the Sol system? I’d very much like to host you and your other senior officers for a welcoming reception on Earth.” James had to hide a smirk. No doubt Christine had been bored out of her mind listening to Dsfaral’s technical descriptions. Now she was in her element.

“I have orders to remain in system until you have all your ships berthed in their construction yards and work is well underway installing your weapons into them,” Dsfaral answered. “I am to assist you in dealing with any problems that may arise. Then I will return to Kulrea to take responsibility for transporting the third consignment of ships we are building for you.”

Christine brought her hands together making a small clapping noise. “Excellent. I will make the arrangements. I’m sure you and your people will be busy today handing your ships over. But perhaps tomorrow you will come and visit our homeworld?”

“It would be my honor,” Dsfaral responded as he gave Christine a small bow.

“What is that?” James blurted as he raised a hand to point at a section of the holo display. Dsfaral had switched it back to show the Sol system. Even as he looked, the image zoomed in, confirming what he had thought he had saw.

“I believe that is a destroyer from your fleet,” Dsfaral answered as he looked where James was pointing.

“Yes, yes, I see that. But its identification packet. That has to be a joke!”

“I do not know what you are talking about. At the moment, Drake’s systems are automated. Her computer has been updated with all your fleet’s signal data. The computer is simply displaying what it is detecting. There is no joke Emperor.”

James spun around to Christine. “It can’t be,” he said, hope filling his voice despite his fear that he was about to be severely disappointed. “There’s just no way.”

Christine’s eyes widened. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth. Her head was shaking. “No one would play such a sick joke. Do you… Do you think they found her body?”

James mimicked his wife’s head movement. “It’s not procedure to use the ID tag of a deceased officer.”

Christine’s hand fell away as she looked up to James. She straightened her back as her face softened. “Then if it is not a joke, there is only on other explanation. Can we send a message to that destroyer to confirm?”

“Why yes Empress,” Dsfaral answered, sounding confused. “Drake has all the communication abilities of any one of your other warships.”

“Then send a request to confirm the ID tag accompanying that ship, if you wouldn’t mind,” James asked. He then turned to Christine. “It will take forty minutes for the message to reach them. And the same for a reply to get back to us.”

Christine turned to look at the holo display of the destroyer again. “Do you really think it is her?”

James didn’t know what to say. He wanted to hope. He wanted so badly to hope. But he had lost so many friends in the war. If he hoped and was let down, it would be like losing her all over again.

Chapter 5

Reunions are one of the happiest times for naval officers. I often counsel my students to not take them for granted. Sadly, in the War of Doom there were far too few of them.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Imperial palace

James paced back and forth across the length of the small library. He was too agitated to sit or stand. More than once, Christine had scolded him. Yet, he hadn’t been able to stop for long. Over his shoulder, he could hear the quiet whispering of Christine, Mark, and Heather. They hadn’t thought twice about inviting her parents. James had heard much about them over the years, but it was only since the funeral that he had come to really know them. Christine was sitting with them, engaging them in small talk. James didn’t know why they were whispering, but it seemed fitting.

Not for the first time, he glanced at the chronometer on the wall. Where are they? They had left Dsfaral to greet and help settle in Drake’s new crew as they landed on the dreadnought three hours ago. The destroyer should have entered orbit by now. To their great delight and confusion, the destroyer, Turtledove, had replied to confirm her passenger list. A report had also been sent to the Palace. James had been too nervous to read it. He told himself he wanted to hear it from her herself. Yet he was also afraid that it was still some kind of hoax. He wouldn’t truly believe until he saw.

Eventually, after what felt like a hundred more laps of the small library, a door chime rang. Mark and Heather were on their feet instantly. The door barely had enough time to retract before they charged the officer who stepped in. All three of them disappeared in a tangle of arms and bodies as they hugged each other. James could hear Heather sobbing, and both the officer and her father were sharing incomprehensible words. James walked over to where Christine stood. He took her hand and smiled. It was her. They had her back from the dead!

When Mark and Heather finally let their daughter go, she straightened her uniform and approached James. Standing at attention, she gave him a salute. James returned the gesture. “Rear Admiral Scott. Welcome home!” he said before he lost control and pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know how you did it. But I am so glad to see you,” he whispered as he still held her. When he eventually let her go, Christine embraced her next.

“Please, come and sit,” Christine said as he then guided Scott towards the table she had set up with drinks and refreshments. “We want to hear everything. There is so much to talk about.”

“Of course Empress,” Scott said as she allowed herself to be moved to the table.

“Now, I’ll have none of that here. You are an old friend. It is Christine when we are alone. Come, Mark, Heather, sit with us.”

As they all sat, James smiled as he watched Scott share glances with her parents. It was clear there was a strong bond between them. Long ago, Scott’s father had got over her decision to abandon her career as an astro physicist to become a naval Captain.

“We thought you were dead,” Heather said as she reached across the table and took her daughter’s hand in hers. “There was a funeral and everything.”

“I thought I was too, once or twice,” Scott said with a smile. “But I am here now. We made it. Though I’m afraid most of Misfit’s crew didn’t. And I don’t think Misfit is going to be useful for anything but spare parts.”

“That doesn’t matter now, not at all,” Heather said. “And I’m sure you did everything you could for your crew.”

“And for the fleet,” James said as he detected a moment of loss cross Scott’s face. “Without your warning at the Karacknid fleet base, our fleet would have been surrounded. We would have been defeated, and then Earth would have fallen. You saved us all that day. I just don’t understand it though. How did you get here? I saw Misfit take two direct hits.”

Scott took a deep breath. “It’s a long story. A very long one.”

“Well, we have cleared our schedule for the next couple of hours. So, if you feel up to telling it, we want to hear,” Christine said as Mark and Heather nodded. They could all tell Scott had been through a lot. Talking about it would help, if she was up for it.

Reaching for a glass, Scott took a sip. Then she looked around at each of the expectant faces staring at her. “Ok, but just the short version for now. I have my own questions. And I want to get outside. See the mountains and the valleys. It has been a long ten months.”

“Of course dear, I’m sure the Fleet will give you whatever time you need off, won’t they?” Heather asked as she turned to James.

“I will see to it,” James said with a nod.

“Well, James was right. Just after we got the warning off about the new Karacknid fleet, we were attacked by Karacknid cruisers. They scored a direct hit and proximity hit. It knocked out our reactors and most of our emergency power. We were thrown into a spin and lost most of our inertial compensators.” James winced. Scott nodded. “About two thirds of the crew were killed by the antimatter or from the high g forces. When I woke up, seven hours had passed. I gathered what crew I could find and we set about repairing what we could. We started with the maneuvering thrusters so we could change our ballistic trajectory in case the Karacknids came looking for us. Then we got an engine and a reactor working. With them, we managed to hide in a dense asteroid field way out on the edge of the Karacknid system. We had no sensors, so we couldn’t tell if they sent any patrols to look for our wreck, but they never found us if they did.”

James closed his eyes as he listened. It was all too easy to imagine what it must have been like. Hiding in a crippled ship with no sensors, what was left of Misfit’s crew would have been living in constant fear of coming under attack. That alone would be enough to drive someone crazy.

“It took us a month, and we had to cannibalize a lot of systems, but eventually we were confident enough with the shift drive to try a jump. At first, we just tried a series of micro jumps further out of the system. It took five hours to recharge the drive’s capacitors between each jump. Then we were eventually confident enough to try travelling to the next system. By then we figured the Karacknid fleet would have moved on, probably chasing James’ fleet if they had managed to retreat. Even so, we exited shift space twelve light hours from the next system. Then we moved in, in normal space as stealthily as we could. It took nine days, but we managed to sneak around the outer system to the next shift passage. And then, we just repeated the process again and again until we reached Gamma-fort. That was where Turtledove was stationed. Admiral Lightfoot updated us on everything that had happened and sent us home for some shore leave.”

James shook his head. She made it all sound so simple. Yet, he was sure there was nothing farther from the truth. Sneaking through a Karacknid system in a fully-functioning warship was a feat in and of itself. Doing so in one with no sensors and a compromised stealth system was miraculous. And she had snuck through at least twelve. Suddenly, he understood Scott’s desire to get out into the outdoors. She had been stuck in a battered-up tin can for the best part of a year, in constant danger, yet unable to see where the danger might come from. He too would want to get out into the open. No doubt even the library they were in felt constricting. “What you have accomplished,” he said, struggling to find the right words. “It’s truly marvelous. You have no idea how pleased I am to see you. To have you alive. And after all you have been through. We awarded you the Imperial Cross posthumously for how your sacrifice saved the fleet. We’re going to have to find another medal for you now for getting your people back in one piece.”

“I don’t want a medal,” Scott said as her eyes flashed. “I just need some time to clear my head. And then I want another ship. This war isn’t over yet. I’ve sat out most of the last year. I’m not going to miss anymore of it.”

“But surely you have done enough?” Heather asked as she leaned towards her daughter.

Scott shook her head. “Please, mother. Let’s not argue. This is who I am.”

Apparently, it was an argument she knew better than to try and resurrect, for Heather shut up immediately. Instead, she turned to James. James tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we will make sure she is ready before she takes command again.” He then turned to Scott. “But once you are ready, you can take your pick of the fleet for a flagship, Rear Admiral. We need you. We have suffered horrendous losses ourselves this last year.”

“I know,” Scott said. James guessed the same names and faces were passing through her mind as his. He had seen them all die. She had had to learn about it after the fact. “But why do you keep addressing me as Rear Admiral? I am a Commodore.”

James glanced at the rank insignia on her shoulders. They were indeed Commodore pips. “You were,” he said. “You were promoted, posthumously. I am of a mind to let it stick. You have earned it.”

“Which means,” Christine said as her eyes sparkled. “You have more than a year of back pay to pick up. I imagine that will pay for a nice week or two’s holiday. For your parents as well,” Christine added as she smiled at Mark and Heather.

“Thank you, both of you,” Heather said. “I’m sure we will appreciate it.”

“As will I,” Scott agreed. She brought her hands together on the table as she turned to fully face James. “Now. I have some questions of my own.”

James laughed. She hadn’t changed one bit. “It is good to have you back. And I’m sure you do. So go ahead.”

“Lightfoot told me about the Kulrean worldships. I got to see one up close. They are amazing. But so too is the fact they are building ships for us. I assume that is the first batch I passed in Turtledove?”

“Indeed it is,” James said. “It will take three or more weeks to outfit them with all their weapons systems, but in a month, they’ll be well into completing their space trials.”

“And their designs, are they just our designs built by the Kulreans?”

“That was the plan. But we have just finished a tour of my new flagship. It would be fair to say they have made some changes. I’m sure I could send the technical files to you. It would make for some good beach reading.”

“Yes, please do,” Scott said eagerly.

“But honey, you’re meant to be taking a holiday,” Heather protested.

This time Scott’s father laughed. “That’s one more battle you’re not going to win, dear. Let her take them. Knowing her, she’ll probably find it relaxing.”

“And what if I have any suggestions?” Scott asked, ignoring her parents.

“Then you can send them to the Admiralty. Our bureau of ship design can review them and send any pertinent ones on to Kulrea to be incorporated into the next batch of ships.” James smiled at Scott’s reaction. It was a mixture of hurt and excitement. She had played a big role in designing most of the current ship classes used by the Imperial navy. Now others were taking up the role of working on the next generation. Though they wouldn’t be ready to be put into production for half a year or more yet. “Yes, we finally got the bureau put together. You’ll know most of its members, you’ve worked with them in the past. If you really want, you can take command. But I’m assuming you want your own squadron?” For a second, Scott actually hesitated. James was surprised. He filed it away for later. Perhaps one day, he would be able to tempt her to take up a desk job. If he wasn’t crying out for experienced senior commanders, he would have tried to give her the position now.

“No thank you,” Scott said. Her hand instinctively reached up and traced several lines across her face. The scars were gone, a few years ago she had finally had them treated. Yet for years she had worn them as a reminder. For when everyone else but James had doubted the existence and threat of the Karacknids, she hadn’t. She had unfinished business with them. “I want a ship,” she said forcefully. “I won’t sit by on the side-lines any longer.”

James nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“But please,” Christine chimed in. “You have to promise to be careful. We don’t want to go through losing you again. And I especially don’t want to have to watch James face it. You are very special to him.”

James felt his cheeks redden, but when Scott looked at him, he nodded. She had been his science officer on board his second ship Endeavour. He didn’t have many friends from those days left. Becket and Fisher were the last two besides Scott.

“I feel the same way,” Scott said. “So I will try. But I can’t make any promises.” As she spoke, she made a point to catch everyone’s eye. She was speaking as much for her parents as James and Christine. “Now… what is this I hear about Operation Hail Mary? When Lightfoot explained it to me, I thought you all had lost your marbles.”

James found himself laughing again. “Maybe we have. Maybe we have. But I fear we have little choice.”

“Then you better explain it to me,” Scott insisted, “I’m still far from convinced.”

James smiled at her tone. She had always told him what she thought. That was one of the things that made her such a valuable friend. “It’s rather simple, really,” he explained. “If there is anything we have learned about the Karacknids, it is that they are devoted to their Imperator. It is for his glory and fame that they fight. We could kill ten thousand of their ships or a million of their troops, and they would still keep on coming against us. I am convinced that the only lasting peace we will have is if we force their Imperator to agree to terms.”

“So you are going to fly a fleet all the way to their homeworld and force him to sign a peace treaty?” Scott asked as her eyebrows rose.

“I doubt it will be that easy. But yes, in essence.”

“And if he refuses?”

“Then we will capture him and use him as a bargaining chip. If he is not keen on peace, perhaps his people will be if we can take him. And if we can’t, then we will kill him. He is guilty of the deaths of millions of our people. And probably trillions of other sentients. Killing him could put an end to this war as quickly as anything else.”

“And what happens if we get all the way there to find he has fled?” Scott followed up.

“Then the great Imperator of the Karacknid people will have fled from a Human fleet. That in and of itself may do more to help us win this war than any victory we could win on the frontline. Plus, if he flees, he will be leaving their homeworld in our hands. Think of what that would do to their sense of pride and moral?”

Scott pursed her lips together. “I am still far from convinced.”

“I didn’t say I liked the plan myself,” James said. He then glanced at Christine. “And you’re not the first person to voice their concerns. But we had a grand council meeting at Varanni Prime. The long-term prospects of the war are bleak, even with the Kulrean worldships. It was decided we had to do something. This is what we came up with.”

“Well, I will say one thing for sure. It is aptly named,” Scott said, bringing a nod from Christine.

James shook his head. “I didn’t get a say in the matter, sadly. But that’s a minor point. Once you’re back from your holiday, we can go over the finer points of the plan. No doubt your input will be invaluable. And we’ve had to push up the timetable for its beginning. Lightfoot wouldn’t have heard when you were with him. I’m hoping to take Home Fleet to the front in five weeks. By then, we should have the first Kulrean ships ready to go with us. I doubt we’ll have a squadron for you by then, but when we return and begin Phase Two of Hail Mary, you’ll be needed.”

“Nothing will be able to stop me,” Scott promised. “Even if it all sounds crazy. I’ll be by your side.”

James smiled as his cheeks reddened again. He just hoped following him wouldn’t get Scott killed again. “That’s enough war talk,” Christine said into the silence. “This is meant to be a happy reunion. You can keep the rest of your questions for a later time. Come, let’s talk about happier things.”

“Here, here,” Mark said. “For one, there was a certain Captain who spoke very highly of you at your funeral. A Captain Rashford. He made a point of introducing himself to us afterwards. He said he had worked closely with you in designing some of the new ships. I’m sure he will be very pleased to hear you are alive and well.”

When Scott’s cheeks and nose reddened far worse than James’ had, James turned to Christine and smiled. This was news to both of them. Just as he expected, Christine had a lot of questions. As the conversation turned to Rashford, and then to Scott’s holiday and if he might like to join her. And then to what her family had been up to over the last year, James sat back and listened. Though he knew he shouldn’t, his mind went to his other friends he had lost. He so wished their families could enjoy such a happy reunion. Yet they never will, he reminded himself crossly. And if you fail, many many others won’t either. Under the table, his hands clenched into fists. Like Scott, he still had unfinished business with the Karacknids.

Chapter 6

The Three Houses of the Imperial Parliament often make passing laws a laborious task. With a number of different factions in each house vying for power and influence, agreements are hard to reach. Yet somehow, our Emperors and Empresses have managed to navigate the rocky waters, though not without the occasional near miss.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Worldship Nebula, 1st March 2485 AD, (one month later).

When Emilie first joined Nebula’s crew, she had thought the Kulrean species was far less emotional than Humanity. They went about their duties with a silent efficiency that had appeared to betray no outward expressions. Either she had grown more accustomed to reading Kulrean faces, or their current mission was sending the Kulreans over the edge. Either way, Emilie couldn’t help feeling their angst was largely aimed at her. For five months now, they had been searching the area of space she had first encountered the Kalassai in and yet they had found nothing. System after system had been empty or devoid of any evidence a Kalassai ship had been present. Of course, any evidence the Kalassai might leave behind would be scant. Yet even with the Kulreans’ advanced sensors, they could find no trace of the biochemical exoskeleton hulls the Kalassai ships were grown from.

Here we go again, Emilie said to herself as Nebula approached the end of the shift passage they were in. All around her, she could feel the frustration of the Kulreans rising. None of them had ever left their home system before they had ventured out with the Kulrean fleet to save Earth. Now, they were gallivanting around unexplored space several thousand light years from their home. And they do not believe we will find anything, Emilie sensed as she looked around at the officers on Nebula’s bridge. They are expecting this system to be empty as well. And it probably will be, Emilie reluctantly admitted. But I’m not giving up. We have to find them. They could add several thousand ships to James’ fleet. If it takes another year, I’m not giving up. Almost with a guilty feeling, she glanced at Ninrold, Nebula’s Captain. She at least wasn’t showing any signs of frustration, though Emilie suspected they were there all the same, they were just better hidden.

“Exiting shift space,” Nebula’s navigation officer announced. A small jolt followed and then Nebula’s holo display began to fill with sensor information. The first thing that sprung out at Emilie was the massive amounts of electromagnetic energy being given off by the system’s fifth planet. It was clearly inhabited. However, the lack of any orbital stations around it told her the species who lived there hadn’t yet ventured far into space.

“Analyze their transmissions,” Ninrold requested. “We will not proceed into the system until we determine their technological level. I want to be sure they can’t detect us.”

Emilie nodded. It was what she suspected. As far as possible, Ninrold was trying to keep Nebula’s presence in this sector of the galaxy a secret. She had explained she didn’t want to antagonize the Karacknids anymore than her species already had. For her part, Emilie was hoping they might run into one of the long-range squadrons the Karacknids had operating in the area as they tried to hunt down Kalassai ships. If they were spotted, it would give the Karacknids something to think about. The Kulreans were by far the most advanced race the Karacknids had ever encountered. Having them appear on the far side of their Empire would certainly give the Karacknids a fright. If they even get frightened, Emilie thought. The jury was still out on that question.

As the Kulreans went about their tasks, Emilie studied the rest of the system. Nebula’s sensors allowed her to see it in great detail. Quickly though, she decided there wasn’t anything too exciting to hold her attention. The system’s fourth planet contained a sizable planetary ring. It would be a boon for their fledgling economy when they did get to space. Having a source of rare element rich asteroids so nearby was a blessing. Yet other than that, the system was fairly standard. It did only have one gas giant, but Nebula was picking up enough traces of He3 from its atmosphere to indicating mining it for the gas would be worthwhile. Of course, that assumes your ship needs He3, Emilie thought as she glanced around Nebula’s bridge again. She had no idea how the giant worldship’s reactors worked, nor what fuel they needed. But in the five months they had been away from Kulrea, they hadn’t needed refueling.

“I believe we have finished analyzing the species who inhabit the system’s fifth world,” a Kulrean officer announced.

“Go on,” Ninrold said.

“They call themselves the Wallaga,” the officer obeyed. As he spoke, a holo image of a small tripedal sentient appeared in front of them all. It had a green-orange skin that looked to be more scaly than fleshy. From its head it had several antenna like structures, some ended in eyes, others in what Emilie assumed were either mouths, ear or noses or possibly all three. Either way, the alien came close to making her skin crawl as she stared at it. The Kulreans didn’t seem effected though. “Their civilian population has reached technological tier four,” the officer continued. “We did pick up some encrypted transmissions that we easily decrypted. It suggests several of their governments are closer to tier five, though they are keeping those discoveries to themselves.”

“What type of government do they have?” Ninrold asked.

“Collectivist authoritarian,” a different officer answered. “There are several offshoots, but every nation state has one form or another.”

“Hence the withholding of scientific discoveries,” Emilie mused. “What exactly do tiers four and five entail?”

“Tier four is roughly equivalent to where your species was in its early twentieth century. Tier five is closer to the middle to latter half of your same century,” Ninrold explained.

“Hhmm, I’d say with that mix of authoritarian and tech level, it isn’t looking too good for the long-term prospects of the ordinary people,” Emilie said.

“You are quick to pass judgment,” Ninrold responded. “I believe from my reading of your species’ history; such ideologies played a role in your twentieth and twenty-first century. Yet, your species is where it is now.”

“It is, but it is no thanks to such ways of thinking,” Emilie countered. She knew more than enough about her own species’ history to know it had figures and movements who were in many ways as bad as the Karacknids. Thankfully, several centuries of atrocities and her species shift in focus to the exploration of space had largely cured Humanity’s fascination with collectivism. Sadly, from what she was seeing of the Wallaga, they had some hard times ahead of them before they might learn that lesson. If they ever will. We could come back in three hundred years and find them carving out their own collectivist space empire. I wonder what they might make of the Imperial Constitution then? It was a new thought for Emilie. The various species of the Varanni Alliance and the Kulreans all approved of the individual freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, even if they didn’t utilize a similar governmental system themselves. But what of other species who disapprove, will our constitution immediately mark us out as ideological enemies to new species that we meet? Emilie wondered. She had no answers, and if they lost the war with the Karacknids, it wouldn’t matter anyway. But it was a concerning thought nonetheless.

“And their space sensing abilities?” Ninrold asked, clearly not interested in discussing the Wallaga’s political situation.

“They have numerous telescopes looking out into space,” an officer reported. “They also have several small satellites in orbit and in transit to a number of the system’s planetary bodies. The sensors on a number of them are actually quite impressive for their tech base. But none should cause us any problems. Our stealth capabilities will not allow any emissions to reach their sensor platforms. We can move through the system with impunity.”

“Thank you,” Ninrold replied. “And are there any signs of other sentient life in the system or other ships or structures.”

“None that we have detected,” the same officer answered at once.

Ninrold gave the officer a gesture of recognition. She then turned to Emilie and looked at her expectantly. Emilie swallowed. Ninrold wanted her to make a decision. They could either spend several hours or longer going through the system with a fine-tooth comb in case a general scan of the system had missed something. Or they could move on to the next system, and then no doubt the next after that. As the holo image returned to show all the planetary bodies, Emilie’s eyes were drawn to the gas giant. It was the first they had seen in nearly two weeks that had high enough concentrations of He3 to make it worthwhile trying to collect the fuel. Maybe, just maybe a Kalassai ship passed this way, she said to herself. “Let’s check out the gas giant. If there is nothing there, we can move on.”

“Very well,” Ninrold said, not betraying any of her emotions. “Set course for the eighth planet and take us there, best possible speed.”

Emilie nodded as the worldship began to move. It didn’t take long at all for the gas giant to begin to grow larger on the holo display. Despite spending months on the Kulrean ship, Emilie was still amazed by its speed.

“We’re not picking up any additional readings,” Nebula’s sensor officer reported twenty minutes later as they closed with the planet.

“Take us right in, let’s make sure,” Ninrold said as she glanced at Emilie.

“We’re still not detecting anything,” the same officer said as Nebula came close enough to enter orbit of the gas giant.

“Wait,” another officer said as he looked up from his console. Emilie recognized him as one of the worldship’s sensor officers. “Look at the gas densities in the upper ionosphere. There are some anomalies.”

“What do you mean?” Ninrold demanded.

“The computer is still extrapolating the data,” the officer said. As he spoke, the holo image of the system changed to show a very detailed visual of the gas giant. “But here are the current weather systems moving through the different layers of gas. There are literally billions of interactions as small and larger storms swirl around each other. Yet, the computer has spotted some odd readings. Currents in the upper clouds that are faint but strange.”

Still looking at the image, Emilie saw the computer begin to project what it was seeing. There were several v-shaped waves that were moving faintly across the upper atmosphere. They were broken and jagged, but as the computer highlighted their various fragments, a pattern was clearly emerging. Emilie recognized it at once, it was just like the waves a boat she had seen in the English Channel when she had visited the Cliffs of Dover once with Suzanna. “It’s a wake,” she said excitedly as she turned around to Ninrold. “A disturbance in the atmospheric gases caused by a ship. Someone had a ship in low orbit. They were probably skimming He3 gas!”

Ninrold held up a hand telling Emilie to wait. Emilie knew if a Human did the same thing, she would be offended. But it was how the Kulreans worked. Ninrold wouldn’t accept her hunch. She needed hard data. “I think she is right,” the same science officer admitted a minute later. By then, several different wakes had been spotted, and the original one had been traced for over three hundred kilometers. “The disturbances do seem to coalesce back to an original point, and clearly the object that caused them was under power, it has changed direction several times. Almost, it appears to be doing a loop. Given the speed the two ends of the disturbances are moving away from each other, I estimate whatever caused them was here three and a half days ago.”

“Where exactly was the gas giant in its orbit three days ago?” Emilie asked as she felt her hunch strengthen. “Can you replay it’s movements along with the disturbances?”

With a nod from Ninrold, the gas giant and the disturbances began to reverse their course through time on the holo display. When they got to the point where the disturbances were first formed Emilie smiled. “The course the ship took,” she had no problem calling it a ship even if the Kulreans wouldn’t jump to that conclusion yet, “it keeps it on the far side of the gas giant to the Wallaga’s homeworld,” Emilie said as her excitement grew. “Whoever it was, they didn’t want to be spotted.”

“And you think it is the Kalassai then?” Ninrold asked.

Emilie nodded. “There is no one else who operates out here who we know that likes to go unnoticed. Where are we at in tracking all the disturbances?”

This time, the holo display changed without Ninrold having to give the order. It returned to showing the real time wakes that Nebula’s computer was identifying and analyzing. “The computer believes there were two objects that caused these wakes, as you call them.”

“Can we determine which heading they took once they finished skimming for fuel?”

“One moment,” the science officer replied. “Yes, I believe we have that data now.” On the holo display, a line appeared tracing the course of one of the objects as it circled several times around the upper atmosphere of the gas giant. It then straightened off and moved in a line upwards until it disappeared. A dotted line continued however, one led all the way to one of the system’s three shift passages.”

“It has to be a ship,” Emilie said as she turned to Ninrold. She had to fight not to jump up and down in her seat. “And it is the Kalassai’s MO.”

“Their what?” Ninrold asked.

“Their modus operandi, their standard operating procedure. They go to great lengths to go undetected by other species. With the Karacknids hunting them, they cannot afford to leave a trail the Karacknids could follow.”

“It seems to me that whoever or whatever we have just discovered did in fact leave a trail,” Ninrold pointed out.

Emilie rolled her eyes. “Yes, but not one that the Karacknids could follow. It was only your advanced sensors and computing that allowed us to make sense of it. It is them, I’m almost sure of it. We have to head to that shift passage, immediately. If they are only three days ahead of us, Nebula’s superior speed may allow us to catch up with them before they leave the next system.”

Ninrold took a moment before she replied. Instead of speaking to Emilie, she turned to her science officer. “Are we likely to determine anything more about these objects by staying here longer?”

“No Captain, I believe we have collected all the data that will be useful,” the science officer answered.

“Very well then, let us head to this shift passage. Maximum speed. This is the best lead we have encountered. We may as well make the most of it. Hopefully, your instincts do not let us down,” Ninrold said as she turned back to Emilie.

Emilie smiled and nodded at the Kulrean. She hoped so too, she didn’t like to think how the Kulreans would react to her insisting they continue their search if the trail they had just found ended up leading nowhere.

*

Four days later, and Nebula slipped out of shift space into the next system. Emilie had convinced Ninrold to take the worldship out of shift space almost on the very edge of the system’s mass shadow. It was risky, but they needed to take every opportunity they had to catch up with the Kalassai ships.

“Two contacts,” an officer reported almost at once. “Five light hours away. They are moving fast.”

On the holo display, the two contacts appeared moments later. At first, all the data Nebula’s sensors were able to gather were drive signatures. It didn’t tell Emilie much. In fact, she began to doubt her hunch that the two contacts from the gas giant were Kalassai at all. Kalassai ships never moved so fast, they were usually far stealthier. Then after a couple of minutes, the first visuals came in. Emilie’s eyes widened. Their designs were unmistakable. Both were Kalassai. Emilie had never seen any other ships that came anywhere close to them. “It is them,” she said as she turned to Ninrold.

“At last,” Ninrold replied, relief flooding her voice. “Prepare to send them a formal greeting. Request that they delay their jump out of the system so that we can catch up with them.”

“At once, Captain,” Nebula’s COM officer replied. “Our message should reach them fifteen minutes before they cross over the system’s mass shadow at the next shift passage.”

“Wait!” Emilie blurted. Her mind was a whirl.

“Excuse me?” Ninrold asked. “We have been travelling for months to make this contact. Why should we delay?”

“Something isn’t adding up,” Emilie said. “Why are they going so fast? If there was a Karacknid scout in the system, they would be giving away their direction of travel. This is not like the Kalassai.”

“Do you think they already know about us following them?” Ninrold said. “Surely there is no way they could. They had left the last system before we entered it.”

“I don’t know how they could. But something has them in a rush. And I’m afraid that if they receive our message, it will only spook them more. They’ll jump out of the system and then hide. We may never find them again… Come to think of it. Even the fact they were willing to risk refueling in a system that was home to a sentient species suggests they were in a hurry.”

“What would you have us do?” Ninrold asked. “We came here to make contact with the Kalassai; if they will not respond to our communications, there is nothing we can do about that.”

“The last time I made contact with them, I had to get my ship alongside theirs before they would speak to me. Perhaps we need to do the same. If we reveal ourselves now, they could run and hide. But if we remain in stealth, we could catch up with them and follow them. With Nebula’s capabilities that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”

Ninrold took a few moments to answer. Emilie could tell she didn’t like the idea, but she also didn’t want to downplay her ship’s abilities to Emilie. “I suppose we could make such an attempt.”

“Right, at least for now. Once we follow them to the next system and we’re closer to them, we could try and make contact then. That way, they would have no chance of running away.”

“Very well, we will take this course of action. I will have to defer to your knowledge of the Kalassai’s shyness,” Ninrold said as she gave Emilie a slight bow. “Lay in a pursuit course. Keep us at just twenty percent maximum thrust. That should allow us to gain on them without being detected. As soon as they jump to shift space, go to maximum. I don’t want them getting away from us in the next system.”

Emilie smiled as the Kulrean officers got to work. They had found their quarry at long last. She knew they were still a long way from actually speaking to the Kalassai, and even then, there were no guarantees they would want to listen. She was all too aware the Kalassai species had a number of different factions. If luck was on their side, the crew of the ships in front of her would be from one which leaned more towards standing up to the Karacknids. Even if they weren’t though, she hoped they would at least relay her message to Wal-sma, May-sic and the other Kalassai she had befriended when she had last made contact with them. If they won’t, this will have all been for nothing.

Chapter 7

The War of Doom cut many gifted lives short. It also drew forth leaders who had been forged in fire; leaders that the Empire would need in the decades to come.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Imperial Palace, Earth.

“It is time,” James said as he walked into Christine’s and his personal quarters. Christine was on the floor, playing with Jonathan. She immediately looked up. James could see she was blinking rapidly. After closing her eyes for a moment, she opened them and then nodded to him. Smiling at her, James moved over and held out a hand to help her up. “Let’s say our goodbyes here rather than in front of everyone on the shuttle pads.”

Christine shook her head. “We can say a proper goodbye here, but the world needs to see their Empress sending their Emperor off in person.”

James didn’t like it, but now was not the time to start a fight. Instead, he pulled Christine into a hug. “I should only be gone for two or three months, then we’ll be back to begin Phase Two of Hail Mary. You’ll hardly miss me.”

Christine squeezed him tightly. “Of course I will. And so will Jonathan. But we will put a brave face on it. And at least you will have your new Drake. I really do owe Hallock a debt of gratitude.” Letting him go, she moved her lips up to his. From below them, they heard Jonathan giggle.

“Alright, alright,” James said as he reached down and hoisted Jonathan up in his arms. “If you don’t want to be left out, then I will oblige you.” He then proceeded to smother Jonathan in kisses. Christine joined in, despite Jonathan trying to fight them away with his hands.

Stopping, James laughed at the expression on Jonathan’s face. Then he kissed Christine and Jonathan again, hugged them one more time, and then took Christine’s hand. “If we have to do this publicly, then let’s get on with it.”

“Yes Admiral,” Christine said as she gave him a mock salute with her free hand. The playfulness on her face only lasted a second or so before it quickly gave way to worry.

James smiled at her and then leaned in for one more kiss. “This is the easy part, I’ll be fine.”

Christine’s hand shot up. “Don’t make me any promises you can’t keep. We’ve said goodbye enough times now when neither of us expected you to return. This time is different, I know. But I can’t just pretend there is no risk.”

“I wasn’t going to make any promises. I will just do my best to come back to you both,” James replied.

Christine nodded. “That is all I ask… Now, let’s get this show on the road before it becomes any harder for either of us.”

James nodded back to her. Holding Jonathan in one hand and Christine in the other, he made his way out of their quarters and through the palace. When he stepped out of a side entrance and onto the landing pads, he wasn’t surprised to see an entourage had gathered to see him off. Most of Christine’s Inner Council were there, along with several naval staff officers who had been working on Hail Mary. James smiled and waved at them all. He didn’t go over to them though. He had already said his goodbyes. Instead, he turned back to Christine. “One last kiss.” Moving his lips down to hers, James let the kiss linger for several seconds. Then he held Christine and Jonathan closely to him as he closed his eyes. For several seconds he enjoyed the feeling of their bodies pressed up against his. When Jonathan started to wriggle, they broke apart. Without any more words, James nodded to Christine and turned and strode towards the shuttle. Though he knew the first phase of Hail Mary was by far the least dangerous, and though he had left them a number of times before, it was very hard for him not to turn around. He had spent the last five months on Earth. It was the longest unbroken time he had enjoyed with his family. Every step he took away from them was difficult.

Eventually though, he made it to the shuttle. For appearances sake he did then turn around and wave to the gathered crowd. Intentionally, he didn’t try to lock eyes with Christine. Instead, he quickly spun around and jogged up the shuttle’s access ramp. He smiled when he saw his new Flag Lieutenant. “Lieutenant Davidson, I trust everything is in order for our departure?”

“Yes Admiral, the shuttle is ready to lift off when you are,” Davidson replied.

“Very well, inform them they can take us to Drake.”

Davidson turned away slightly to speak into her COM unit. Even before she finished passing on his orders, James felt the shuttle jump into the air. Moments later and he could see the Palace and then the Swiss Alps shrink smaller and smaller as they gained altitude. Soon, they were in space and the shuttle was flying past all of Earth’s orbital stations. Several construction yards came into view. They were filled with new ships being completed and the second consignment of Kulrean-built ships having their weapons installed. Passing beyond them, the shuttle headed out towards a fleet of warships in high orbit. The largest of them was the focus of James’ attention. A month after her arrival in the Sol system, IS Drake now looked complete. The empty holes along her flanks were filled with missile tubes and along the top and bottom ridges of her superstructure were six heavy plasma cannons. Interspaced between the missile tubes were a further twenty laser cannons. Having been on board for her first live firing drills, James knew his new flagship packed a punch. If ever she could come close enough to unleash her energy weapons, the Karacknid ships she would be targeting would certainly know about it. Though James didn’t ask for it, as the shuttle got closer, it circled around Drake several times. James didn’t complain. He probably wouldn’t get another chance to look at his flagship from the outside for several months. Though the fact that she looked almost identical to his previous flagship brought back mixed memories, James still enjoyed taking in Drake’s beauty. Our first Dreadnought, he thought to himself. Let’s hope she lives up to the hype.

When the shuttle touched down in one of Drake’s hangar bays, James was glad when he stepped out and saw that no welcoming party had been formed to greet him. He had been back-and-forth to Drake many times over the last two weeks, and had requested no fuss be made about his final arrival before they departed. Still, he had half expected his new Flag Captain to have arranged something anyway. It was the kind of thing Scott or Becket would have done when they had been his Flag Captains.

“Shall I arrange for your things to be brought to your quarters?” Davidson asked as she stepped off the shuttle behind him.

James shook his head. “There’s no need to worry. Fox, my steward will see to things. Let’s head to the bridge.”

“Aye Admiral,” Davidson replied formally.

James grimaced at her tone. He was used to his staff officers being far more intimate with him. They all knew you before you became Emperor, he reminded himself in a voice that sounded very much like Christine’s. She had said the same when he had complained to her about it a week ago. To all of his new staff officers, he was their Emperor now.

When he got to the bridge, James nodded at his Flag Captain and then moved over to his command chair. “What is the status of the fleet?”

“All ships report ready for departure Admiral,” Ivanov replied at once. “We were awaiting your command.”

“Then let us proceed. Break orbit and set course for the Beta shift passage.”

“Yes Admiral,” Ivanov acknowledged.

As his staff officers got to work, James looked around the bridge. It was the first time he had seen it fully staffed. Almost, he expected to see a group of familiar faces; the bridge looked so similar to his previous flagship. Yet, he was largely greeted by strangers. Ivanov of course he knew well, and as his eyes passed over the tactical console, Anderson smiled at him. Though he had offered both of them commands of their own, they had refused. If Operation Hail Mary was to be the final battle plan of the war, at least if it was successful, then they had both insisted they would stay with James until the end. Though the expanding fleet was screaming out for experienced officers, James had accepted their request. He knew he needed their friendship as much as he needed their skills. Besides the both of them, the rest of James’ staff officers where new to him, though he knew he would get to know them intimately over the coming months. Lieutenant Salamanca at the navigation console had flight scores that would have allowed him to become a starfighter pilot if he wished. Manning the logistics command console was Lieutenant Madison. Andrea had recommended the Lieutenant join James’ staff. She had worked under Andrea in the Fleet logistic bureau. Andrea knew that in Operation Hail Mary logistics would be just as important as winning battles. If Andrea recommended her, James had no fears that Madison would let him down. Sitting beside her at the COMs console was Lieutenant Petrov. Ivanov had recruited her, but beyond that, James knew little more of her yet. Finally at the operations console was someone who wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. James had met Davenport in the New Delhi system three years ago. Then, she had been a smuggler, caught by one of his destroyers. Though James had only known her by reputation, Davenport’s sister had been a capable commander, though she had died fighting the Karacknids in the first battle of Earth. James didn’t know if it was because of what he had said to Davenport, but after he had let her go, she had signed up to join the Imperial Navy. After serving a stint as a Second Lieutenant, he had requested her transfer to his command staff. By all accounts, she was good at thinking outside the box. No doubt it had something to do with her smuggling background. She was just the kind of operations officer James wanted.

As his eyes moved beyond his own command staff to the rest of Drake’s bridge officers, James knew none of their faces nor names. That would come in time, too. The only other familiar face was that of his Flag Captain. Admiral Durham from the Admiralty had handed him a long list of potential Flag Captains several weeks ago who would be ready to take charge of Drake. One name had jumped off the list immediately. Though it was a little strange, Captain Alvarez was technically dating his niece after all, James had jumped at having Alvarez be his Flag Captain. Once upon a time, Alvarez had sat in Anderson’s chair and had been James’ tactical officer. That had been back when Emilie had been his COMs officer. The three of them had fought together in the first battle of Earth. A lot had happened since then, and Alvarez had proven himself to be a capable commander. And he knows me and my ways, James thought as Alvarez held his stare for a couple of seconds and then nodded. He then broke into a smile. “She is a beauty, isn’t she? And fast. We’re having no problems keeping up with the fleet.”

James returned his Flag Captain’s smile. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed they were on the move. As soon as he did though, he couldn’t help but share Alvarez’s excitement. Drake was accelerating hard away from Earth, yet in her bridge, it hardly felt like she was moving at all. “She is a finely built ship,” he agreed, then he spoke a little louder, “And she has a fine crew. The Karacknids will not know what hit them when we get to grips with them.” Alvarez nodded to show he knew what James was doing. By the end of the day, his words would spread throughout the ship.

With his attention now focused outward, James examined the fleet of warships arrayed around Drake. In total, he had six hundred and fifty Human vessels in his fleet. All of them were newly constructed within the last six months, either in Kulrean or Human shipyards. Alongside them there were a further eighty brand-new Vestarian warships. A sizable fleet, James thought with pride. And yet, they were only a small component of what was going to be needed to try and pull off Operation Hail Mary. It is a start, and soon we will have more. Let us just hope we can convince the Karacknids to hold off on resuming their offensive. “Take us to maximum speed as soon as we leave the pull of Earth’s gravity,” James ordered. “If there are any Karacknid scouts hiding in the system or nearby, I want to limit the time they’ll have to report back to their commanders.” For this part in Operation Hail Mary, surprise was of the utmost importance. For once, James wanted the Karacknids to think his forces were weak.

*

IS Drake, Rockefeller system, 21st March 2485 AD, (three weeks later).

“We are at the coordinates,” Lieutenant Salamanca announced from the navigation console as Drake gently came to rest relative to the system’s star. It had been a hairy few minutes as Salamanca had led the fleet through a thick asteroid field into a large hollow area in its midst.

James nodded as he glanced at the holo display where small representations of the seven hundred and eighty ships of his fleet hung in formation around Drake. He had received fifty additional reinforcements as newly constructed warships from the former US colonies had joined his fleet in the Beta system. Technically, Drake’s sensors couldn’t see most of the ships as his fleet was in stealth, but they were all staying in contact via laser COM link. “Send out the prearranged signal,” James ordered once he was happy his fleet was in position.

It took just moments for a reply to come in. When it did, it included the location data on all the other ships that were hiding within the asteroid field. Suddenly, hundreds of new ships appeared around Drake. James smiled when he saw them. Ya’sia had beaten him here. Her new flagship, Triumphant, was unmistakable, as large as Drake, she was one of the Varanni Alliance’s new dreadnoughts, built for them by the Kulreans. The next ship James sought out was Vengeance, Admiral Lightfoot’s flagship. She was a replica of his former flagship, and though she still looked impressive, she seemed tiny compared to Drake and Triumphant. James let his eyes move on from the larger ships to take in the rest of the fleet. It looked like Lightfoot had two hundred of the warships from his Gamma-fort fleet with him. Ya’sia had brought one thousand Alliance warships. It wasn’t quite as many as the initial plans for Phase One of Hail Mary called for, but the increased pace of the build-up of Karacknid forces left them no choice. They had to act now before the Karacknids went on the offensive and stopped Hail Mary before it could begin. “Signal Admirals Lightfoot and Ya’sia, request that they report on board as soon as convenient,” James said as he caught Petrov’s eye.

“They are already signaling to say they are both on their way,” Petrov replied.

“Very good,” James said as he flashed her a smile. “I’ll retire to my quarters, show them both to my office when they arrive. Ivanov and Alvarez, you can join us as well.”

“Yes Admiral,” Ivanov said.

James nodded to Alvarez as he stood and then left the bridge. When he got to his quarters, he found a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk. “Thank you,” he called out, knowing that even if he wasn’t within eyesight, Fox would be hovering nearby. As he waited, he pulled up the latest reports that had been sent over from Vengeance. The Karacknid fleet directly opposing the Gamma-fort system had been reinforced again. It was only by fifty ships, but if every Karacknid fleet along the frontline had received another fifty, that meant upwards of one thousand more ships had been added to the Karacknid fleet. He has to be pulling garrison squadrons from systems deeper within their space, James thought as he tried to figure out what his opponent was doing. He intends to overwhelm the Kulrean worldships with sheer numbers. In one sense, it was the only way to beat them, at least without waiting for some technological advances that might give the Karacknids a new edge. Even so, James was still surprised by how quickly the Karacknids had been pulling new ships to the frontline. At least seven thousand more ships had swelled the Karacknid fleets along the frontline over the last six months. And that was in addition to the majority of the ten thousand from the Karacknid battlefleet which had fled from Earth. Total estimates put the Karacknid fleet numbers deployed against Humanity and the Varanni Alliance at twenty thousand. Opposing them, Humanity and the Alliance had just over ten thousand. For now, the one hundred Kulrean worldships and the many orbital forts defending the frontline helped balance the disparity in numbers. Yet, even with the ships the Kulreans were building for Humanity and the Varanni Alliance, the scales were tipping more and more into the Karacknids’ favor. It was now only a matter of time before the Karacknid commander resumed his offensive. Before Tanaka-lan resumes his offensive, James reminded himself. After years of fighting the Karacknids, he finally had a name for his enemy. High Admiral Tanaka-lan. James had actually spoken to him face to face in the Jaranna system. There, Superintendent Hallock had tried to broker a peace. As James had expected, it had not gone well. Not only had the Karacknid Admiral figured out that the Kulrean worldships wouldn’t assist in any offensive operations, James had also seen firsthand Tanaka-lan’s resolve. There would be no peace as long as the Karacknid Admiral thought he was doing his Imperator’s bidding.

A chime from his office door broke James’ line of thought. Standing, he gestured for the door to open. Ya’sia and Lightfoot both walked in. A wide smile spread across James’ face as he moved to greet them. “You are both most welcome onboard Drake.”

“She is almost as impressive as Triumphant,” Ya’sia said. She then gave James a wink. He had just been about to protest. “The Kulreans certainly know how to impress when it comes to ship building.”

“Indeed they do,” James agreed. “And I’m looking forward to seeing which ship wins out in a simulated battle. My money is going to be on Drake.”

Ya’sia laughed as she moved past James towards one of the seats around the desk. Lightfoot shook James’ hand firmly. “It certainly is uncanny, she is almost identical to your previous flagship, yet different all the same. I wish I had one.”

“Maybe someday,” James said as he shared a glance with Ya’sia. “If you ever become important enough.”

Lightfoot shook his head as he too moved to his seat. “Not you too. She’s already been giving me a hard enough time as it is.”

When Alvarez poked his head through the still open door, James waved him in. “Come join us you two. Don’t be shy.” Alvarez glanced behind him, and then he led Ivanov in. “This is my new flag Captain, Captain Alvarez, and my new Chief of Staff, Commander Ivanov,” James said to Ya’sia as he waved the two of them towards seats.

“I remember you both,” Ya’sia responded. “Congratulations Captain, Commander. You both have big tasks ahead of you.”

“Thank you,” Alvarez said as he and Ivanov bowed to Ya’sia.

“Now,” James said when they were all sitting. “Let us get down to business.” Before anyone else could speak however, Fox appeared and set drinks down in front of them all. Given how excited everyone appeared to be to sample what Fox had brought them, James guessed his steward had done his homework. As soon as Fox left, James leaned forward. “How are things at Gamma-fort?”

“Everything is going to plan,” Lightfoot answered. “I have pulled two hundred ships out of the system. They have all been replaced by drones or freighters. From a casual glance, it might not be too obvious that anything is amiss, but if the Karacknid scouts know their business, they should have spotted something is up weeks ago.”

“And what of our scouts?”

Lightfoot shook his head. “They have picked up some increased activity amongst the Karacknid fleets at X-14 and X-15, but not enough to indicate an attack is imminent.”

James nodded. “That is what they would want us to think, though.” X-14 and X-15 were the names the fleet had given to the two border worlds that were home to the Karacknid fleets that opposed the Gamma-fort and Delta-fort systems. There was only a week’s travel time between X-14 and X-15, and so any Karacknid attack from either was likely to be coordinated between the two systems. “What do you think?”

“They have to see that we have weakened our fleet at Gamma-fort. Of course, I’m sure they have considered it could be a trap. But unless they know about the Kulreans building ships for us, they can’t know about the forces we have in reserve. From their perspective, what can two hundred warships do anyway?”

“You think they will take the bait then?” Ya’sia asked as her four hoofed feet stomped excitedly on the floor.

“If they do, they will attack within the week,” Lightfoot predicted. “Otherwise, we must assume their system commanders have strict orders not to begin any offensive operations without Tanaka-lan’s express orders.”

James pushed his lips together. That was one thing he was afraid of. If Tanaka-lan was determined to wait until he had built up an overwhelming force, then each Karacknid fleet commander could very well have such orders. It would make Phase One of Hail Mary much harder. He would much prefer to lure a Karacknid fleet into Human space where he could fight it with the aid of the five Kulrean worldships stationed at Gamma-fort. “And Rear Admiral Rivers knows exactly what to do if the Karacknids do attack?”

“He does,” Lightfoot assured James. “He will fall back here at the first sign of trouble. But not too fast. He will bait them with the worldships.”

James nodded. Secretly, he felt a little guilty. If Superintendent Hallock could hear how they were talking about his worldships, he would not be happy. But they were in a war for their very survival. As much as James appreciated the Kulreans’ help, he was still going to use their ships as best he could. Even if that meant offering them to a Karacknid fleet as an easy target. “Then we wait,” he decided. “We will give it another week, and if nothing happens, then we will push forward ourselves.” He turned to Ya’sia. “And how was your fleet’s journey here? You certainly made good time.”

“We did,” Ya’sia agreed with a smile. “With the artificial shift passages the Varanni dark matter repellers have made and the jump gates you have installed, it took just five weeks. And with luck, no Karacknid scouts will have detected us.”

“With luck,” James echoed. The very first part of Operation Hail Mary had been for new artificial shift passages to be made from Varanni Prime to Earth. By now, it was known the Karacknids had discovered several of the initial passages the Varanni had made. No doubt they were being watched. The element of surprise was essential for both Phase One and Phase Two and so the new shift passages had been made. “And your crews are ready?”

“They are,” Ya’sia confirmed. “About fifty percent of each ship’s crew are veterans. The rest have been training vigorously. They will not let you down.”

“If you say so, I have no doubt,” James said. That had been one of the biggest problems with the Kulrean’s offer to build ships for Humanity and the Varanni Alliance species. Normally, it took two years at the naval academy for a new naval crewmember to be trained enough to step foot on board a warship. And that was only the beginning of their training. James knew Andrea was having a hard enough time finding the trained personnel the fleet needed, and she had no lack of volunteers. One thing James hadn’t realized until recently was that in most of the Varanni Alliance species, serving in the navy was an uncommon career. Of course, before James had met them, none of the Varanni Alliance species had been involved in a real war for centuries. James had fought in more battles than their entire High Command. Yet despite the ongoing war with the Karacknids, Crian and Varanni volunteers were hard to come by. “And how about the rest of your fleet build up for Phase Two. Will you have the crew numbers you need?”

“That is a harder question to answer,” Ya’sia admitted. “When I left Cria, there was talk of introducing a draft, or even pressing people into service. We have many skilled spacers. Most of them are employed in the civilian trade, though. They do not want to give up their lifestyles to risk death fighting the Karacknids. Though we are getting many volunteers from Frilamon and Kirama.”

“That does not surprise me,” James said. Both systems had been recently attacked by the Karacknids. Kirama had even been nuked from orbit. Even if the rest of the Crian people didn’t want to risk their lives, he understood why the Frilamon and Kirama colonists would. “If there are going to be problems, we should send word to Kulrea; it is not too late to change the division of ships expected from the fourth consignment. The Imperial Fleet should be able to find crews for more ships if we have to.”

Ya’sia shook her head. “That will not be necessary. We are determined to play our role in Hail Mary. We must all take equal risks. If a draft is needed, then it will be done. One way or another, we will provide the ships that are needed.”

“Very well,” James said, choosing to leave the topic there. He wasn’t an expert in Crian politics, but he could guess a draft would be a sensitive topic. Even in the Empire, he wasn’t sure Christine and he could get away with trying to introduce such a law. It would no doubt be rejected by the House of Commons or Servants, if not the Senate as well. Things would have to be very dire for us to force our people to fight against their will.

“And the rest of the Alliance species, they will meet their quotas for Phase Two?” Lightfoot asked.

“As far as I am aware,” Ya’sia said. “They are having the same issues we are. For along with the Kulrean-built ships, we have hundreds of others coming out of our own construction yard each month. But they will do what needs to be done.”

“I am happy to hear it,” Lightfoot said. “If we are going to try this crazy scheme of Admiral Somerville’s, we need to give it our best shot.”

“In that we are agreed,” Ya’sia said as they both looked sideways at James.

James wanted to throw his hands up in the air. For months now, he had been getting the same mock abuse from Christine. Yes, the plan was his idea, but everyone else had signed off on it. Instead of complaining though, he let the insult slide. To change the subject, he began to ask Ya’sia more questions about her flagship and her newly built ships. Then their conversation turned to their respective families. Even Alvarez and Ivanov were finally drawn into the discussion as well. James wasn’t surprised to see Alvarez quickly accept the challenge from Ya’sia to have their two flagships face off in a simulated battle.

Half way through telling them about her two younger sisters who still lived on New Rostov, Ivanov stopped mid-sentence. She quickly pulled out her datapad which was vibrating. “Sorry,” she said as she scanned through whatever had been sent to her. Moments later, she looked up. “A scout ship has just entered the system from Vice Admiral Becket with news. Delta-fort is under attack. Five hundred Karacknid ships are threatening to take on the fleet and the system’s forts. The news is eight days old.”

“Just five hundred?” Lightfoot asked before James could.

“That is all that were spotted,” Ivanov confirmed.

James shared a look with Lightfoot. The Karacknids had more than twelve hundred ships stationed at X-15. If only five hundred had been committed against Delta-fort, that suggested it was only a diversion. “They could already be on their way to move against Gamma-fort,” James said. “You were right.”

“If they are combining their fleets though, we may have bitten off more than we can handle,” Lightfoot cautioned.

“Not with the worldships,” James said as he shook his head.

“What orders do you want sent back to Delta-fort?” Ivanov requested. “We should send a ship immediately.”

“We’ll do more than that,” James replied. “I want a fleet of two hundred ships dispatched to Delta-fort immediately; they are to reinforce Delta-fort’s garrison. Send orders to Vice Admiral Becket that if the Karacknids try to make a real attack, she is to fall back. I also want orders sent to Rivers at Delta-fort; he is to dispatch two hundred more ships back to us. If the Karacknids want to try and take the Kulrean worldships at Delta-fort, let’s give them an opportunity they can’t refuse.”

“Yes Admiral,” Ivanov replied as she began to furiously tap out the orders on her datapad.

James shared a look with Ya’sia and Lightfoot. After six months of little to no action along the frontline, it looked like they were about to be thrust back into the midst of it once again.

Chapter 8

Even before Humanity encountered any alien civilizations, our expansion into the stars was replete with wars between differing factions. For a diligent student, they will provide copious amounts of battle data and strategies that will equip them well for their future careers.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Salamander

It took just two days after the ships James had ordered to leave Gamma-fort for the Karacknids to attack. Rear Admiral Rivers was on the bridge of his flagship reading through supply reports when the first sign of danger appeared. “Unusual activity coming from one of our scouts,” the COM officer on duty announced. “It’s a prearranged signal!” she almost shouted as her voice rose. “Enemy sighted.”

Rivers had already set down his reports. He was staring at the gravimetric plot. The ship in question was carrying out a series of high acceleration maneuvers. Each course change communicated something new to his flagship. He knew the prearranged signals well enough to read what came next. “Estimate two thousand enemy warships,” the COM officer announced.

“Send for Captain Bengal and the rest of my staff officers,” Rivers snapped. “Alert the rest of the fleet in case anyone missed it.” He wanted to send orders for the scout in question and the rest of the force he had deployed at the end of the shift passage to pull back, yet there was no point. It would take two hours for his message to get there. They have their orders, they will be pulling back already, he reassured himself. As if summoned by his thoughts, twelve new contacts appeared on the holo projector. They were all racing away from the shift passage towards his fleet. Moments later, eight more appeared. Karacknids, Rivers knew. He only had twelve ships stationed at the shift passage. Though Salamander’s electromagnetic sensors wouldn’t pick up what was happening for two hours, he could easily picture it. The Karacknid ships would be destroyers or cruisers. Sent ahead of the main enemy fleet, they would try to hunt down his ships to stop them getting a good read on the Karacknid fleet. Over the next several minutes, Rivers watched as three of his ships disappeared from the gravimetric plot. In return, two of the Karacknids also disappeared. Whether destroyed or simply crippled, Rivers doubted he would get to find out what had happened to them. There would be no opportunity to mount any rescue operations.

As soon as his Chief of Staff and other officers sat down at their consoles, Rivers began to give out more orders. “Send a squadron of destroyers to Admiral Somerville at once. Inform him that the Karacknids have arrived, and I will be pulling back as arranged. Begin the evacuation of the orbital stations. Make sure anything we can’t take with us is ready to detonate, I don’t want to leave them anything.”

“Right away Admiral,” his Chief of Staff responded.

Rivers cast a reluctant look at the orbital stations his fleet was keeping station with. Gamma-fort had been built in orbit around the system’s fourth planet. It was a rocky world with little atmosphere. What it did have was nine small rocky moons. All of them had once had missile launchers placed on them, yet they were gone now. Most had been removed to help bolster the defenses of New Shanghai against the Karacknid battlefleet.  Scars on the moons showed where the others had been destroyed. The Karacknids had destroyed the fort the last time they had come through the system. In the last six months, new stations had been built in their place, yet none were armed. Instead, they housed munitions and fuel supplies. They met the everyday needs of his fleet, but beyond that, they had been built to be expendable. Everyone had known that Gamma-fort couldn’t be held against a serious Karacknid attack. Not without a heavy amount of investment into the system which was not realistic. Everything the Empire had was being directed towards preparing for Hail Mary.

“New contacts being picked up!” River’s sensor officer announced, the enemy fleet was advancing.

On the gravimetric plot, two thousand two hundred ships appeared. They were all accelerating right towards Salamander. Rivers swallowed hard. The Karacknids had clearly combined their fleets from X-14 and X-15. The attack on Delta-fort was a ruse after all. “Ok, let’s begin to break orbit. Switch off the drones and inform the freighters they can drop their disguises; I think they know what is really going on. Lay in a course for the shift passage to Rockefeller. There’s no point hanging around here any longer than necessary. Not when we have freighters slowing us down. Inform Captain Nimring her worldships can take station astern of our freighters.”

As his fleet broke orbit and the stations of Gamma-fort self-destructed, Rivers watched in silence. Even though he had orders to fall back, he didn’t like retreating one bit. Not when it let a Karacknid war fleet deeper into Human space. The Karacknids had already ravaged enough Human worlds. He hated the idea of letting them get closer to more. I hope these Kulrean-built ships will live up to all the hype, he couldn’t help thinking as the Karacknid fleet altered course to pursue his fleeing ships. With no freighters to worry about, they had a big speed advantage on him. Thankfully, they wouldn’t catch him before his ships could jump out to safety. But they would be right on his heels when he got to Rockefeller. And then we’ll see if these worldships can still hold their own, Rivers said to himself. If the Karacknids had some new weaponry designed to overcome the Kulreans’ amazing point defenses, his fleet was going to get a nasty surprise.

*

IS Drake, 25th March 2485 AD, (two days later).

The buzzing of his COM unit woke James up. Even without tapping on it, he sensed what was coming. “Go ahead,” he said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“A squadron of destroyers have just jumped into the system; one has carried out the prearranged message maneuver. The Karacknids have attacked Gamma-fort,” Lieutenant Davidson reported.

James was already pulling on his uniform. “I’m on my way.” Thanks to having his quarters right beside Drake’s bridge, James beat most of his staff officers to their stations. Alvarez was already there however, and so James gave him a nod as he moved to his command chair. “How many?” he asked.

“Over two thousand,” Alvarez responded. “Enough to give us a real test.”

“Indeed,” James agreed. Between his ships, Lightfoot’s fleet of four hundred ships and Ya’sia’s Alliance ships, they had two thousand two hundred warships. Rear Admiral Rivers’ two hundred and fifty tilted the balance of forces somewhat more into James’ favor. The real tipping point however were the five worldships in River’s fleet, they were worth at least four hundred Karacknid ships. Studying the holo plot, James saw that the six destroyers were waiting at the edge of the shift passage. He nodded; their commander was rightly waiting for the rest of Rivers’ fleet to arrive. “If those destroyers are here, Rivers won’t be too far behind. Let’s get the fleet out of this asteroid field. We’ll do it slowly, however. If there are Karacknid scouts hiding somewhere out there, let’s not give them a good look at us.”

“Yes Admiral,” Ivanov acknowledged and then began to delegate orders to the rest of James’ staff.

Four minutes later, and the two thousand blips that represented the positions of each ship in James’ fleet began to move through the thinnest part of the asteroid field. It took twenty minutes for them to all get out safely. As soon as they were, James sent a new flight path to Lieutenant Salamanca. “Order our decoy squadrons to break off, then send this to the rest of the fleet and put us onto this heading,” he ordered. “I want five percent thrust for now. Let’s wait and see what is going to happen.” In response, James’ fleet slowly began to cruise towards the shift passage, though it was still more than two light hours from their initial position. James didn’t want to reach the opening of the shift passage until after the Karacknid fleet had arrived.

Two hours later, and Rivers’ fleet made an appearance. They announced their presence when four hundred contacts suddenly started accelerating away from the shift passage. James watched the holo display as data began to appear beside the contacts. Rivers had two hundred and fifty warships. That was good, it meant he hadn’t lost any yet. The five worldships were also intact and impossible to miss at the rear of Rivers’ fleet. In the middle, the rest of the contacts were freighters, they were the ones used to simulate the fake warships Gamma-fort had been largely defended by. No doubt they were carrying the few supplies that had been left in the fort’s orbital stations. “The Karacknids will be close behind,” James guessed.

Sure enough, a report came in from Salamander, the Karacknids had been just one hour behind them when they had jumped out of Gamma-fort. Then, just forty minutes after Rivers’ fleet had arrived, two thousand new contacts appeared. They were all accelerating hard after Salamander. “Calculate our optimal attack route,” James ordered. “And then send it to our detached squadrons, they are to adapt their orders accordingly.”

“Yes Admiral,” Ivanov replied.

Moments later, a projected course appeared on the holo display leading away from Drake’s current position. James surveyed it for several seconds and then nodded to Ivanov for her to transmit to the fleet. As soon as all the ships acknowledged the new course, Drake’s nose turned to point to a position ahead of the Karacknids’ line of advance, then her engines increased their thrust by several percentage points. And now we wait, James said to himself. After years of experience, he was well used to the fact that the majority of a battle was spent waiting. The actual fighting was typically short and sharp. Being used to it and enjoying it were two separate things, however. As his ships slowly moved in behind the Karacknids, he couldn’t help but think of tens of ways his plan could go wrong. With most of them, he knew how he would respond and extract his fleet, but there would always be scenarios he couldn’t account for. All they have to do is keep their attention on Rivers, James said to reassure himself. Even so, he didn’t really allow himself to relax. At least, not until the Karacknids got close enough to fire their first missile salvo at Rivers’ fleet. As soon as ten thousand missiles were hurled out of the Karacknids’ forward missile tubes, James turned to Ivanov and smiled. She nodded in return. They both knew that with their attention now so focused on hitting Rivers, the Karacknids wouldn’t be looking around them with the same intensity. Even the fact that they were constantly firing missiles and having to defend from Rivers’ return fire would degrade their sensors’ abilities.

Even so, it still took another forty minutes for the Karacknids to move ahead of James’ ships’ line of advance. In that time, James had to watch patiently as they fired off seven missile salvos from their forward tubes after Rivers’ ships. As the missiles crashed into the fleeing Imperial fleet, the Kulrean worldships opened up with their advanced point defenses. The vast majority of missiles were taken out long before they got into range of Salamander or the other Imperial warships’ point defenses. The rest were easily handled by the Imperial warships. James mentally nodded. The Kulrean ships were just as impressive as ever. If only we could take them into Karacknid space, he wished, not for the first time. It was a vain thought though, for despite months of further discussions, Hallock and the other Superintendents were not going to budge.

“We are beyond the point of no return,” Ivanov commented.

James checked the holo plot. His fleet had just slipped in behind the Karacknids’ line of retreat if they wished to fall back to the shift passage. “Send the go order to our squadrons and launch our fighters.”

It took ten seconds for the message to reach the first squadron. As soon as it did, a series of gravimetric pulses appeared from a divergent angle to the one James’ ships were approaching on. The gravimetric COM arrays were too power hungry to install on anything smaller than a heavy cruiser, but most of James’ larger ships had them.  Rivers’ response to the message was immediate. His ships began to reverse and turned to face the Karacknids. James smiled as he pictured the Karacknid commander’s conundrum. There was only one reason Rivers’ ships would turn to fight. They had to have reinforcements nearby. The source of gravimetric pulses was a good guess for their location, but the Karacknids couldn’t be sure.

As James expected, a wave of recon drones were launched from the Karacknid fleet. Then their ships began to split. About one thousand ships slowed and turned to bring their broadsides to face Rivers’ ships. The other half of the fleet turned to face the point where the gravimetric pulses had come from. James began to tap on his command chair as his plan played out. When the first recon drones approached the location of the pulses, fifty ships suddenly appeared. Commodore Galot’s squadron began to charge towards the Karacknid fleet. At the same time, two other sources of gravimetric pulses started up. The Karacknids responded by launching more recon drones and turning many of their ships to face the new threat. Over the next five minutes, a total of six squadrons of Imperial ships revealed themselves. By the time the sixth was located by the Karacknids, their fleet’s formation was a mess. The only cohesion was coming from the thousand ships engaging Rivers’ ships, they had to keep their formation to fend off the two salvos of missiles Rivers’ already had homing in on them. “Take us out of stealth,” James ordered. The time had come.

At once, one thousand seven hundred Human, Alliance, and Vestarian ships powered up their reactors and engines. With their noses already pointed straight at the Karacknid fleet, they began to charge into missile range. Mimicking their maneuver, the six smaller squadrons of Imperial ships also moved to close to missile range. As his ships accelerated, James’ tapping on his command chair increased; his ships were still ten minutes from missile range. In that time, he watched two missile salvos of twenty-four thousand missiles crash into Rivers’ ships. The worldships handled many of them, but more than a thousand had to be taken out by Rivers’ Imperial warships. In the second salvo, three missiles actually got through. One warship suffered a proximity hit while two freighters were destroyed. At the same time, the rest of the Karacknid ships were scrambling to combine into one formation to confront James’ ships.

They were still not fully coordinated when Drake and the ships all around her opened fire for the first time. A total of forty-eight thousand missiles shot out of their tubes towards the Karacknids. The six other squadrons of Imperial ships added another eight thousand while Rivers’ fleet fired their own salvo of seven thousand. James’ hands clenched into fists. He had them. With so many missiles coming from so many different angles, the Karacknid fleet was in trouble. Almost as bad, it took another four minutes for them to return fire with a full salvo of their own. When they did, another fifty-six thousand missiles joined the contacts all being tracked by Drake’s sensors.

Soon, space around the Karacknid fleet was filled with color, and then energy spikes as their point defenses opened up. Thousands of missiles were destroyed. Yet, with so many coming in from such wide angles, the Karacknids had to split their fire. Doing so seriously degraded their effectiveness. Over two hundred mark IV missiles got into range to detonate. Their thermonuclear energy was converted into three grazer beams by the warheads’ focusing crystals. Hundreds of explosions erupted amongst the Karacknid fleet as the grazers blew deep holes into anything they hit. The confusion allowed several hundred more Alliance missiles to close to attack and detonations. As they struck Karacknid warships explosions filled Drake’s sensors. The destruction wasn’t over yet, however. Behind the missiles, four hundred fighters came racing in. Karacknid defensive fire only managed to shoot down thirty-eight of them. The rest released their plasma missiles and then pulled up and away from the Karacknids. The Karacknid fleet scattered as they tried to dodge the expanding balls of plasma that were hurtling towards them. Some were successful, but nearly a couple of hundred more were hit and took serious damage or were destroyed.

James watched Drake’s holo plot as all the energy from the attacks began to dissipate. The Kulrean sensors Drake was equipped with allowed him to see things far clearer than he ever had before. Within a minute, it was confirmed two hundred Karacknid ships had been destroyed completely. Another three hundred were severely damaged. “We got them!” James said as he punched the air. They had taken a quarter of the Karacknid fleet out of the fight in the first missile salvo.

It was then his ships’ turn to defend themselves. The first weapons to open up were the Kulrean energy weapons. From Drake and Triumphant, hundreds of the blue half triangle beams tore into the Karacknid missiles. James counted over two hundred missiles being destroyed before flack rounds began to erupt amongst the enemy salvo, destroying hundreds more in one go. Long range AM missiles entered the fray and were quickly joined by point defense plasma and laser cannons. As thousands of missiles were taken out, James watched the total number of contacts rapidly decrease. Once again, he was amazed at how effective the Kulrean sensors were. Despite all the explosions, a perfect count of active enemy missiles was being kept. It told him not all were going to be destroyed. In real time, he was able to watch as fifty made it into attack range. Two tried to target Drake. The Kulrean energy cannons quickly identified them and took them out before any evasive maneuvers were needed. Others were also shot down. Nevertheless, thirty-seven antimatter explosions bloomed in the midst of the Allied fleet. James grimaced. He had just lost thousands of his people.

“Get help to our damaged ships,” James ordered. “Fire our next salvo as soon as we can. Let’s finish this.” Around him, Drake’s bridge became a hive of activity as his staff officers worked to reorganize the fleet and prepare to fire again. Just four minutes later, and another salvo of missiles were accelerated from their missile salvos. Six more minutes later, and another salvo joined them. In return, the Karacknids fired off two more salvos of their own. Yet, it was barely two thirds the size of their initial salvo.

The result was a foregone conclusion. James’ two salvos took out another five hundred Karacknid ships. In stark contrast, their missiles only managed to destroy eight more Allied warships. James was just starting to relax, knowing that the Karacknid fleet’s demise was assured when something made him sit forward. The remaining one thousand Karacknid ships were changing course. Ignoring his fleet, they were turning back towards Rivers’ fleet. “Order Rivers to pull out immediately,” James snapped. The Karacknid fleet commander knew he was doomed. He was going to try and at least take some of Rivers’ smaller fleet with them. Once again, his hands closed into fists. This time, frustration filled James as he was helpless to come to Rivers’ aid. All he could do was watch as his fleet fired three more missile salvos. At the same time, the Karacknids fired three of their own towards Rivers. As each one crashed into Rivers’ fleeing fleet, the Kulrean worldships did their best to take them all out. They were only partially successful. Eleven warships and thirteen freighters were destroyed.

Filled with anger, James turned his attention back to the Karacknid fleet as his fifth salvo burst through the little amount of defensive fire they were able to put out. Hundreds of explosions filled Drake’s sensors. When they cleared, barely one hundred Karacknid warships were left. The battle was over. “One more salvo will finish them,” James ordered. “Once they are gone, focus all our efforts on recovering our damaged ships. I want them ready to be dispatched back to Earth as soon as possible. Then we will proceed to Gamma-fort.”

“Aye Admiral,” Ivanov replied.

James nodded to her and then turned to Alvarez. Despite the loss of life he had just watched, he smiled. “She performed admirably.”

Alvarez smiled too. “Indeed she did,” his Flag Captain agreed. “The point defenses and sensors are amazing. If only we had a thousand ships equipped with them.”

“If only,” James echoed. Then they wouldn’t have to contemplate Phase Two of Hail Mary. They wouldn’t need to. They could push back the Karacknids all across the frontline if they had a thousand such ships. We will have to be content with just pushing them back here, James consoled himself. For the price of less than one hundred warships, he had just destroyed a Karacknid fleet of two thousand. It was as one-sided a victory as there had ever been in the war with the Karacknids. Yet, it was not enough. He needed to really push the Karacknids onto the backfoot. Only then could Phase Two begin. Which meant he needed to push into Karacknid space itself. It’s time to get Tanaka’lan’s attention.

Chapter 9

The death of the Emperor was inevitable, yet when it came, it sent shockwaves of grief across our worlds nonetheless. Few in our species history have been loved so dearly.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 14th April 2485 AD, (15 days later).

After pausing briefly in the Gamma-fort system to survey the damage the Karacknids had done, James pressed ahead as quickly as he could with his fleet. As a result, they reached the X-14 system just fifteen days after the battle of Rockefeller. Slipping his fleet into the system as stealthily as possible, James waited on Drake’s bridge as his flagship’s Kulrean sensors peered into the system. What James saw was a Karacknid system completely unaware of the danger it was in. Every single Karacknid ship in the fleet that had taken the bait and pursued Rivers’ fleet had been destroyed. No warning had gotten back to X-14.

The system itself didn’t have anything remarkable about it. Apart from the fact that it had a series of shift passages that led directly to the Gamma-fort system, and that its third gas giant had a ready supply of He3, neither the Karacknids, nor Humanity would have taken any interest in the system. Yet, its location gave it more than enough value. That was clear from what James was seeing. In orbit around the gas giant there were three gas mining stations. Interspaced between them were several battlestations bristling with weapons, and according to Drake’s sensors, there were twelve construction yards. All of them were empty, suggesting that they were used more for repairs and upgrades rather than building ships from scratch. Even so, the Karacknids had clearly invested a lot of effort into building up a well-supplied fleet base. One from which they could invade and conquer all of our systems, James was certain. The fact that it was one of five that were dotted around the northern flank of Humanity’s colonies was a constant worry to him. From any one of those systems, the Karacknids could stage a powerful fleet that could threaten Earth once again. Well, they won’t from this system, not any time soon, he told himself. Destroying one Karacknid fleet was the first step in Phase One of Hail Mary. With the Karacknids’ constant buildup of ships, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before another far larger invasion was launched. James needed to head that off if Phase Two of Hail Mary was going to stand a chance of succeeding. That meant he needed to put the Karacknids on the defensive. They couldn’t be planning an invasion if they were scampering to protect their own supply lines. “Take the fleet in,” James ordered as soon as it was clear there were no Karacknid warships hiding in stealth nearby. “Launch a standard spread of recon drones throughout the system. Prepare to engage the orbital battlestations. We’ll take them out and then worry about the Karacknid warships. That is, if they decide to stay and fight.” There were only sixty Karacknid warships in orbit around the fleet base. If they were smart, they would fall back to regroup with whatever other forces the Karacknids would try and rally to fend off James’ thrust. Yet, smart was often not high on the Karacknids’ choice of responses. Living to fight another day was a motto the Karacknids weren’t particularly fond of.

To James’ surprise, as his fleet began to accelerate and so appear in every gravimetric sensor in the system, the Karacknid warships did respond. In a matter of minutes, they all broke orbit. Splitting into two groups, they raced towards the two shift passages that led to other Karacknid systems.

“X-15 is going to get a warning then,” Alvarez commented.

“Unless things go badly here, Lightfoot will be able to handle it,” James reassured him.

“Of course,” Alvarez said. “But he’ll likely suffer more losses.”

“We can’t expect the same level of success from Rockefeller for this entire campaign,” James cautioned. “But it would be nice.”

With the fleet base around the gas giant at the far side of the system, the Karacknid ships disappeared off Drake’s sensors as they jumped into shift space before the fighting began. When the first missiles were launched, it was quickly apparent that despite all the effort the Karacknids had put into building up their fleet base, the battle was going to be one-sided. From the battlestations and missile platforms, two thousand missiles raced towards James’ fleet. In response, Drake and her consorts fired just one salvo. With forty-eight thousand missiles closing in on them, none of the Karacknid stations were going to survive. The one threat that James was more concerned about were the three hundred Karacknid fighters that had launched from the orbital hanger base. Falling into formation behind the first missile salvo, they accelerated up to attack speed. James knew that if they got amongst his fleet, they could pose a serious threat. Their particle beams would even rip through a Kulrean worldship’s armor. Of course, he had had to leave the Kulrean warships behind at Gamma-fort. Their Captains had flat-out refused to accompany his fleet into Karacknid space.

“Wing Commander Hawthorn is requesting permission to launch her fighters,” Lieutenant Petrov reported.

“Permission granted,” James said as his mind momentarily went back to Chen. Whilst Hawthorn was a decorated combat pilot herself, James still missed Chen. As far as he was concerned, the former Wing Commander was irreplaceable. Yet, so too were many others that had been lost at the Battle of New Shanghai.

The sudden appearance of several hundred new contacts on the holo plot pulled James’ thoughts back to the battle. Hawthorn had launched all four squadrons of her Corsair fighters, along with six squadrons of Spitfires and six more of Alliance fighters. They quickly formed up and roared off towards the Karacknid fighters. James watched the ensuing battle closely. Drake’s sensors and holo display allowed him to see it like never before. Wherever he looked, the image zoomed in enough for him to watch individual fighters. Just before both groups of fighters met, James found himself holding his breath. Groups of fighters from each side hadn’t fought each other for more than six months. It was possible the Karacknids had a new trick up their sleeve. Yet, when the four squadrons of Corsairs fired their anti-fighter missiles, the Karacknid fired nothing in return. As he had seen them do in previous engagements, the anti-fighter missiles caused havoc within the Karacknid formations. Throwing themselves into evasive maneuvers, the Karacknids tried to dodge the missiles. Many were successful, but thirty-three weren’t. Then both groups of ships crashed into one another. Laser beams and plasma bolts were released in their thousands as the ships tried to blast each other out of existence. The initial fight was fast and furious, another forty Karacknid fighters were destroyed whilst Hawthorn’s attack force lost just twenty-six. Then as each group slowed and turned to engage again, a general melee broke out. It was still going on when Drake’s point defenses opened up on the Karacknid missile salvo. With such a small number of missiles coming in, James’ fleet easily dealt with them all. Once the last one was destroyed, James had just a few moments to check in with Hawthorn’s fighters; they had destroyed another thirty Karacknids at the price of ten of their own. Then his missile salvo reached the Karacknid fleet base. Though the Karacknid defenders did their best and shot down several thousand missiles, when the rest reached their targets and detonated, the gas giant momentarily disappeared off Drake’s sensors. So much electromagnetic energy was released that even the Kulrean sensors were blinded. Several seconds later, the gas giant reappeared to show that not a single orbital station was left intact. All of them had been blown into debris which was quickly being sucked down into the gas giant’s atmosphere. James watched it for several seconds and then returned his attention to the fighter battle. When he did, it was all but over. Just six Karacknid fighters remained. None of them would be getting anywhere near his fleet. In a matter of another minute, they were all taken out. Hawthorn’s squadrons then decelerated and turned back towards their carriers. Shuttles also began to launch from many of the ships in James’ fleet as they went out to searching the battlefield for damaged fighters or the escape pods of those who had been lucky enough to be able to eject. “Another well fought battle,” James said loud enough for all of Drake’s bridge officers to hear. He wanted his words to spread throughout the fleet. “This fleet is beginning to earn its stripes. Well done, everyone… Now,” he said more quietly as he turned to Ivanov. “Inform Admiral Lightfoot he may detach his fleet and make for X-15. Then we can prepare ourselves to proceed.” For while Lightfoot repeated in the X-15 system what they had just done to the Karacknid fleet base here, James intended to continue to advance into Karacknid space. He wanted to get Tanaka-lan’s attention. And the only way to do that was to cause as much mayhem as possible.

*

IS Viper, Delta-fort system, 5th April 2485 AD, (nine days earlier).

“Any changes?” Rear Admiral Becket asked as she strode onto Viper’s bridge.

“Nothing Admiral,” Captain Rogers, Becket’s Flag Captain reported. “They are still in high orbit. Apart from a couple of destroyers that left, presumably returning to X-15, nothing has changed.”

“Very well,” Becket said as she sat down in her command chair. She brought a hand up to rub her cheek as she studied the holo display. The fleet of five hundred Karacknid warships that had entered the system ten days previous looked exactly the same as when she had retired to her quarters six hours ago. In very high orbit around the planet they called Detla-fort, the Karacknids were slowly circling her fleet. For all intents and purposes, a stalemate had developed. The four hundred ships she had in her fleet weren’t enough to successfully fend off a determined Karacknid attack. But with the armed orbital stations, point defense satellites and crucially the forty-eight fighters from the two orbital hangers that were the main defenses of Delta-fort, the odds were basically even. If the Karacknids really wanted to attack, they stood no better than a 50-50 chance of destroying the Fort. And even if they did, Becket was certain her forces would cripple their fleet in the process. But you don’t really want to fight, do you? Becket asked as she stared at the group of nine Karacknid dreadnoughts that formed the heart of the enemy fleet. She guessed the enemy fleet commander was on board one of them. If Becket hadn’t known about Admiral Lightfoot’s plan to weaken his fleet at Gamma-fort to tempt the Karacknids to attack, she would be far more worried than she was. Initially, she had been concerned that the Karacknid fleet would attack her. Yet, after six days of the fleet simply blockading her ships, she was certain it was a ruse. The Karacknid fleet was keeping her locked up in place while a much larger one no doubt attacked Delta-fort. Let’s just hope they don’t receive reinforcements, Becket reminded herself. All it would take would be for another couple of hundred Karacknid warships, or even just one hundred with a couple of carriers and she’d be in real trouble. With no way to retreat. Instead of falling back, she had allowed her force to be blockaded. That had been part of the plan as well. Having her fleet kept out of the action would embolden the main attacking Karacknid fleet.

“Do you want to look at running any of our probing strategies?” Commander Wilson asked.

Becket took a moment to consider her Chief of Staff’s suggestion. Her staff had put together several different tactics they could employ against the Karacknids. Each was designed to try and draw a small portion of the Karacknid fleet into combat. She didn’t have enough ships to try and break through the Karacknid blockade, but she could attempt to whittle away their numbers. It was tempting. Just sitting around day after day, letting the Karacknids think they had her trapped, was frustrating. And if it was frustrating for her, Becket knew her fleet’s crew members would be feeling it even harder. They didn’t quite grasp the wider strategic situation as well as she did. Becket shook her head though. “No, we will continue to wait. Either word of Admiral Somerville’s fleet will reach the Karacknids and they will fall back, or he may choose to bring his fleet here to relieve us. Either way, we will have better opportunities to strike at the Karacknids if we are patient.”

“Understood,” Wilson replied.

Becket sensed a slight deflation in the mood around her. Everyone on Viper’s bridge wanted to fight. Patience, she thought towards them. Your time will come.

The sudden blaring of alarms made everyone sit up straighter in their command chairs. “New contacts on the gravimetric sensors!” Lieutenant Armitage announced.

For a split second, Becket feared the Karacknids had brought up additional ships. That her fleet was about to be crushed. But then, the bridge’s holo display switched to show the feed from the gravimetric sensors. Two hundred new contacts had appeared, but not from the shift passage that led to X-15. Instead, they had come from the direction of New Shanghai. “Reinforcements,” Becket said as her shoulders relaxed. Maybe our time has come sooner than I thought, she said to herself. The two hundred ships were already accelerating straight towards her position. It was clear they intended to break the Karacknid blockade.

“What are your orders Admiral?” Wilson asked.

“Make sure every ship is at battlestations and ready to break orbit,” Becket replied. “I want all our extra supplies and munitions shipped up from the orbital stations as well. If the Karacknids are smart, they will run. But if not, they may try and take us on now before our reinforcements get here. Have our fighters all prepped for launch.”

For the next ten minutes, Becket and her staff made sure their ships were ready to fend off whatever the Karacknids might try. In the end though, they needn’t have bothered. Instead of trying to fight, the Karacknid fleet simply turned their noses away from Viper and began to accelerate towards the shift passage to X-15. “Either they are afraid of fighting, or they think their job is done,” Becket commented. She suspected it was the latter. Somerville had only sent two hundred ships to her aid, it meant he had kept the rest of his fleet near Gamma-fort. Which meant the Karacknids had attacked there in strength. “As soon as the report from these new ships reaches us, send it to my command chair. Signal them and inform them we will rendezvous with them as soon as the Karacknids jump out.”

“Aye Admiral,” Lieutenant Rondon acknowledged.

“We are going to follow them?” Captain Rogers asked.

Becket nodded. This part of Admiral Somerville’s plan was a lot vaguer. It had to be, there had been no way of knowing exactly what the Karacknids would have tried. But if she knew James, he would crush whatever Karacknid fleet had attacked X-14. Which means he will advance into the Karacknid empire, Becket was sure. “We are going to rendezvous with Admiral Somerville. Either we will meet him at X-15 or perhaps deeper into Karacknid space. The whole point of this is to draw the attention of their High Admiral. We are not going to miss out on playing our part.”

*

IS Viper, 20th April 2485 AD, (fifteen days later).

“One minute until we exit shift space,” Lieutenant Levitt reported from his navigation console.

The nervous tension that filled Viper’s bridge suddenly sharpened. For just over two weeks, Becket had been carefully stalking the Karacknid fleet. She had never entered the same system the Karacknids had, waiting instead until her scouts reported they had jumped to shift space. As far as she could tell, they had no idea her fleet was following them. That was coming to an end, however. Viper was about to enter the X-15 system. The Karacknids would soon find out what she had been up to. The first indicator that Viper had reverted to real space was the tremor that ran under Becket’s feet and up her command chair. Seconds later, the bridge’s main holo display jumped into life as her flagship’s passive sensors began to sift through the electromagnetic energy coming into contact with them.

A number of things caught Becket’s attention almost immediately. First, the Karacknid fleet was accelerating hard into the system towards the rocky moon they had built their supply depot around. It was moving far faster than it needed to. The reason became apparent seconds later; Viper’s sensors were detecting large energy discharges from the moon. Weapons fire! Becket was sure. That meant an Allied fleet was already in the system. “Lay in a pursuit course for the Karacknid fleet. Full military power,” Becket ordered without waiting to see exactly how many Allied ships there were. It didn’t matter, she didn’t want to miss the fight.

As soon as her orders were transmitted to her ships, Becket’s fleet leapt forward. By then, Viper’s sensors had a firmer view of the battle raging within the inner system. IS Vengeance was leading a fleet of seven hundred Allied warships. They were bombarding the Karacknid supply depot. Two hundred Karacknid warships were in orbit around the depot, fighting desperately to protect their stations. For half an hour as her ships charged into the system, Becket watched the battle play out. It took just five salvos for Admiral Lightfoot to reduce the depot to debris. It caused Becket to smile. The Karacknid fleet had returned home too late. You spent too much time trying to trick us back at Delta-fort. “Reduce acceleration rate by thirty percent,” Becket requested. “They’re trapped between our two fleets now, let’s not encourage them to turn and try and engage us alone,” she added as she turned to Rogers and Wilson to offer explanation.

Just as Becket expected, as soon as the final Karacknid station was destroyed, Lightfoot’s fleet powered up their reactors and engines, and turned to face the Karacknid fleet. Her deceleration would mean Lightfoot would have to fight the Karacknids alone for ten or fifteen minutes, but she knew he would understand. If the Karacknids managed to fire off two or three salvos at her ships, she would suffer far more damage. For his part, the Karacknid fleet commander did recognize a battle would be futile. For nearly an hour, he tried several maneuvers in an attempt to slip past Lightfoot’s fleet and flee deeper into Karacknid space. Lightfoot was having none of it though. Expertly, he anticipated each of the Karacknids moves and kept his fleet squarely in its path. All Becket had to do was match the Karacknid fleet’s movements and stay right behind them.

“We just entered two-way communication range with Vengeance, Admiral Lightfoot is requesting to speak to you,” Lieutenant Rondon informed Becket.

“Put him on the main holo display,” Becket requested.

“Well met, Vice Admiral,” Lightfoot said with a smile. “Your timing is impeccable.”

“After staring at that fleet for more than a week at Delta-fort, we were eager to stay on their heels,” Becket replied.

“You will be pleased to know we dispatched the Karacknid fleet that attempted to attack through the Gamma-fort system. We destroyed over two thousand of their warships. The depot at X-14 has also been destroyed.”

Becket eyebrows rose. “Phase One is proceeding exactly as planned then. I am impressed. How do you want to fight this battle?”

“We will take their first two salvos. Then we will send our fighters in with our third. You send your fighters in with your first salvo and we’ll coordinate. After that, it should be a mopping up exercise.”

“Good luck then Admiral,” Becket said as she gave Lightfoot a nod. “Just leave some of them for us.”

Lightfoot chuckled. “I’m sure you don’t need to worry about that. There is plenty to go around.”

“We’ll talk more after then,” Becket replied. Lightfoot returned her nod and then ended the COM channel. “Okay everyone, you heard him. Prep our fighters for launch. And make sure we keep a close eye on the Karacknid fleet. I want every one of their capital ships targeted with our first salvo. Let’s make sure we do not waste any missiles on ones that Lightfoot manages to damage or destroy first.”

Trapped between the Allied fleets, the list of options the Karacknid commander had to respond with was rather short. Up until the last minute, it looked to Becket like he was simply going to try to hammer Lightfoot’s fleet as much as possible and take as many of Lightfoot’s ships with him as he could. Just before the first missile salvos were fired however, eighty ships broke away from the Karacknid fleet. Decelerating, they turned to confront Becket’s fleet. Becket grimaced. If she engaged them, it would delay her from coming to Lightfoot’s aid. That wasn’t acceptable to her. “Program our missiles to loop up and over the Karacknid squadron. Make sure Captain Hampton knows his fighters are to do the same. We’ll strike the main Karacknid fleet with our first salvo and then focus on this squadron with our second and third.”

“Acknowledged Admiral,” Wilson responded.

“Let’s hope one salvo and our fighters is enough to give Lightfoot the edge he needs,” Becket commented.

“I’m sure it will,” Captain Rogers said from his command chair. “And if not, we can cut through this Karacknid squadron and be able to come to his aid quickly enough.”

Becket nodded. She was confident that would be the case, but she didn’t want to jinx it by saying it out loud. Alerts from several consoles announced the sudden release of thousands of missiles from the Karacknids and Lightfoot’s fleet. A second salvo was launched before the first ones reached their targets. Then the Allied and Karacknid ships opened up with their point defenses. Thousands upon thousands of missiles were destroyed. Yet, neither fleet was able to take out everything aimed at it. Antimatter explosions erupted in the midst of Lightfoot’s fleet while grazer beams and then thermonuclear detonations pummeled the Karacknids. According to Viper’s sensors, at least three of Lightfoot’s ships were destroyed outright. Eight more fell out of formation, too damaged to continue in the fight. Outnumbered by nearly three hundred ships, the Karacknids fared worse. At least thirty ships were destroyed or disabled. As both fleets reformed and fired again, Becket felt Viper vibrate as her missile tubes hurled their own missiles towards the Karacknid fleet. On the holo display, she watched as the Karacknid squadron fired off its own salvo towards her ships. Fourteen hundred missiles would test her fleet’s point defenses, but she was confident they could handle that many.

Before she got to watch her missiles strike the Karacknids though, the second salvo from Lightfoot’s fleet and the main Karacknid fleet crashed home. More ships from both sides were destroyed or forced to flee from the battle. When Viper’s point defenses opened up, Becket watched her fleet tear into the small missile salvo approaching it. So many missiles were taken out in the first few seconds that she felt confident enough to switch her focus to the main Karacknid fleet. Having to split its defensive fire to take on both Lightfoot and her salvos, it was in trouble. More than a thousand missiles broke through their defenses and shredded over a hundred of the Karacknid ships. Then six squadrons of Spitfire fighters raced into the carnage and rammed plasma missiles down the throats of twenty-three more Karacknid capital ships.

Becket tapped a fist on her command chair. Their numerical advantage was paying off. The Karacknid fleet had been gutted. Two explosions near her flagship pulled her attention back to her own fleet. In a secondary holo display she saw one destroyer completely engulfed in antimatter. Miraculously, it flew right through the destructive cloud. It’s gaseous shields negating enough of the antimatter to allow it to survive. As the image zoomed in though, Becket saw that the destroyer had still suffered badly. Most of its valstronium armor had been wiped out, and a number of hull sections were open to space. When the second ship that had been targeted came into view, Becket swallowed hard. It hadn’t fared quite so well. The medium cruiser had a massive hole in her rear. It looked like the antimatter had eaten away the entire engine section. As Becket watched, the cruisers maneuvering thrusters desperately tried to keep the ship from going into an uncontrolled spin. “Get rescue shuttles to that cruiser immediately,” Becket ordered. “She’ll have to be scuttled. Get her crew off as quickly as possible. Her inertial compensators could fail at any moment.”

“We’re on it Admiral,” Wilson assured her.

Becket nodded to show she trusted her Chief of Staff. “Okay Lieutenant Salamanca, let’s finish this Karacknid squadron,” she said to her tactical officer. Already, the Karacknid squadron had another salvo of fourteen hundred missiles racing towards her ships. Over the next ten minutes, Becket had to watch three more of her ships be badly damaged. Yet in reply, it took her fleet just two salvos to all but wipe out the Karacknid squadron. What was left after the second salvo blew apart forty-six ships was no longer a threat. Ignoring it, Becket ordered two more salvos fired at the Karacknid fleet. Two more was all that was needed to finish it off as well. Lightfoot’s fleet had already capitalized on the damage their combined salvo and fighter attack had done. Less than an hour after the first missiles were fired, not a single Karacknid warship was left intact.

“Plot us a course to rendezvous with Vengeance,” Becket ordered. “We’ll finish off those Karacknid hulks with energy weapons as we pass. I don’t want one of them left to be salvaged someday.” No doubt there were still Karacknid crewmembers left alive on many of the crippled ships that were now nothing more than scrap metal. Becket felt no remorse in giving her order though. Not after all the horrors she had seen the Karacknids do. Especially after the report she had read from New Shanghai. Nuking a planet from orbit was an inexcusably horrible in and of itself. Yet, there was an impersonal nature to such an action. Rounding up civilians and slaughtering them en masse was a far more intimate evil. Time and time again, the Karacknids had showed themselves unworthy of mercy.

“Admiral Lightfoot wishes to speak with you again Admiral,” Lieutenant Rondon said as he turned from his COM console to catch Becket’s attention.

Becket nodded and Lightfoot’s face appeared on the bridge’s main holo display. “Your fleet fought well, though I expected nothing less.”

“As did yours,” Becket replied. “Our crews should be celebrating. It’s not often we get to win such one-sided victories.”

“Not often indeed,” Lightfoot agreed. “I will make sure my people get an extra few days’ provision of rations. No doubt it will be well spent on fun and merriment.”

Becket smiled. “I will do the same. Now, what is our next step?”

“We’ll need to pause and make sure our damaged ships can make the journey back to Delta-fort on their own. What is your fleet’s supply condition?” Lightfoot asked. “Can you accompany us deeper into Karacknid space?”

Becket smiled at Lightfoot. “We have more than enough fuel and supplies to last us a couple of months. We made sure we were well stocked before we left Delta-fort. I’ve no intention of letting you and Somerville have all the fun. Let us go and see just what kind of mayhem our esteemed Emperor has been causing.”

Lightfoot returned her smile. “That sounds like a plan to me Vice Admiral. Have your ships fall into formation and we will be on our way.”

“With pleasure,” Becket responded. With pleasure, she repeated to herself as she imagined what Somerville was up to.

Chapter 10

A Karacknid High Admiral can only attain the rank after many resounding victories in battle. None among the Karacknid fleet hold the rank today, but many aspire to. The fame of Tanaka-lan lives on undiminished over the centuries. Every Karacknid commander wishes to match his deeds. It is the duty of every Imperial naval officer to see that they fail.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Slayer, Jaranna System, 3rd May 2485 AD, (fourteen days later).

Tanaka-lan’s claws clattered on Slayer’s deck as he rushed onto his flagship’s bridge. “What is the report?” The duty officer looked up from his console in alarm. “Well?” Tanaka-lan demanded.

“We haven’t received a communication from the new contact yet,” the duty officer said hesitantly. “We’re not expecting one for several minutes.”

Tanaka-lan wanted to growl. Instead, he restrained himself. In a more leisurely pace, he moved over to his command chair and sat down. Immediately, the claws in his hands appeared and sunk into the cushioning of his armrest. The destroyer had come from one of the shift passages that led towards Human space. More specifically, the shift passage that led towards the two supply depots of Varanthon and Gilama. Under Admiral Rigula, the commander of the fleet based at Varanthon had sent him a communication three weeks ago, reporting that he believed the Humans were removing warships from one of their fortified systems. Rigula had hatched a plan with Under Admiral Kipre from Gilama to combine their fleets and strike at the Human Fort. Rigula had promised that he would be the one to destroy the first Kulrean worldship since the Kulreans had joined the war. At once Tanaka-lan had sent a fast frigate to Varanthon to forbid Rigula from attempting any such thing. He had given express orders to all his fleet commanders months ago not to engage in any offensive activities. Not until he had gathered up all the forces he needed did he intend to return to offensive operations. The Kulrean worldships were simply too powerful. One more month, Tanaka-lan thought to himself as his claws pierced deeper into his armrest. One more month and another fifteen hundred warships would join him in the Jaranna system. Then he would have the strength to begin overwhelming the Allied fortified systems, one by one. The Kulrean worldships couldn’t be everywhere at once. Slowly but surely he intended to grind away at the Allied Fleet numbers until the war was finally over. Yet, Rigula’s actions could jeopardize everything. There was no way the Humans would be weakening one of their fortified systems, not unless it was a ruse. Rigula was a fool if he thought otherwise. A fool who would not have waited for confirmation, Tanaka-lan feared. That was why he was so agitated. The new contact had likely come from Varanthon or Gilama. He was desperate for news.

“We’re receiving a message now, High Admiral,” the duty officer eventually informed Tanaka-lan. “I’m sending it to your command chair.”

As soon as it appeared on one of his displays, Tanaka-lan typed in a code that would decrypt the report. As he began to read, his claws ripped deep gashes into his command chair. Sparks flew from it as he dug past the protective padding. The officers all around him looked up from their command consoles. Tanaka-lan didn’t even notice. The report was from Varanthon. A sizeable Allied Fleet had raided the system. Everything had been destroyed. The destroyer that had brought the message was the only ship to escape. Letting out a growl, Tanaka-lan closed his eyes. He could easily picture what had happened. The Humans hadn’t been weakening their fortified system, it had been a trap all along! And somehow they have gathered additional ships, he was certain. For whilst he had put a halt to offensive operations for the last six months, he had doubled the amount of scout ships he had been deploying behind enemy lines. For the first time in the war, he had been certain he had an exact count on the enemy’s fleet numbers. That had been why he had been so confident he finally had the numbers to grind down the resistance and win the war. Yet, as if from nowhere, the Allies had put together a fleet of two thousand ships. And they have used them expertly, Tanaka-lan had to admit. Though there was no word from Rigula, Tanaka-lan was sure his fleet had been destroyed. And he was just as sure that the Allied fleet wouldn’t stop at Varanthon. Gilama would be wiped out. Then the enemy fleet would push on into the other systems that had been taken from the Mindus.

He let out another growl. It was an unmitigated disaster. Even if the Human fleet pulled back without advancing further, the balance of forces in the war had just shifted. He had lost two thousand ships while the Allies had gained the same number. That meant his plan to overcome their systems one by one would be delayed. Worse, he had already used his authority to pull every fleet and squadron within five hundred light years to his banner. In order to get more ships, he’d have to wait for reinforcements from the Imperator. By now, the report Tanaka-lan had sent about his retreat from Earth in the face of the Kulrean worldships would have reached the Imperial homeworld. A reply was likely only a month or so away. It was as likely to come with news that Tanaka-lan had been relieved of command than to give the go-ahead for his proposed plan to overwhelm every Allied system with massive numbers. Tanaka-lan ground his razor-sharp teeth together. That blasted Allied Fleet.

And they may even try to come here, Tanaka-lan thought as a shiver of fear ran up his spine. He had eight hundred ships in the Jaranna system. Not enough to stop the Allied Fleet from ravaging the fleet base in the system. But by the time they get here, that’s not all I’ll have, he reminded himself as his rage at Rigula’s actions began to fade. If the Human fleet took two or three weeks to arrive, he would have another thousand ships from the interior of the Empire. And we can gather more, he was certain. Finally, he opened his eyes. Every officer was still staring at him. “Send a fleet wide alert. We are to prepare to break orbit within the hour. A Human fleet has attacked Varanthon. We are going to meet them. I also want orders drawn up immediately. Send them to Under Admiral’s Usam, Ihijal, and Denus. They are to split their fleets and send half their forces back here to Jaranna. Their ships are to wait here along with the additional squadrons we’re expecting from the interior for my return.” His officer stared at him for a couple of seconds, clearly trying to take in what they were being told. Another growl from Tanaka-lan sent them spinning round back to their consoles. Launch your attack if you wish, Tanaka-lan thought towards whoever was commanding the enemy fleet. He had a pretty good guess it was the Human Emperor Somerville. But whoever it was, it didn’t matter. Rigula was a fool, you won’t find me so easy and opponent.

*

IS Drake, Harman System, 13th May 2485 AD, (ten days later).

James watched with a blank face as Drake’s plasma cannons fired salvo after salvo into the Karacknid-built orbital stations around Harman. The thirty Karacknid warships that had been orbiting the Mindus colony had fled at the first sign of his fleet. Whether they had evacuated all of the orbital stations’ crew, he didn’t know. It made little difference. Since taking the X-14 system, this was the third former Mindus colony his fleet had raided. In each, they had forced the few Karacknid ships in the system to retreat and then destroyed everything the Karacknids had built up over the last several years. Beyond that, there was nothing more he could do for the millions of Mindus civilians on the planets themselves. That was the reason for his expression. Even though he suspected the rest of Drake’s bridge crew felt the same, he had no desire to display it publicly.

With Drake’s Kulrean sensors, if he wanted to, he could zoom right in and look at individual Mindus walking around on Harman’s surface. Doing so would only worsen his mood. In the space of just a handful of years, the Karacknid were well on their way to reducing Harman’s populace to a Stone Age lifestyle. Most of the colony’s major cities looked abandoned and for sure, all of its technological industries were closed. It seemed the Karacknids had decided that Harman would become an agricultural world. Anything that did not further the production of crops had been abandoned by the Mindus civilians, though not willingly, James was sure. There is nothing you can do for them, he told himself again. Anger coursed through his veins. Anger at what the Karacknid had done to the Mindus civilization, and at what he knew they wanted to do to Earth and the rest of Humanity’s colonies. It was pushing him to launch orbital strikes at the Karacknid facilities on Harman’s surface. Even to order marines landed to hunt down the Karacknids responsible for destroying the colony. Yet, doing so would only bring reprisals when he had to retreat. It will be different someday, he told himself. Someday, the Karacknids would be forced to retreat from the systems he had visited for good. Then he could return and truly bring help to the Mindus people.

“All targets destroyed Admiral,” Commander Ivanov reported as soon as Drake’s guns fell silent.

“We’re still not getting any COM messages from the surface,” Lieutenant Petrov added.

“Nor are we likely to get any,” Captain Alvarez replied. “The Karacknids will have hunted down anything with a power signature years ago.”

“There’s nothing more we can do for them now,” James said loud enough for all of Drake’s bridge officers to hear. “We have done what we came to do. Signal the fleet to prepare to break orbit. Plot us a course to the next system and get us underway.” As his ships carried out his orders, James felt the mood around him change. The further they got away from Harman, the more his people’s thoughts turned to what they had achieved rather than what they couldn’t. With the fleet base at X-14 destroyed, and three other systems raided, they would certainly be drawing the Karacknids attention.

“New contacts!” Lieutenant Anderson reported. From his tone, James knew not to get too concerned. “Thirteen hundred new warships have just lit off their drives. They’re coming from the X-15 shift passage. Initial signature profiles indicate it is Admiral Lightfoot’s fleet.”

“And Admiral Becket has joined him,” Alvarez guessed from the number of contacts.

James smiled. He left Becket orders for her to join them if possible, yet there would be no way to know what the Karacknid fleet that had attacked Delta-fort would do. No doubt he would find out soon enough when he spoke to her, but it seemed she had dealt with them one way or another. And they’ve taken very little losses, James concluded as he too studied the number of ships that had just appeared on the bridge’s holo display. “Slow our approach to the next shift passage. Let them rendezvous with us before we proceed.”

Three hours later, Vengeance and Viper slotted into formation with Drake. When they did James retired to his quarters to have a holo conference with Ya’sia and his two Admirals. “Congratulations on your successful attack on X-15,” James said as soon as their faces appeared in front of him. “It will take the Karacknids many months to rebuild what they have lost at X-14 and X-15. Phase One of our operation is going as smoothly as I could have hoped. Both of you fought well.”

“Thank you Admiral,” Lightfoot replied for himself and Becket. “Vice Admiral Becket’s arrival was very fortuitous. Without her, my fleet would have suffered a lot more casualties.”

James smiled and then winked at Becket. “She does have a knack for arriving right on time. None of us would have escaped New Shanghai but for her.”

“Which is why I hope she is accompanying us when we make our push on the Karacknid home world,” Ya’sia said.

“I most certainly am,” Becket said as she raised her chin.

James glanced from Lightfoot to Becket. He knew both of them, and every other senior naval commander wanted to participate in Phase Two of Hail Mary. Yet he needed to leave good commanders behind to defend Humanity’s colonies as well. Whilst the final decision hadn’t been made yet, both Lightfoot and Becket had been making it clear to him they wanted to go. Yet in James’ mind, they were the best two candidates to trust with defending Earth and the frontline. “How are your supply situations?” he asked to change the topic.

“My ships have enough supplies for another six weeks of campaigning. After that, we will have to fall back to one of our border forts,” Becket answered first.

“My fleet can last seven, maybe eight, if we are careful with fuel,” Lightfoot said. “Unless we get a supply convoy, that’s the best we can do. And even then, staying out here that long will be quite the risk.”

James nodded. He knew Ya’sia’s ships had even less supplies, and coming from Earth, Drake and the rest of his fleet weren’t much better off. “Phase One has always been meant to be a short thrust into Karacknid space. Despite our success so far, I don’t think that should change. We don’t have the supplies we would need, anyway. They are all being stockpiled at Earth for Phase Two.”

“What is our next step then?” Becket asked.

“We will proceed to the Faralam system,” James answered as he tapped his office’s holo display to bring up a star map of local space. “We know the Karacknids have another supply depot there. Our latest scouts indicate that about a hundred and fifty warships are stationed there. No doubt word has reached of our advance. They may have gathered in ships from other nearby systems. In any event, it is a good target to knock out. Taking it will limit the Karacknid supply route to five of their border worlds. If we can take it, it will reduce the chances they can launch an invasion into our space any time soon. And from there, we can threaten Jaranna. Depending on our fuel situation after the battle, we will decide whether or not to move to the Mindus home world. There’s no way we will be able to fight a running battle there, but even threatening the system for a day or two will cause alarm. If we can achieve that, I’d like to attempt it.”

“I’m in agreement,” Ya’sia said as she gave James a small bow. “Even with our destruction of two and a half thousand Karacknid warships, their fleet build-up over the last several months has everyone at Alliance High command concerned. Operation Hail Mary will leave all of our borders vulnerable. The more we can put the Karacknids on the back foot before Phase Two, the better.”

“Well, our ships are ready,” Lightfoot said as he glanced at Becket.

“Ready and eager,” Becket echoed. “It’s good to be proactive again.”

“It is,” James agreed as he smiled. “Let us get to it then.”

*

IS Drake, Faralam System, 17th May 2485 AD, (five days later).

As soon as Drake exited shift space into the Faralam system, it was clear the scout reports were out of date. Rather than one hundred warships orbiting the fleet base built above the Mindus colony, there were eight hundred and fifty. One ship caught James’ attention almost immediately. It was the largest Karacknid dreadnought in the enemy fleet. “Tanaka-lan’s command Dreadnought,” James said out loud as he locked his eyes onto the enemy High Admiral’s flagship.

“He must have been in their Jaranna system when news of our attack reached them,” Alvarez guessed. “He is here to stop us threatening Jaranna.”

“Which means it could be a trap,” Ivanov added. “There could be hundreds more ships hidden nearby.”

James found his teeth had clamped together. Tanaka-lan was indeed a slippery customer. One sight of his flagship, and Alvarez and Ivanov were on edge. Admittedly, he was too. More than one of his close friends had died because of the Karacknid Admiral’s battle prowess. Yet, caution wasn’t the main emotion running through him. Tanaka-lan was within his grasp. It was not an opportunity he wanted to pass up. “It could be,” he said as he admitted Ivanov had a point. “But unless Tanaka-lan has some very good intel, he can’t know about Drake’s sensors. As far as he is aware, the Kulreans won’t advance into their space. That gives us an advantage. If there are hidden squadrons out there, we should detect them long before they can spring a trap. Plot us a course straight for Faralam. Maximum military power. I want us to have the momentum advantage if he tries to cut and run. And keep launching waves of recon drones. Let’s make sure we are being cautious even if we are charging full steam towards him.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov replied. “We’ll transmit your orders to our fleet commanders.”

As his fleet started moving, James watched the Karacknid fleet orbiting Faralam. It was easy for him to picture Tanaka-lan in his mind. What are you going to do now? He asked his opponent. If Tanaka-lan was here, there was no doubt he knew just how powerful James’ fleet was. Which meant he knew he didn’t have the strength to win a battle. Not unless there really were ships hidden within the system. Yet, Drake’s sensors weren’t detecting anything. Recon drones were also on their way to the many asteroid fields, planetary bodies, and moons ships could be hiding behind. If you are planning something, we’re going to know about it. So, are you going to run? It was almost unheard of for Karacknid commanders to retreat when they had anything close to equal numbers with their opponent. Yet, Tanaka-lan had. Even though he had more than seven thousand warships in the Sol system about to conquer Earth, he had retreated in the face of the Kulrean worldships. James didn’t know for certain, but such an action had to have been difficult for the Karacknid Admiral. Shameful, even. Will you retreat again? James asked, hoping that the answer was no. Taking the Karacknid Admiral out would put a serious dampener on whatever offensive operations the Karacknids were planning. Not to mention the personal satisfaction it would bring James. So focused was he on watching the Karacknid fleet to see what it was up to that even when several Karacknid scout ships that had been watching the shift passage revealed themselves, James didn’t glance at them. He trusted Ivanov to send ships to deal with them. Within fifteen minutes, they were dispatched. Twenty minutes later and none of the drones had detected anything yet. James made up his mind. “The fleet will alter course, put us on a heading for the Jaranna shift passage. Let’s call Tanaka-lan’s bluff, shall we?”

His words seemed to break the spell that had come over the bridge. Rather than fearing Tanaka-lan, most of James’ officers were caught up in his confidence. Ivanov cracked a grin. “Aye Admiral. That sounds like a plan.”

Now we will see, James thought towards Tanaka-lan as his ships altered course. Rather than moving to attack the fleet base, he was now cutting off the Karacknid fleet’s line of retreat. If Tanaka-lan had a significant number of ships hidden somewhere, he wouldn’t be worried. But if he didn’t, then he’d have to react quickly. Unless he thinks we are bluffing, James reminded himself. Yet, it would be taking one hell of a risk for Tanaka-lan to stay in place to try and convince his opponent he had more ships than he had. As the minutes ticked by, James found himself inching forward more and more in his seat. Drake’s Kulrean-built sensors were still not detecting any additional ships, and yet Tanaka-lan didn’t move.

“Energy spikes!” Anderson announced excitedly. He spun around in his command chair. “They’re preparing to break orbit. They’re running!” He finished with a grin.

James nodded. He hoped that was the case, but he wasn’t ready to jump to such a conclusion yet. It could still be part of an elaborate ruse. Five minutes later though, and Tanaka-lan had all eight hundred and fifty of his ships accelerating towards the Jaranna shift passage. “Will we catch them?” He asked as he turned to his navigation officer.

In response, Lieutenant Salamanca projected the course of both fleets. “It looks like we’ll be able to catch them with a couple of missile salvos before they jump out.”

James brought his hands together as he contemplated the scenario. He had a total of eighteen fighter squadrons in his fleet. That was nearly two hundred fighters. Between them and a full missile salvo from his fleet, there was a great chance they could take out Tanaka-lan’s flagship. Especially if all the fighters were tasked with targeting it. No doubt some of the fighters would be lost, but would the loss of thirty or forty or even fifty fighters to kill Tanaka-lan be worth it? James thought so. “Order Wing Commander Hawthorn to prepare all her fighters for launch. We’re going to take out Tanaka-lan’s flagship with our first salvo.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov acknowledged.

For half an hour, as the Karacknids continued to flee, James peered at Tanaka-lan’s flagship intently.  Ivanov, Anderson, and Hawthorn ran a number of simulated attack strategies, sharing several with him. Trusting their abilities, he approved three to be shared with Lightfoot, Ya’sia, and Becket. As the other Admirals decided what was the best approach, James kept his focus on the largest Dreadnought at the center of the enemy formation. He desperately wanted to take Tanaka-lan out of the battle. With his ships slowly getting closer and closer, unease crept into James’ mind. At first, he tried to ignore it. Eventually, it grew into questions that began to assail him. Why had Tanaka-lan brought his fleet into the Faralam system? Had he just come to run away from James’ fleet? He would have known how many ships James had, and yet he had still come. Second-guessing himself, James began to wonder if the Karacknid Admiral was baiting him. It wouldn’t be hard to guess that James hated Tanaka-lan. In fact, whatever Allied Admiral was commanding James’ fleet would feel exactly the same. Charging after the Karacknid Admiral with the promise of being able to kill him was predictable. Even launching a fighter strike is predictable, James told himself. Suddenly more interested in the specifics of Hawthorn’s attack plan, he pulled up the different scenarios. Each one involved the fighters striking the Karacknid fleet somewhere between thirty and ten minutes before they reached the system’s mass shadow. We know he has no additional ships in the system. But we don’t know whether there is a fleet ready to jump out of shift space. That is just the sort of thing Tanaka-lan would do, James realized. As soon as the Karacknid Admiral saw Hawthorn’s fighters move in for the attack, Tanaka-lan could call in his reinforcements. But what good would it do? We just call off the attack. James had no answers. Yet, his sense that Tanaka-lan had something planned was growing by the minute.

“We’ve got movement!” Anderson reported loudly. James was immediately pulled out of his thoughts. “The Karacknid fleet is altering course,” Anderson added, as he turned around in his command chair. His eyes grew wider with each word. “They’re heading away from the shift passage. They are heading towards the system’s eighth planet.”

“Show me the planet,” James snapped at once. Whatever Tanaka-lan had planned, he feared he was about to find out. Yet, when the planet filled Drake’s holo display, James frowned. It was a cold rocky planet covered in large glaciers. It had a couple of small moons and a thick planetary ring, but there was nothing overly special about it.

“Is he going to try and use the planet and its moons to slingshot around back towards the shift passage?” Ivanov asked.

“What good would it do him?” Alvarez said. “We just follow his maneuver and stay right on his tail.”

“We are assuming Karacknid inertial dampers can handle the same level of g-forces ours can,” James said as he leaned forward in his command chair to study the planet even closer. “If they could pull in tighter and pass between the planet and its moons right here, they could gain twenty or thirty minutes upon us. That would allow them to jump out before we could enter missile range.” As James pointed, the Kulrean-built holo display highlighted the area James desired. “There’s no way our ships could pull off such a maneuver, could they?” Whilst James knew many of the technical capabilities of his flagship, he was far from an expert in all of them.

Apparently, most of Drake’s bridge officers were no wiser than him, for most heads turned towards Lieutenant Salamanca. The Spanish officer shook his head. “Not all of our ships. Maybe Drake and some of the other larger Kulrean-built capital ships could. There is a little more power available for our dampeners. But even then, I wouldn’t feel comfortable risking it.”

“So his maneuver might get his ships out of the system safely,” Alvarez said. “It’s still strange though, why come all this way just to pull off this simple trick?”

James grunted. Obviously, Alvarez had been thinking along the same lines he had. Yet, James had nothing else to add. He had no answers himself. “Launch a spread of recon drones towards that planet and its moons. Make sure there are no hidden weapon emplacements Drake’s sensors are not detecting. Other than that, for now we follow them in and get as close to the planet as we can as we slingshot around,” he decided. “Once we complete the maneuver, we’ll see where we are and reassess our attack options.” Glancing at Ivanov, James gestured for her to come closer to him. When she stepped up beside his command chair, he leaned over to speak to her. “Contact Lightfoot, Ya’sia, and Becket. See if they have any intuition as to what Tanaka-lan is thinking.” Ivanov gave him a nod and then moved back to her command chair. A minute later, she looked up and shook her head. James pushed his lips together and turned back to look at the holo display. If there is something more, we’re just going to have to deal with it, he told himself.

For another hour and a half, his ships kept increasing their speed as they chased Tanaka-lan’s fleet across the system. Not once did the Karacknids deviate from their course. As they approached the icy world, Drake’s bridge descended into silence as everyone waited to see if anything was going to happen. James held his breath. Movement from Tanaka-lan’s flagship made his hands tightened into fists. First one, then two, then one after another, five more missiles were launched from the large Dreadnought. James’s concern quickly turned to confusion. The missiles weren’t heading towards his ships. They were heading towards one of the planet’s small moons.

“Sensors confirmed they are antimatter missiles,” Anderson reported.

James shook his head. He didn’t understand. Why hit the moon with antimatter missiles? They would just obliterate a part of the moon’s surface. Sure, over the course of many months, the loss in mass might cause the moon’s orbit to destabilize and crash into the planet, but unless they fired a full salvo from all the ships, it wouldn’t be enough to change the moon’s orbit in time to affect the course James’ ships were going to take. But the missiles won’t strike at the same time, James told himself as he started to think through what that meant. Each missile would hit the moon, eat away a section of its surface and then the next one would strike. Effectively, the missiles will mine their way into the center of the moon. Then what?... “Full deceleration!” James ordered. “All ships are to decelerate immediately. Alter our heading, we’re not going to slingshot around the planet.”

“Admiral?” Ivanov said as her head shot up from her console.

“Send the orders now,” James demanded.

“Right away,” Ivanov replied. Even as she spoke, the holo display suddenly filled with hundreds of new contacts. Every ship in Tanaka-lan’s fleet had opened fire with their missiles. James didn’t need to wait for Anderson’s analysis to know that they weren’t antimatter missiles this time. Splitting into two groups, a third of the missiles headed towards the moon that had just had a large shaft carved into its center. The rest spread out and raced towards the ring of asteroids around the planet. It took less than a minute for them all to reach their targets. Then they began to detonate. Thermonuclear explosions blasted the moon apart from within, sending tens of thousands of chunks of rock in every direction. Within the planetary ring, thousands of more explosions did the same. Suddenly, the planet’s low and medium orbitals had been turned into a maelstrom of rock debris. The course James’ fleet had been intended to take was completely blocked off. It would be suicide to try and fly his ships through the hailstorm of asteroids.

James ground his teeth together as he cursed Tanaka-lan. He had been outsmarted by the Karacknid Admiral again. For whilst the Karacknid fleet was already completing its slingshot around the planet, accelerating ahead of the expanding debris field, his ships would have to decelerate and alter course normally. A maneuver that had taken the Karacknids less than ten minutes would take his ships four or five hours. And even then, we have to retrace our steps back to the shift passage whilst his ships are already on a direct course with all their momentum conserved. James cursed himself. He should have seen it! Of course, Tanaka-lan would have no qualms about blowing a planet’s moon to smithereens. Why would he care otherwise? James shook his head. It was a tactic that had never occurred to him before. Yet, it was genius in its simplicity.

“What are your orders Admiral?” Ivanov queried. “The Karacknid fleet is still within range if we want to launch a fighter strike.”

James shook his head again. If he launched his fighters, they’d have to burn their engines hard to catch up to the fleeing Karacknid fleet. By the time they launched their attacks, they’d be nearly out of fuel. They’d have to wait for his fleet to decelerate and pick them up. If the Karacknids had a carrier fleet hidden beyond the shift passage, they could jump in and destroy his entire fighter force. Even after the capabilities Tanaka-lan had just shown, taking him out wasn’t worth losing all of his fighters. “He has bested us this time. We have to take our medicine and learn for next time. Keep us decelerating and plot us a least-time course to the Jaranna shift passage. We will just have to see if we can return the favor there.” As his officers busied themselves organizing the fleet, James found himself silently brooding. Tanaka-lan had outsmarted him this time, he was determined to not let it happen again.

Chapter 11

The Jaranna system was a key system in the War of Doom. Its location made it the ideal position from which to launch attacks into both Varanni Alliance and Imperial space. As a result, it was fought over several times. Sadly, the same was also true in the Second Karacknid War.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 23rd May 2485 AD, (six days later, 1 light year outside the Jaranna system).

“You have all seen the scout reports,” James said as he addressed the holo conference of his senior commanders. He was sitting behind his desk, one hand on the cup of coffee Fox had brought him. “I don’t think it is much of a guess to conclude Tanaka-lan is trying to bait us.” The ten scout ships James had sent into the system ahead of his fleet had detected Tanaka-lan’s fleet waiting for his ships just one light hour from the end of the shift passage. Crucially though, they had also detected some anomalous readings nearby. It was very possible they were additional ships trying to remain hidden. “The question is; in what direction does he want us to jump?”

“You think the readings are fake?” Ya’sia asked.

James shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a trick we have used more than once before. If our enemy doesn’t have enough ships to defend Jaranna, what better way to make us think he has than by pretending to hide additional ships. One thing is for sure, from the position of his flagship, he wants us to think he is up for a fight.”

“Which he may very well be,” Lightfoot responded. “With all the reinforcements the Karacknids have been getting, it wouldn’t be surprising if quite a number of new warships have joined Tanaka-lan’s fleet in the last week. He may have his flagship there because he thinks he can tempt us to come for him again. Those contacts could be real. Just poorly hidden.”

James felt his cheeks redden. Lightfoot, Ya’sia and Becket had all told him that they had felt exactly the same when they had first seen Tanaka-lan’s flagship. They had all fallen for his blowing up a moon trick, as it had come to be called. Yet, he had been the one in overall charge. He was ultimately responsible. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, being delayed by half a day or so wasn’t really too significant. It was more the personal embarrassment that hurt James. Tanaka-lan had beaten him in the battle of New Shanghai. He would have also won the Second Battle of Earth if it hadn’t been for the Kulreans’ intervention. For his own self-confidence’s sake, James needed to score a victory against the Karacknid Admiral.

“Which means there may be more ships,” Becket suggested. “Many more ships. There has just been enough time for reinforcements to have reached Jaranna from several of the surrounding Karacknid systems that we knew they had fleets in. And if they have received more ships from their interior, there could be another thousand or more Karacknid ships. That would be a fleet we could not beat.”

“You think we should begin the fall back now?” James queried.

Becket nodded. “I’m as much in favor of hitting the Karacknids again and hurting them more as anyone. But not if it jeopardizes Phase Two of Hail Mary. We have already achieved what we set out to do. We have destroyed two thousand Karacknid ships. We have raided several of their fleet bases, and no doubt we have caused them to scramble many hundreds of ships from other systems to help protect Jaranna. This fleet is integral to Phase Two of Hail Mary; we should not take any unnecessary risks. Especially when Tanaka-lan is involved.”

“I agree with your assessment,” Ya’sia said as she gave Becket a small bow. “Except on one point. Hail Mary needs the Karacknids on the frontline to be disorganized and distracted enough to ensure they do not attack in the months we are gone. If you are right and Tanaka-lan has gathered a fleet he is confident can beat us, then that fleet may become the very threat we fear. If we fall back without a fight, he may be tempted to follow us; perhaps even all the way to Earth.”

“Yet, we have destroyed all the fuel depots on the route we would take home,” Becket countered. “Even if he wanted to follow us, he could only come so far. Their fleet will not have the means to strike at Earth from X-14 or X-15 for several months.”

“But nothing would be stopping them from taking another route. Or even striking at Alliance border forts.” James said. “Though they have had some time to gather forces in Jaranna to meet us, there hasn’t been time for news to reach any of their frontline fleets. That means that if Tanaka-lan does now have the numbers he thinks he can engage us with, he has to have received more reinforcements. We must know just how many have come. If they have already replaced the two thousand we have destroyed, then our attacks will have proved to have been for nothing. We must know one way or the other before we advance or fall back.”

“It sounds like you already have an idea in mind,” Lightfoot said.

James rubbed his jaw. The idea had just come to him. “I can take Drake into the system. With her advanced sensors, we should be able to detect any hidden Karacknid ships. Then we will know what we are truly facing.”

“Absolutely not!” Becket said far more forcefully than even James had expected. No one was going to like his suggestion. That was a given. But Becket was sitting forward and her eyes were flaring. “Phase Two of Hail Mary relies on you. And you are our Emperor. If Tanaka-lan really has planned a trap for us, we cannot send you in alone. You are too important.”

“She is right, James,” Ya’sia said as she placed a holo graphic hand onto James’ wrist. “Taking Drake in is folly. Your fleet cannot afford to lose you.”

“No, it is we who cannot afford to leave Tanaka-lan without at least assessing his full strength. He is too big a threat. And not just to Hail Mary. He could threaten any of our systems.”

“But that was always built into the gamble of Hail Mary,” Lightfoot countered. “With half our fleet heading to the other side of this part of the galaxy, our home systems are always going to be vulnerable.”

“True,” James conceded with a nod. “But I am still not willing to leave without assessing Tanaka-lan’s full strength. It is one thing to slip our ships away when we think the Karacknids are not prepared for an attack. It is another to do so when we know one could be looming.”

“Then I will take Triumphant into the Jaranna system,” Ya’sia said. “I am less important to Hail Mary than you.”

“Or you could temporarily transfer your flag to another warship and let Alvarez take Drake in without you,” Lightfoot suggested. “No one would think anything of such an order. It is understandable given the circumstances.”

James shook his head. His decision was made. He wasn’t going to back down. Tanaka-lan had embarrassed him enough. He wasn’t going to run scared just because the Karacknid Admiral might be planning an ambush. “I will not order others to take risks I am not willing to take myself. You just said it yourself, Hail Mary is a gamble. There is a very real chance none of us who go will be coming back. Sooner or later, the Empire and the Fleet are going to have to get used to continuing on after my death. I cannot let the possibility of my death stop me from doing what must be done.”

Becket rolled her eyes. “I know you well enough by now, Admiral, to tell when you have made up your mind. You must confess; you could be taking quite the risk. Will you at least agree to keep Drake well away from the end of the shift passage? With her sensors, you wouldn’t have to go very far into the system to confirm what Tanaka-lan is up to.”

“I suppose not,” James felt forced to admit, his image of going to face Tanaka-lan alone fading from his mind.

“Then it is settled,” Becket said with a smile. “Drake and a small squadron of support ships can jump in and carry out further reconnaissance. We’ll have the rest of the fleet ready to jump in to your aid if you need it. If it turns out we are outnumbered, we can pull back and reassess the situation.”

“Agreed,” Lightfoot said as he nodded his head. “As long as Drake stays well out of harm’s way.”

“Very well then,” James said as he fought back a sigh. “But what if we are too far away to detect anything?”

“Then we will have to come up with another plan,” Ya’sia said as she shared a glance with Becket. “But given how good the Kulrean sensors are, I suspect we’ll be able to confirm if the anomalous readings our scouts picked up are ships or not. That in itself will tell us what Tanaka-lan is up to.”

“Well, I guess there’s no time like the present,” James said as he rested his hands on his table. “I’ll return to Drake’s bridge and inform Alvarez of our plan. We’ll jump out as soon as we are ready.” Nodding to each of his commanders, James cut the COM channel. Taking one last sip of his coffee, he stood and walked to the bridge. Ivanov and Alvarez looked up from their command chairs as soon as he stepped in. “We’re going to jump Drake into the system to get a better look at just what Tanaka-lan is up to,” he explained. “Though Lightfoot and Becket have expressed their desire that we remain well outside the system’s mass shadow. Let’s jump to a position Tanaka-lan’s scouts won’t be watching. We’ll see what we can pick up with our sensors and then proceed further into the system if we need to.”

“Aye Admiral,” Alvarez replied. “We’ll plot a course and send it to our escorts.”

James nodded his approval as he sat in his command chair. Just thirty seconds later, Drake and ten light ships jumped into shift space. In the blink of an eye, they reverted to normal space again. At once, the holo display began to be filled with images of the Jaranna system. Tanaka-lan’s fleet was immediately obvious. Twelve hundred ships were holding position just a couple of light minutes from the end of the shift passage James’ fleet was in. For several seconds, James held his breath as Drake’s sensors looked for Karacknid ships in stealth. If there were any nearby, they would likely power up their reactors and try and engage Drake. Yet nothing happened. As Drake’s sensors continued to expand their focused search, an ever-increasing area around his flagship was determined to be clear of enemy ships. However, when the sensors began to focus on the area in the vicinity of Tanaka-lan’s fleet, other groups of contacts started to appear. Essentially forming a net around the exit of the shift passage, six more squadrons were easily picked up by Drake’s sensors. Each squadron had three hundred ships. James swallowed hard. Tanaka-lan had received significant reinforcements. His fleet now outnumbered James’ by nearly fifty percent. Glancing at his staff officers, James saw them exchanging looks. They all knew what it meant. Their incursion into Karacknid space was over. There was no way James’s fleet could push into the Jaranna system now. Tanaka-lan has won this round as well, James thought as his teeth clenched together. “Prepare to Jump us out as soon as the shift drive capacitors are recharged,” he said in a quiet voice. “Make sure we get a good read on each of those Karacknid ships. If possible, I want to know where they came from.” The hundreds of reconnaissance missions Alliance and Human scouts had been running to the various frontline worlds had built up a detailed breakdown of most of the Karacknid fleets. James hoped that it would turn out to be that Tanaka-lan’s reinforcements had largely been drawn from those fleets. If not, it meant he had received even more reinforcements from the interior of the Karacknid Empire. As the scans kept updating, James stared at the Karacknid formations in silence. From a certain perspective, Phase One of Hail Mary had been a resounding success. Two thousand Karacknid warships had been destroyed. Whatever plans Tanaka-lan had been concocting, they had to have been disrupted by James’ attack. Yet staring at the Karacknid warships, and knowing that there were many thousands more ships spread across the frontline, had James concerned. Phase Two called for a massive force reduction of Allied and Human ships from the frontline worlds. Every Human and Alliance system was going to be vulnerable if they proceeded with Phase Two. It was very possible that the fleet James was staring at would end up ravaging Britannia or one of Humanity’s other colonies.

“Admiral?” Lieutenant Anderson asked, breaking into James’ thoughts. “Can I ask? Are you thinking we will pull the fleet back once we return to the rest of our ships?”

James turned to his tactical officer. “We can’t risk our fleet. We need our ships for Phase Two.”

Anderson nodded. “I understand. But I was thinking…”

When Anderson trailed off, James realized he was frowning. Quickly he smoothed his face. “Go on Lieutenant, I’m always open to hearing a suggestion.”

“It’s just, the positions of the Karacknid squadrons. Tanaka-lan is clearly trying to trap our fleet in a perfect encirclement. We know that’s the Karacknids’ favorite tactic. I was thinking, what if we don’t give him quite what he wants?”

James sat forward in his command chair. “Go on,” he requested. His curiosity had suddenly dispelled his dismay at Tanaka-lan’s numbers. By the time Anderson was finished, James was grinning. “It’s worth a try,” he said as he nodded to Ivanov. “Let us draw up the initial tactical plan and we can share it with Lightfoot, Becket, and Ya’sia when we return to the fleet.”

*

“Admirals Lightfoot and Ya’sia have signaled to say they are ready to depart,” Lieutenant Petrov reported.

James nodded to his COM officer. “Tell them they may proceed.” Looking up at the main holo display, James watched two thirds of his fleet disappear as they jumped into shift space. It had taken just four hours for Anderson’s plan to be put into motion. In that time, a few small tweaks had been made, but the idea was still his tactical officer’s. Just after the ships vanished, a counter appeared on the holo display. Counting down twenty minutes, it reminded everyone on the bridge when Drake would enter shift space herself. As patiently as he could, James passed the time reviewing the plan once more, and then skimmed over several unimportant reports. Even as he read though, his mind kept picturing what Lightfoot and the others were up to. Anderson’s plan called for them to jump into the system and almost right into Tanaka-lan’s trap. Almost was the key word. Remaining in stealth, they were to use drones to mimic Drake and the rest of James’ ships, and then slowly approach Tanaka’lan’s flagship, albeit on a course that would force Tanaka-lan to alter his trap.

“Jumping in thirty seconds,” Lieutenant Salamanca reported.

James tipped his head towards Salamanca to show he authorized the jump. When the timer reached zero, a small tremor rumbled through James’ seat. Moments later, a second one did the same as Drake returned to normal space. Right away, Drake’s sensors began to pick out the Karacknid’s main fleet and ambushing squadrons once again. James grinned as soon as they did. Tanaka’lan’s fleet was in the exact same position it had been hours ago. The six squadrons, however, where on the move. Still in stealth so as to hide from Lightfoot’s fleet, they were nevertheless slowly moving to encircle Vengeance and Triumphant. Clearly, the Karacknids had detected Lightfoot’s fleet, just as they were meant to. “Take us in,” James ordered as soon as he saw the tactical situation was to their advantage.

Ignoring any effort to remain hidden, Drake, Becket’s flagship Viper, and the five hundred ships they had with them instantly went to full acceleration. Their noses were already pointed roughly in the direction of one of the Karacknid squadrons on the edge of their formation. Their noses only had to turn a couple of degrees to lay in a direct pursuit course. “Four salvos,” James said as he estimated the closing velocity to the Karacknid squadron and the distance to the other Karacknid squadrons. “Four salvos and we reverse course to jump out.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov said at once.

As James watched the Karacknids respond almost instantly, he knew they couldn’t risk any more than four salvos. Being on the edge of the Karacknid formation, the squadron he had targeted was isolated. But that wouldn’t last for long. Already, three of the other five Karacknid squadrons had revealed themselves. Coming out of stealth, they were charging to their comrades’ aid. With the need to remain hidden gone, Lightfoot’s ships also revealed themselves. Flipping end over end, the Human and Alliance warships began to decelerate hard. In just twenty minutes, they would pass back across the system’s mass shadow and be able to jump to safety. Even as they began their maneuver, Tanaka-lan’s fleet charged towards them. As the differing forces were projected on Drake’s holo display, James saw that the Karacknid High Admiral’s fleet would be able to fire off one salvo. Lightfoot would get to fire one of his own as well. Perfect, James thought to himself. The timing of Anderson’s plan was perfect. No doubt Tanaka-lan would be able to hurt Lightfoot’s fleet, but one salvo wouldn’t be devastating. Now all we have to do is make sure we play our part, he added as he turned his full attention to the isolated Karacknid squadron. “Launch all fighters,” he ordered. “They are to engage the first two Karacknid salvos. Then they are to pull back and prepare to land on their carriers.”

“Transmitting those orders to Wing Commander Hawthorn now Admiral,” Petrov acknowledged.

It didn’t take long for the first salvo to roar out of Drake’s missile tubes. The Karacknid squadron responded in kind moments later. From James’ ships, twelve thousand missiles raced towards their targets. The Karacknid squadron was only able to put out eight thousand of its own. Five minutes later, and James’ ships fired again. Then they cut their engines. Their momentum alone would allow them to get off two further salvos.

Before the Karacknid missiles reached the outer range of the Human ships’ point defenses, Hawthorn’s fighters tore into them. More than four hundred missiles were destroyed. Many more had to take evasive maneuvers, disrupting the salvo’s cohesion. Then the Karacknid squadron momentarily disappeared as space around Drake became so full of point defense fire that her sensors were unable to detect anything more than three hundred thousand miles away. As they had already demonstrated, Drake’s Kulrean energy weapons proved highly effective. They alone destroyed just over two hundred missiles before any other point defensive weapon opened up. Then the whole fleet began to rapidly reduce the Karacknid salvo. Just twelve missiles made it into attack range. Six of them were destroyed before they could detonate. Only two scored direct hits. Each missile taking out a light cruiser. The other four were dodged by their targets, though two got close enough to score proximity hits. James watched each ship fly through the cloud of antimatter, their gaseous shields providing them a measure of protection. As Ivanov and his other staff officers began to reorganize the fleet and get help to the damaged ships, James sought out the Karacknid squadron. It had suffered far worse. At least thirty contacts were nowhere to be seen. And it’s only going to get worse, James was certain as his hands tightened into fists. Two of the other Karacknid squadrons would be close enough to help engage the fourth salvo his ships would fire. But until then, his target was on its own.

When both groups of ships fired their third salvos, they were reduced due to the losses they had suffered. Then the second salvos crashed into their targets. James lost four ships whilst the Karacknids a further thirty-nine. By the time the third salvos reached their targets, the Karacknid squadron was struggling. Their losses had significantly reduced the amount of point defense fire they could put out. Eighty of their number were taken out. When every single one of the missiles they had fired in return were destroyed by James’ point defensive fire, he smiled. The Karacknid squadron had lost nearly half of its strength. Then his final missile salvo moved in to cause more damage, the reinforcing Karacknid squadrons finally got close enough to open up with their point defenses. Still another twenty-seven Karacknid ships were destroyed. The fourth and final salvo the Karacknid squadron had managed to release contained four thousand four hundred missiles. It posed no threat to James’ ships. The fight was over. He hadn’t completely destroyed the Karacknid squadron, but it had been crippled. Even though half of its strength still remained, he knew many of them would be damaged, some badly so. Focusing his attention on another part of the holo map, the image zoomed in to show Lightfoot’s fleet. They were just about to cross over the system’s mass shadow. All around the fifteen hundred warships, missiles were detonating as their point defenses engaged the one salvo Tanaka-lan had fired. Then, before many of the missiles reached their targets, the majority of Lightfoot’s fleet disappeared as it jumped into shift space. Sixteen contacts were left behind. Evidently, they were too damaged to make the jump. James took the time to focus on each ship individually. As he did, information on the ship’s Captain and records appeared beside them. Silently, James mourned each of their losses. There was nothing he nor Lightfoot could do for them now. Even as he watched, they banded together and prepared to defend themselves from another salvo that would inevitably come from Tanaka-lan’s ships. There was no way they could hope to save themselves.

To give himself some solace, James switched to watch Lightfoot’s salvo strike Tanaka-lan’s fleet. It looked to him like seven ships were destroyed as the grazer beams from the mark IV missiles pierced into the Karacknid fleet, and then the Alliance thermonuclear warheads detonated as well. No doubt others had been damaged too. May it be enough, James thought to himself as he surveyed the remaining Karacknid forces in the system. At best, they had reduced Tanaka-lan’s strength by ten percent. With the X-14 and X-15 fleets we destroyed, may it be enough, James wished even as Drake crossed the system’s mass shadow and jumped out into safety. He knew there was nothing more he could do, not against Tanaka-lan’s numbers. Not unless he was willing to really risk his fleet, which he certainly wasn’t. Back to Gamma-fort, he told himself. And then for Phase Two. He just hoped Tanaka-lan would give them the space to carry out their plans.

Chapter 12

Decisions have consequences, often deadly ones. Every commander must learn to deal with this reality, for if they do not, their careers will come to an abrupt halt.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Vengeance, Gamma-fort system, 30th June 2485 AD, (five weeks later).

As James stepped off the shuttle, he immediately noticed the hangar bay was eerily quiet. Glancing around, he couldn’t see any technicians or other crew members at work. It was strange. Still, he kept moving forward and held out his hand to the one person in the hangar.

“Welcome aboard Admiral,” Lightfoot said as he grasped James’ hand.

“Thank you,” James said. “And thank you also for not putting together a welcoming party. Though, where are all your crew?”

Lightfoot smiled. “I think I know why you’re here. Your fleet has no time to spare. I thought we could chat here and then you could be on your way.”

James grimaced. “It’s that obvious, is it?” Lightfoot nodded. “Well, at least you’re taking it well. Unless you’ve ordered everyone away so you could argue with me?”

Lightfoot raised a hand and tapped James on the shoulder. “It is tempting. But I know my place. Whatever decision you made, someone was going to be disappointed. I guess at least my wife will thank you.”

“Maybe,” James replied. “When she hears how few ships you are being left with though, maybe she won’t. You really are okay with this?”

“No, not at all,” Lightfoot said as he held James’ gaze. “I’ve been in this from the beginning. I want to see it through with you. I think I have earned that right.”

“And yet, so have the others,” James said with a nod. “And I need one of my best commanders to remain behind. Earth and all of our colonies are as vulnerable as they’ve ever been. I need it to be you who stays.”

“And I will accept that, no matter how much I dislike it,” Lightfoot said.

“Thank you for making this so easy,” James replied. “I confess, I was a little nervous. I expected you to put up more of a fight.”

“Would it have changed anything?”

James shook his head. “No, you are the best I have. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving our Empire’s defense in anyone else’s hands.”

Lightfoot held out his hand again. “Then there’s nothing more for me to say. Thank you for coming to inform me in person. Time is now of the essence. The longer you take to complete phase two, the more risk we are going to be in here on the frontline. Let us not draw this out. It has been an honor serving with you these last twenty years, Emperor.”

James took Lightfoot’s hand and grasped it firmly. “The honor has all been mine,” he said as they locked eyes again and shook hands for several seconds. Much passed between them. Back when they had both been Captains, they had seen each other as friends and rivals as they sought to rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy. Through a combination of skill and luck, they had both been propelled to flag rank and together faced the many challenges Humanity had encountered over the last two decades. Now they both knew it was unlikely they would see each other again. Whether it was Lightfoot commanding the meagre defenses that would be left protecting the Empire’s borders, or James charging headlong into the interior of the Karacknid Empire, both were about to face their most difficult challenges. “Farewell, my friend,” James said as they released one another, and Lightfoot snapped to attention and gave a salute. James returned the salute. He gave his friend one final nod, and then turned to ascend the shuttle’s access ramp again. In less than thirty seconds, the shuttle was moving out of Vengeance’s hanger bay doors. As it began to speed away from the large battleship, James glanced back at it. I hope I’ll see you again someday, he thought towards the ship and to its Admiral. Then his eyes sought out Viper. Vice Admiral Becket had been his other choice for leaving to command the meagre fleet that would be left at Gamma-fort and to assume overall command of the defense of Humanity’s border worlds. She had proven herself just as skillful as Lightfoot, though she didn’t have quite the same experience. More importantly though, she had fought the Karacknids in the Valley before. She knew the lay of the land where they were going. As much as he would have liked Lightfoot by his side as they began Phase two of Operation Hail Mary, Becket would likely prove even more valuable.

*

IS Drake, Earth, 28th July 2485 AD, (four weeks later).

Just seconds after Drake jumped out of shift space into the Sol system, the bridge’s main holo display lit up with a plethora of contacts. For a second, James’ mind was taken back to the first and second battles of Earth. Only on those two occasions had he seen so many warships within his home system. His body tensed, yet as the contacts were all identified by Drake’s advanced sensors, he quickly relaxed. Not a single contact was a Karacknid warship. “The Alliance fleet is here,” he said needlessly. Like everyone else on Drake’s bridge, he was staring at the numbers trying to add them up. According to what Drake was detecting, there were thirteen hundred and sixty Human-designed warships in low orbit around Earth. In a slightly higher orbit, where three hundred Vestarian-built ships. Then, slightly out away from Earth, holding formation together, was a much larger fleet of three thousand five hundred and eighty Alliance warships. Along with them there were more than fifteen hundred fast freighters, built to be able to keep up with the massive fleet. In orbit around Mars, there were another two hundred and forty Human warships and off on their own, James could also make out Johnston’s twelve troop ships and converted freighters along with their escorts. Adding his own fleet of seventeen hundred warships, James came to a total of five thousand four hundred and eighty. James shook his head. Though he knew the Alliance fleet would have left their space before he would have returned from completing Phase One of Hail Mary, he was still surprised to see they had beaten him to Earth. The sheer size and scope of the battlefleet before him was impressive. It was awe-inspiring, in fact. And everything is riding on us, James thought as he continued to stare at the thousands of warships. Every ship had gathered for one purpose, to try and end the war with the Karacknids. And if we fail, they will all be destroyed.

“Zoom in on sector thirty-two point seven,” Captain Alvarez requested.

As the holo display shrank to show just that one sector, James frowned. There was a group of one hundred and fifty ships in the midst of the Alliance fleet that were unfamiliar to him. Within a second, Drake’s computer had come up with a suggestion as to who they belonged to. Their shapes and features were close enough to Mindus warships for the computer to identify them as such. James was impressed. After the Mindus’ capital Jaranna had fallen to the Karacknids at the beginning of the war, only several hundred thousand of them had been evacuated. And then, only from one of their outlying colonies. The Varanni had given them an uninhabited world to settle upon. “Clearly, they’ve been busy,” James said to his command staff. Everyone knew the Mindus survivors had been working overtime to incorporate their technologies into the Alliance and Human fleets. But it seemed they had also been building warships of their own.

“I guess they didn’t want to be left out of this,” Ivanov commented.

“Well, they will certainly be welcome,” James replied. “Now, I think we’ve spent enough time staring. Set course for Earth and take us home. Make sure all the supply freighters and shuttles are made aware of our needs before we arrive. We are only stopping long enough to resupply ourselves, and then we will be on the move again.”

Three hours later, when Drake slotted into orbit around Earth, James left Alvarez and Ivanov to oversee the fleets’ resupply. Hopping on a shuttle, he headed to the Palace. When only a handful of stewards and Imperial guards met him at the landing pad, James guessed Christine was entertaining their guests.

“If you don’t mind Emperor, Empress Christine asked me to escort you to the Grand Ballroom,” a female aide informed him as she stepped forward and gave James a small bow.

“By all means,” James responded as he gestured for her to take the lead. Nodding to the Imperial guard who fell in step behind him, James dutifully followed. Just as he reached the Palace’s main doors, the sight of a shuttle descending to land made him pause and turn. It was an Alliance shuttle. He guessed Christine had invited Ya’sia to whatever reception she was hosting as well.

When they got to the ballroom, two aides opened the ornate double doors, and then one of them announced James to the gathered guests. James had to fight not to roll his eyes and sigh. He had wanted to slip into the gathering and see Christine and then find out where Jonathan was. That would be impossible now. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a throng of well-wishers began to gather around him. James found himself being torn from conversation to conversation. Some of the politicians or influential citizens wanted to congratulate him on his latest successful raid into Karacknid space. Others had more pointed questions. The full details of Operation Hail Mary had only been revealed to Christine’s Inner Council and a few other leading politicians. Clearly, the presence of so many Alliance ships and Admiral Jourm had rumors flying around in all directions.

“If you’ll excuse me, please,” a very familiar voice called out amidst the throng. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to have to borrow my husband from you all,” Christine said as she pushed her way past one member of the Senate who frowned before recognizing his Empress. Coupling her arm through James’, she expertly weaved him away from the gathered crowd and to one side of the ballroom. Fairfax was standing there, smiling at them as they approached.

“For someone who doesn’t like the public life, you certainly draw a crowd,” he said as he winked at James. “Even in my heyday, I was never that popular.”

Christine reached out and gave Fairfax a gentle swipe on his forearm. “In your heyday, you were an unscrupulous, Machiavellian Prime Minister who would have double crossed, anyone to achieve his goals. If you were less popular than my husband, the fault is not his.”

“Touché, my Empress,” Fairfax said as he gave Christine a mock bow. “I’ve been serving you so long, I’d almost forgotten what it was like back in those days.”

“In any case, thank you for rescuing me, my dear,” James said to head off any further debate between Christine and her Chief of Staff. Though he knew they only meant it in jest, he was always amazed they got any work done, given how much they enjoyed provoking one another. To match action to his words, he leaned in and gave Christine a deep kiss. As they broke apart, he glanced at Fairfax to see the former British Prime Minister was smiling at them. He even winked when James met his eyes. Rolling his own, James looked back to Christine. “How is Jonathan?”

“He is fine, no, more than fine. He’s doing very well,” Christine beamed. “He is saying his first sentences now. And he’s got ‘daddy’ down to a tee. He’ll be very excited to see you.”

“No more excited than I will be,” he said as he looked around the reception room. “I suppose Jourm and his Admirals are here? The sooner I say hello to them, the sooner I can retire to see Jonathan.”

“Then we shall find them,” Christine said as she linked her arm through James’ again. Together, they began to move through the crowds of people Christine had invited to the reception. “They’ve been here for a week now. Their ships have been resupplied and should be ready to depart at any time. We got word your fleet was just a few days away yesterday, so I decided to hold this reception for them. We had a more informal gathering when they first arrived. But to send them off, I thought we’d put something bigger together. Though of course, hardly anyone knows what is really in the works.”

“Which is for the best,” James said, picking up on a theme he had repeated many times over the last eight months. “If it gets out what we’re really planning to do, it could cause panic.” Christine nodded, yet remained silent. It was a debate they had had a number of times. Christine thought that the public deserved to know. At least, she was leaning in that direction. She told James more than once that they would trust him. If they knew who was leading the mission, they would have hope, not fear. Most of Christine’s Inner Council hadn’t quite felt the same, and so Hail Mary had been kept under wraps.

“I skimmed through your overview of how Phase One went when the reports reached Earth a couple of hours ago,” Christine said, changing the subject. “You believe you have done enough damage to continue with Phase Two immediately?”

“I don’t think we have any choice,” James replied. “Tanaka-lan is receiving a constant stream of reinforcements. Hitting X-14 and X-15 will have hampered whatever strategy he is concocting. Hopefully, Gamma and Delta-forts won’t be under threat any time soon. I’ve already given Admiral Lightfoot permission to draw down forces from them to reinforce Alpha and Beta-forts. Yet, a serious attack is inevitable. We need to launch Hail Mary as soon as possible. There is no time to waste.”

“You mean to leave as soon as your ships have refueled and resupplied then?” Christine asked as she stopped walking and looked up at James.

James tightened his grip on her arm. Then he gave her a nod. “I do. It’s what must be done.”

Christine took a deep breath. James watched as she controlled her emotions and smoothed her facial features. “How long?”

“Two days,” James said. “Two days and the fleet will be ready to depart. Assuming Jourm’s ships can do so by then.”

“They will,” Christine said in a whisper, then she looked back up at James. “If we have just two days, then we are going to make the most of it. Come on, let’s find these Admirals, and then we shall both retire and find Jonathan.”

The first Admiral they came across was Jil’lal. She was speaking with Senator Nicholls. James smiled warmly at both of them as he and Christine approached. “It’s good to see you both,” he said.

Jil’lal moved to him and pulled him into a hug, her four arms tightly wrapping around him. “It’s good to see you too Emperor,” she said as she let him go. “Phase One of Hail Mary was quite the success. Let us hope phase Two goes just as smoothly.”

James laughed. “I doubt there’s any chance of that. But we can hope, I suppose. How was Beta-fort when you left?”

“Quiet,” Jil’lal answered. “My scouts reported a couple of hundred Karacknid ships leaving X-13 several days before I received word of your first victory. From then until I left a month later, no additional reinforcements arrived. Nor did the two hundred Karacknid warships return.”

“Then let us hope it remains that way as well,” James said. He then turned and drew Nicholls into the conversation by asking her how things were in the Senate. Though he had very little time for politics, he had grown to like Nicholls ever since they had worked together to take charge of England and Scotland after the Karacknids had nuked London, Manchester, and Edinburgh.

In the end, he and Christine didn’t have to go looking for Jourm, for the Varanni Admiral found them. “Sorry for interrupting,” he said as he slithered up to the small group. “But I have an Emperor to congratulate.” As James turned to him, Jourm gave James the deepest bow he had received from the Varanni. “Your success in crushing the X-14 and X-15 fleets and their supply depots was stunning. It has set us up well to begin Phase Two of your audacious plan.”

James gave him an equally deep bow. Then he repeated the gesture to Admiral Dur’ack, who was at Jourm’s side. “We couldn’t have done it without Ya’sia’s help,” James said. “Her fleet’s arrival was timely, as indeed so has yours been. How close to being ready are your ships to break orbit?”

“Closer than yours no doubt,” Jourm replied. “We’ve been waiting for you to return. We could leave within the hour if needed. How long will your fleet require?”

“Two days,” James answered. “If you are willing then, in two days we shall leave.”

“Excellent,” Jourm said as he brought his two hands together. “As crazy as this plan still sounds. I’m eager to be underway. The sooner we depart, the sooner we will find out if this is going to work.”

“Then we are in agreement,” James said as he shared a glance with Christine. Over her shoulder, he saw Ya’sia moving through the crowds. Raising a hand, he gestured for her to join them. When she did, it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to strategy and tactics. Between the four of them, Jourm, James, Dur’ack, and Ya’sia, they had been the main minds behind Hail Mary. Though he did want to get away, James found himself drawn deeper and deeper into the discussions. It was an hour or more before he finally managed to extradite himself from the group. When he did, he noticed Nicholls and Christine had already moved on to talk with others. The intricate details of naval warfare were not their specialty.

As he moved around the ballroom, James looked from side to side as he sought out his wife. Only when a hand was raised and waved at him did he spot her. She was standing by one of the side doors. Moving over towards her, he smiled when she smiled at him. Then she stepped back and opened the door. Immediately, Jonathan came running in. He paused for a second, bewildered by all the people and aliens moving around within the room. But then his eyes fell on James. A wide grin spread across Jonathan’s face and he screamed ‘daddy’ as he ran towards James with his arms raised. James lent down and scooped Jonathan into his arms. Two days, he thought to himself as he kissed his son’s forehead. Two days aren’t going to be nearly enough. And yet it was all he had.

Chapter 13

Family is everything, it is why we volunteer to serve, it is why we fight, and it is why we die. Never forget this, and never take the blessings we have for granted. For it is when we do that we may lose it all.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Imperial Palace, 30th July 2485 AD, (two days later).

“The time has come,” James said loudly as he lent down and picked Jonathan up into his arms. His son was in the smartest attire James had seen him in. It was only fitting. “I am going to miss you. More than you can ever imagine,” he said more quietly to his son, knowing he wouldn’t fully understand. As he waited for his wife, he held Jonathan close and simply enjoyed his son’s presence.

“I am ready,” Christine said as she stepped out of her dressing room.

James stopped dead. Rarely had he ever seen his wife looking so stunning. He took in everything from her golden hair tied up in what looked like successive waves of layers, to her silvery white dress that complemented the tone of her skin perfectly. He couldn’t help but smile. “You’re beautiful.”

Christine’s cheeks reddened slightly, though only for a second. “I should hope so,” she said. “It has taken a couple of hours and several aides to get like this.”

“It is fitting,” James replied. Since his fleet’s arrival, the rumor mills had doubled their work, if that had even been possible. The whole of the Sol system was awash with theories about what Admiral Jourm’s and James’ fleets were planning. It had been causing so much mayhem that Christine’s Inner Council had met the previous day and decided to reveal to the populace just what was being planned. Even James had agreed that everyone finding out about Hail Mary wasn’t likely to cause any more pandemonium than what was already going on. As a result, a full diplomatic send-off had been arranged for James and Jourm’s departure which would be broadcast live throughout the system. After which, Christine was going to address her citizens.

“Are you sure?” Christine asked coyly as she slowly turned, allowing James to take her full figure in.

James shook his head. “If this is some tactic to trick me into staying, it is working.”

Christine’s face became serious. “If only our lives were that simple.”

“Indeed.” James held out a hand for Christine to come to him. Instead of leading her out of their quarters, he pulled her close to him. “If this works, then maybe one day they will be.”

“This never gets any easier,” Christine said as she let go of James’ hand and wrapped her arms around his chest. Jonathan let go of one of James’ hands and placed it on his mother’s shoulder. “I wish we could stay like this, just like this forever.”

James closed his eyes as he held Christine tighter. Once they stepped out of their quarters, they’d have to assume their Imperial personas. This was the last chance, perhaps the last ever chance they’d get to be intimate with one another. “We have been through so much together,” he whispered into her ear. “Your forced marriage to Na. You pulling me out of my depression after Suzanna’s death. The first battle of Earth where you saved the day by bringing the Chinese fleet to the fight. So many other battles and countless threats from the Karacknids. Even having Jonathan together. And you know what, though so many horrible things contributed to getting us to this moment, I wouldn’t change them. These past years of marriage and even more so with Jonathan being here, I don’t regret any of them. Not even one moment. And if they are all we get, then I for one will be satisfied.” In his arms, Christine’s head moved up and down. He knew she was sobbing quietly. James felt like he could do the same. He knew if he did, neither would be able to stop. Instead, he lowered his lips and gently kissed her forehead. “You are the strongest woman I know. You’re right, this doesn’t get any easier. But it must be done. If there is to be any hope of a future for us, for Jonathan, then this is our only option. And I’m afraid it is time.”

“This is even worse than when you left to fight Tanaka-lan’s fleet when it attacked Earth,” Christine mumbled.

James kissed her hair. “I know,” he agreed. Then, he had been certain death awaited him. The Kulreans coming to their aid had been totally unexpected. Now there was a faint gleam of hope. If Hail Mary was successful, then there was a chance they could have the future they wanted. Yet if he failed, no one would be coming back. “And yet we have no choice. Not if we want a future for Jonathan.”

Christine nodded her head to show she understood. Then she slowly let him go and stepped back. Turning her back to him, James knew she was trying to compose herself. After a few seconds she turned back around. She looked every inch the Empress that she was, her features communicated nothing but a regal confidence. Even the small smile she gave James didn’t look forced, though he knew it was. “You are everything to me, Emperor Somerville. I have had to wait half a lifetime to finally get to marry you. But I regret none of it either. If this is the end, then I too will be content. But until that last day comes, I will never lose hope. Not when you are out there leading our forces. I know you will come back to Jonathan and me.” Though Christine’s lips trembled, she didn’t lose her composure. Moving close again, she leaned in for one last kiss. “Do us both proud, Admiral,” she commanded in a very regal voice as they broke apart.

“I will,” James promised, as serious as he had ever been about anything in his life before. “You have my word.”

Christine smiled. “I know there is nothing stronger. My hope grows even a little bit more.”

A part of James wanted to moderate her expectations. But now, when they were parting wasn’t the time. Far better she lived in hope over the next months than worry and fear. “Let us get this over with,” he said as he held out his hand to her.

“Just one moment,” Christine said as she turned and walked back into her dressing room. She came out moments later. In her hand was a red hair bow. “It’s silk,” she said as she handed it to James. James took it and let it run through his fingers. “You don’t remember?” Christine asked as she looked up at James with a wry smile. Guessing he should, James shook his head nonetheless. Christine turned and opened a nearby drawer. She pulled out an old-fashioned picture. “From our first date,” she said as she showed it to James.

James’ eyebrows shot up. It was from when they were both in their early twenties, when they had first met at a function at Buckingham Palace. “We took this in one of the photo booths they had set up.”

Christine nodded. “We did. I’ve kept it ever since.”

“And the hair bow,” James said as he looked closer at the picture. Christine had been wearing one the same color as the one in his hand. “You kept it, too. Through all these years?”

“I have cherished it from that day until now. It’s time I parted with them both, however. I want them to go with you.”

James took the picture and slipped it and the head bow into one of his tunic’s inside pockets. He then placed his hand over his heart where they were. “They will be with me always,” he said as he leaned down and kissed Christine again. “As will you and Jonathan. Thank you.”

“You are more than welcome. Now, as much as I hate it. We must go. Before we lose our composure again, if nothing else.” Taking his hand, Christine gestured for James to lead them out of their quarters. As much as it hurt him, James gave her hand a gentle squeeze and did as she asked. Their moment together was over.

Lieutenant Davidson, James’ Flag Lieutenant was standing there, along with Fairfax and six Imperial guards. They all fell into formation behind the couple as James led the way to the Palace’s main foyer. As soon as they entered the long corridor that led to the foyer, they could see and hear the mass of people who had gathered to watch them leave. It seemed to James that pretty much every Palace official, officer, and aide had abandoned their duties to see him off. A handful would know exactly what he was about to attempt. The rest simply sensed that it was a moment they didn’t want to miss. Whether someone gave an order or the crowd spotted that they were coming, all of a sudden, silence descended on the foyer. The only noise, were the heavy footfalls of the Imperial guards as they marched behind James and Christine. When they reached the foyer, James paused a second to take in the gathering. As he looked at the people thronging around the ground floor and then up at those leaning over the balconies on the floors above, many of the faces he recognized. Most he didn’t know very well, but several made him smile or nod. As Christine gently tugged at his arm, he started walking again. Immediately, applause broke out all around the foyer. James sensed a burden to speak to the crowd. Many of them had served his family personally, or had been with him and Christine working to meet the military and political demands of the Empire from the start. Yet, he knew there was no way anyone could hear him over the rambunctious clapping. Instead, just before he got to the large sliding doors that led out of the Palace’s main entrance towards the landing pads, he stopped. Momentarily releasing Christine’s hand, he turned around to face the foyer. Slowly, he raised his free hand and gave the crowd a salute. He hoped it communicated his feelings towards them all.

At once, the clapping turned into an uproar of shouting. James couldn’t make out a tenth of what was being said, but from what he could tell, well wishes were being heaped upon him. For several seconds, James held the salute. Turning left and right, he made sure all the crowd received his gesture. Then just as slowly, he turned his salute into a wave. With a final nod, he then turned and took Christine’s hand again and led her out of the Palace. If he had thought the foyer had been packed with people, the walkway to the shuttle landing pads and most of the pads themselves were far more crowded. This time, James recognized far less of the people, though from their attire, he knew they were a mixture of naval personnel, members of the three houses of the Empire’s government, and high-ranking or influential citizens. Knowing that Christine and Fairfax had arranged this part of the send-off, he was sure everyone who was anyone was present. Christine was going to give her speech from the very shuttle pad he would be leaving from. All those seeing him off would soon be listening to her address.

As he made his way through the large crowd, James nodded when he saw faces he recognized. Andrea was there. When their eyes met, an unmistakable tear ran down her cheek. Nicholls was there too, further along the crowd. She gave James a grave nod. McCarthy surprised James by giving him a sloppy salute as James passed him. It brought a smile to James’ face. It was the last thing he expected from the former smuggler. Christine was constantly waving at people as well, and even stopped to speak to one or two. As they continued to the shuttle, James became focused on Jonathan as he squirmed around in his arm, trying to take in the hundreds and hundreds of people all staring at him. “Yes, that’s right,” James said more than once as Jonathan pointed at one person or another and babbled something about them. Eventually, they made it to the three landing pads that had shuttles parked on them. Admirals Jourm, Dur’ack, Ya’sia, Jil’lal, and Becket, along with a handful of other Alliance officers, were all gathered together standing in front of them. Off to one side, James saw the podium that would be brought out for Christine’s speech. Stopping several meters in front of them, James turned to face Christine. Leaning down, he gave her a full kiss and then hugged her to himself one last time. As they broke apart, he handed Jonathan over and gave her a small smile. No more words were needed. Neither of them trusted themselves to speak. Giving her shoulder one last squeeze, James held Christine’s eyes and then nodded. When she nodded back, he turned and started forward to join the other Admirals.

As soon as he did, every Imperial naval officer in the crowd snapped to attention and offered their salute. The rest of the people gathered all bowed in the Varanni way of showing respect. James raised his hand to his forehead to return the salute. Beside him, Jourm slithered forward a meter and then bowed to the crowd as well. As soon as he straightened up, James turned to him and held out his hand. “Let us be about this then.”

“Death to the Karacknids,” Jourm replied in as fervent a tone as James had heard from him.

James couldn’t agree more. “Death to the Karacknids,” he repeated, louder even than he had intended. Letting Jourm’s hand go, James turned and nodded or smiled to each of the other Admirals. Then catching Jourm’s gaze, they both moved towards their respective shuttles and ascended up their ramps. The rest of the Admirals boarded their shuttles as well. Sitting himself quickly, James strapped in and then turned just in time to be able to look down the length of the shuttle as its access ramp rose. He managed to catch one last glance of Christine. Both she and Jonathan had their hands raised towards him. Waving goodbye, he fixed the image of them standing on the shuttle pad into his mind even as the ramp closed and they disappeared from view. Death to the Karacknids, he said to himself again as he felt the shuttle begin to pick up. Whatever it would take to get him back to his family, he was going to do it. No Karacknid was going to stand in his way.

*

Christine watched silently as the shuttle took off and quickly disappeared out of sight. When it was gone, she looked down to see the podium had already been put in place. She had to fight with every fiber of her body to begin to move. All she wanted to do was to run back to her quarters and be alone. Instead, she turned and handed Jonathan over to one of his nurses. Thankfully, she had a cup with his favorite drink in it and his favorite teddy. Grabbing both, he didn’t make a scene at being handed away from his father and then mother. Taking a slow deep breath so as to not look intimidated, Christine started forward towards the podium. Stepping behind it, she glanced down to see that a datapad was there with her speech already on it. Looking up, she focused on the crowd. She would be speaking from the heart. The datapad wouldn’t be needed. Pausing for a moment, she slowly looked around at the gathered people, making eye contact with many of them. Finally, she looked back and focused on the holo recorders set up by several of the news broadcasts that would be playing her words across the system.

“People of Earth,” Christine began, slowly emphasizing each word. “You have just witnessed your Emperor and Admiral Jourm, head of the Varanni Alliance Navy, depart from Earth. They are returning to their ships, and their fleets are leaving the Sol system. Up until now, their destination has been kept a secret. We could not risk the Karacknids learning of the plans we have put together. Now however, you all deserve to know, for each of our fates is in their hands.

“This war with the Karacknids has been going on for six years. In that time, we have lost thousands of warships and hundreds of thousands of naval personnel. Almost as many Marines and Militia have sacrificed their lives fighting the Karacknid invasions of our planets. And you all know how many we lost here on Earth when the nukes rained down upon us. I come to speak to you now to tell you all that Emperor Somerville, I, my Inner Council and the Varanni Alliance political leadership have come to the conclusion that we cannot win this war.” Christine paused to let her words sink in. “The Karacknids simply have too many systems and too many warships. Even when we win a victory or several victories, they are able to replenish their forces far quicker and far more easily than we can. As long as the Karacknids are hellbent on our conquest, the question of Earth’s final fall is one of when, not if.” Again, Christine paused.

“That is why Emperor Somerville and Admiral Jourm are departing from us now. They are heading out on one final mission. A new strategy designed to end this war in one sudden strike. More than six thousand of our ships are being committed to this attack. They account for all of the new ships we have constructed in the last six months, and all of our strategic reserve. Their goal is to cut the head off the snake. You have all heard about the Karacknid Imperator. He is why they fight. Every Karacknid warrior exists to enlarge the domain of this Imperator and to bring glory, even in death, for the master he serves. For some time now, it has been Emperor Somerville’s conviction that unless we can kill or capture the Karacknid Imperator, there will be no peace. Only an endless war that will eventually devour us all. The fleet you’re watching depart therefore goes with the sole purpose of striking right into the heart of the Karacknid Empire, to their very homeworld, in an effort to bring the Karacknid species to their knees and force them into peace with us.

“If the secret has not broken out by now, it will soon, this operation has been called Operation Hail Mary. I tell you this, because you all deserve the truth. This is a Hail Mary play. We are committing all of our resources into this one last attempt to win the war. If it fails, then we will all succumb to the Karacknid invasion fleets. Yet, if it succeeds, peace and freedom will be ours.” Pausing for a third time, Christine simply stared into the holo recorders. She wanted to make sure everyone had enough time to process her words. “So now you know. Once again, our fate is in the hands of our fleet. And once they leave the system, we may not hear from them again for up to a year or even longer. Whilst it is their duty to go and risk their lives for us, it is our duty to wait in hope for their return. To that end, I have two requests of you all... Firstly, whilst they are gone, our vigilance must not waver. There is still a war going on right along the frontline with the Karacknids. Every one of us must do everything we can to ensure that our defenses do not crumble. We cannot let the Karacknids burn down what Emperor Somerville goes out to save. And so, I ask you all to redouble your efforts in whatever way you serve the Empire, do so now with more zeal than ever before. Let us protect what our fleet cherishes the most, our people and our civilization.

“Number two then, as your Empress I ask all of you to pray. Pray for Emperor Somerville and our fleet. Hail Mary is a phrase familiar to all of you. The risks are great. Emperor Somerville and his fleet needs all the help they can get. So whoever you are, wherever you are, please, I plead with you, let us pray that they may save us from those who would destroy us.”

Looking down for the first time, Christine had to fight to keep her eyes from watering. Blinking rapidly, she didn’t look up again until she was certain she had her emotions under control. “Finally, let me thank you all. Both for your love and your support, and ultimately, thank you for the sacrifices you have all made for one another. Against all the odds, we have stood up against these Karacknids who would make themselves our overlords. We have shown them that Humanity will not simply fall down in front of them as slaves to be owned. We have stood proudly, and we have hurt them deeply. For that and for all that you have done for me and my family, I thank you. You have earned my admiration hundreds of times over in these last difficult years. And I’m sure you will earn it afresh in these coming months. Let us be strong for our loved ones who go to fight for us.” Raising a fist, Christine added a final sentence to her speech. Picking up her husband’s words from just moments ago, “Death to the Karacknids!” she called out, finally letting her pain at being separated from James and her fear for the future come out. Around her, many of the military officers raised their fists and echoed her words. Then the politicians and civilians joined in. By the third time the phrase was shouted, Christine could hear it billowing out from within the Palace. To her surprise, she found herself chanting along with them, her fist pumping into the air each time.

*

Christine’s speech finished just as James’ shuttle touched down. While everyone else stood up and filed out, James sat there holding the datapad he had watched the transmission on. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Yet, his eyes were watering at the same time. May you be our strength, he thought to his wife as he gripped his hands into fists. May we do you proud. Standing, he forced himself out of the shuttle. He needed to get to the bridge to give the order to depart. Every ship in the fleet had now been given its mandate. It was time to live up to the hope everyone was placing in them.

Chapter 14

Even the greatest of commanders is only as good as his subordinates. With fleets often spread out across tens of systems, spaced out by hundreds of light years, no one commander can directly fight every battle.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Slayer (two months later).

When the door to his private tactical room opened, Tanaka-lan looked up in irritation. A growl began to rumble from the back of his throat. He stopped when he saw it was his chief intelligence officer. Gadara had served with him for more than ten years. His master spy knew not to disturb him unless it was important. “High Admiral, we’ve received a report from one of our spies in Human space. It’s a transmission they picked up being passed around within the New Berlin system. I think you’re going to want to see it.”

“Very well,” Tanaka-lan responded as he gestured with a clawed hand towards the room’s holo display.

Gadara pulled out his own information tablet and transferred the report to the holo display. The image in front of Tanaka-lan changed from a map of the frontline of the war to an image of a Human. Tanaka-lan recognized her instantly. The Human Empress. For several minutes, he watched in silence as she spoke to her people. Impressive, Tanaka-lan had to admit when she was done. Rarely if ever had he seen such passion in an enemy. And it’s a passion directed at killing us, he thought. Despite the thousands of ships under his command, it caused a slither of worry to run through his mind. He knew it was a passion shared by almost all of Humanity. It drove them to accomplish things they shouldn’t be able to. The war should have been over years ago, and yet it wasn’t. In part, that was down to the Human fleet’s ability to fight beyond their technological capabilities. And they are getting more fanatical, not less, he conceded. “What do you make of it?” He asked Gadara.

“It could be some kind of trick,” Gadara responded. “One meant to make us suspicious. If the Human and Alliance fleets really are planning some kind of strike from Earth, then we’d have to move forces to that sector to counter them. The real attack could then come from Alliance space.”

“But?” Tanaka-lan asked, sensing Gadara wasn’t entirely convinced by his own reasoning.

“The transmission was being broadcast throughout the New Berlin system unencrypted,” the spymaster answered. “Yes, that might suggest that it was meant to be picked up by our ship. But every single Human in the system heard it as well. And from what we know of Human communications, it would be impossible for them to stop individuals spreading it to other systems. If this was a lie, it would do the Human Empress great political harm. Her people would lose trust in her.”

Tanaka-lan nodded. The Karacknid Empire and the Human Empire were two very different entities. Yet, this much he could understand. If it was found out that the Imperator had lied to every Karacknid in the Empire, his reputation would suffer greatly. Though he would still be a god, a voice whispered in the back of Tanaka-lan’s mind. At least, he should be, shouldn’t he? A slightly different voice replied. Immediately, Tanaka-lan silenced his thoughts. They were heretical! Indulging them could cost him his life. “So if it is real, the question is, just what are they planning?” Tanaka-lan asked his intelligence officer. As he spoke, he changed the holo display back to show a star map of the frontline. Enemy fleet dispositions were displayed by the planetary systems they were in. More than three quarters of the Allied systems were flashing. They were systems Tanaka-lan had received reports about over the last month indicating the Allied ships stationed there had been reducing in number. Some of them were undoubtedly traps meant to lure his fleets into attacking, yet they couldn’t all be. He had already begun to suspect something larger was afoot.

“The recording speaks of striking into the heart of our Empire,” Gadara said slowly. “Of stopping our Imperator from continuing this war. It’s possible they mean striking at you personally. But if they know anything about our civilization, it almost sounds like they’re talking about attacking our homeworld or even the Imperator himself.”

“Impossible,” Tanaka-lan said instinctively. “The homeworld is two thousand light years from here.”

“We have underestimated the Humans before and regretted it,” Gadara said. “What if they are serious?”

Putting away his initial incredulity, Tanaka-lan tried to tackle the problem logically. If the Humans wanted to strike at the Karacknid homeworld, they’d have to fight their way past his fleet, and then past several interior garrison fleets. And long before they made it to the homeworld, news would have spread across the Empire. Many more fleets would rush to protect the Imperator. They would stand no chance. Unless… Tanaka-lan thought as an idea came to him. He quickly began to type furiously on the input for the holo display. Moments later, a single line appeared running from Earth all the way to his homeworld. Then the time estimate appeared beside it. “Two months,” he said out loud as he looked at the display. “They could strike at Gayla in two months. We’d never be able to get there in time!” The concern in his voice grew with every word.

Gadara leaned in to look at the holo display more closely. “An artificial shift passage? And one that long? Surely, it would take years for them to create one?”

“Many years,” Tanaka-lan answered. From the moment he had first learned about the Varanni artificial shift passages, he had sought to learn everything about how they were made. As yet, Karacknid scientists couldn’t replicate the technology, but they understood much about how it worked, and how the process of actually making the passages was carried out. “But if they began as soon as the war started, they could be almost finished.”

“And you think this is possible, that they had such foresight?”

Tanaka-lan sat back in his command chair. He wasn’t sure. But he didn’t need to admit that to his subordinate. The Varanni and Humans had been on the defensive since the war began. All the intelligence reports he received suggested they were devoting all of their energies into defending their colonies. To have the forethought to put such a plan into motion was bold, very bold. And yet, the Humans especially had proven to be bold enemies. And they needn’t have formed a shift passage all the way to the homeworld. Even halfway would let them circumvent all my frontline fleets! “We need to find out what is happening, one way or another,” Tanaka-lan decided. “I want to flood Human space with scout ships. They are to search for this fleet of Emperor Somerville’s and for any new artificial shift passages.”

“But what about the Kulrean worldships?” Gadara protested. “Their advanced sensors make it almost impossible to slip past the Allies border worlds.”

“Then we will just have to accept that losses will be a part of the mission,” Tanaka-lan said as he waved a claw dismissively. “Go, see to it immediately.”

Bowing low, Gadara acknowledged his orders, then turned and left. As soon as he did, Tanaka-lan returned to surveying the star map. If the Allies were launching an attack from Human space, their raid against Varanthon and Gilama made even more sense. With so many ships committed to their attack, the Human borders would be weak. Destroying two of Tanaka-lan’s fleet depots severely restricted what kind of offensive operations he could carry out. At least, Tanaka-lan thought to himself, they had hampered them. Already work was underway rebuilding the two depots. And I have more transport ships than I can count. Letting a growl rumble up from his throat and out past his razor-sharp teeth, Tanaka-lan came to a decision. Even if Gadara sent two thousand scout ships into Human space, it was entirely possible they might miss whatever Somerville’s fleet was doing. Yet, if he took his fleet there, the Varanni and Humans would have to respond. They couldn’t attack his homeworld if they were under threat. And if we find their artificial shift passage, we can use it ourselves, their fleet will be trapped with no way to escape. That caused Tanaka-lan’s mouth to open and saliva to begin to drip from his teeth. He could catch the Allied fleet and devour it in one go.

*

Worldship Nebula

Dutifully Emilie walked onto Nebula’s bridge. Though it was the sixteenth system they had followed the Kalassai ship to, she always made sure she was there when Nebula reverted to real space. Nodding to Ninrold, she moved over to the seat and console that was set up for her. Sooner or later, we’re going to find something, she told herself, not for the first time. Weeks ago, there had been much debate between Ninrold, her senior officers, and Emilie. After following the two Kalassai ships through two systems, most had wanted to try and make contact with the secretive aliens. That had been the initial plan after all. Even though they knew it would likely spook them off. With Nebula’s speed, there was a good chance they could have kept up with the Kalassai ships long enough to try and convince them that Ninrold and Emilie were friendly. Yet, when they had followed the Kalassai ships to a third system, things had changed. The Kalassai ships had joined up with another ship, and together they had headed to another system. Then two systems later, three more ships had joined them. That had told Emilie and Ninrold something was up. From everything Emilie knew about the Kalassai, their ships lived largely solitary lives. It was the best way to keep their limited population safe. By dispersing their ships across an area of more than a thousand square light years, the Karacknids had a very hard time hunting them down. But with six now moving together, seemingly towards a single objective, Emilie’s hopes had grown. She had convinced Ninrold that the six ships must be heading for one of the Kalassai’s city ships. If so, that was the best opportunity they would have to open dialogue with the Kalassai. If they could find a city ship, they could speak to its Mother, and she could speak on behalf of millions of the Kalassai people. Plus, from the little Emilie knew of Kalassai city ships, it would be harder for the large vessel to hide from Nebula. So over a month ago, they had committed to following the six Kalassai ships. Yet since then, nothing more had happened. No more ships had joined them, and no city ship was forthcoming. If we don’t find something, we are going to have to rethink things. Feeling the atmosphere around her, Emilie was all too aware that several of the Kulrean officers already felt that way. And if they did, it was only a matter of time before Ninrold did too. They had been away from their homeworld for a very long time now.

Emilie’s thoughts evaporated as Nebula’s holo display began to change. They had jumped out of shift space and she hadn’t even noticed! A new system appeared in front of her. Right away, she knew it was unusual. It had five gas giants. There were at least twenty other planets within the system. Even that wasn’t what blew her away. Around the gas giants and several other of the inner planets were hundreds of moons. And they weren’t just small moons, they were big, most of them almost as big as Nebula. Suddenly, in front of her, most of the moons began to change. Instead of being identified as orbital rocky bodies, energy readings were coming from them. “City ships,” Emilie said, astonishment filling her voice. “Hundreds of them.”

“And that’s not all,” a Kulrean sensor officer said sounding more concerned than amazed. “I’m getting energy spikes off our port bow. Three ships are powering up their engines.”

“It’s a trap!” Ninrold nearly screamed. “Power up active sensors and bring up our point defenses. Move us away from those ships!”

Nebula responded almost instantly to her Captain’s commands. Even so, the three ships that had just appeared nearby were able to open fire. Hundreds of what the sensors determined were inanimate objects began to be hurled towards Nebula. “Those are weapons fire,” Emilie warned. “If one hits the hull, it will absorb energy from nearby sections of the ship. Don’t let them touch us.”

“You heard her,” Ninrold ordered. Yet even as she spoke, two more contacts suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the worldship to the initial three. They began to close in and opened fire as well.

Despite the panic in the voices all around her, Emilie forced herself to sit still in her command chair. For several seconds, she watched the incoming enemy fire being engaged by Nebula’s point defenses. The Kalassai ships had appeared almost out of nowhere and very close to the worldship. Yet, the Kulreans defensive technologies were still second to none. Every Kalassai ordinance that even came close to threatening the worldship was blown apart by the Kulrean’s blue energy triangles. We are safe, Emilie told herself. Focus on the bigger picture. Looking beyond the Kalassai ships in Nebula’s immediate vicinity, Emilie tried to assess the wider strategic situation. Nebula had jumped out of the system well up the shift passage. There should have been no Kalassai ships guarding the area. And yet, there were. That and the moons that weren’t moons told Emilie all she needed to know. They’re having some kind of societal gathering! Emilie thought with a smile. Counting up the city ships, she saw that Nebula’s sensors had now detected nine hundred and forty. Still smiling, Emilie found herself shaking her head. She had been on one city ship before. She knew it could house over twenty million Kalassai. We are looking at their entire species, she realized. They have all gathered here, and for something important! She had no idea what it was. But it was a godsend. She would be able to bring her request for help to the entire Kalassai species. They’d have to listen to her! That is, if we survive the next few minutes.

Turning to Ninrold, Emilie found the Kulrean Captain staring at her with a disgruntled expression on her face. “What are you smiling about, Emilie? We are in the middle of a battle.”

Emilie lifted a hand and pointed towards the holographic city ships. “But not one that is threatening us. And look at what we have found. It is a gathering of city ships. We can’t let this opportunity slip through our hands. If they haven’t already, they’ll try and scatter. Being discovered at a time like this is every Kalassai’s worst nightmare. We need to act fast.”

“We are under fire, what do you propose we do?”

Emilie returned her attention to the immediate tactical situation. “We outrun them,” she replied barely a second later. “Pass between both groups of ships and make for the city ships. Kalassai ships cannot compete with your speed. And your point defenses are performing admirably.” Emilie threw in the compliment knowing it wouldn’t hurt the chances of her idea being followed.

“If there are Kalassai ships here, they will be further along the shift passage,” Ninrold countered.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Emilie said. “We can plot a course out of the shift passage and through the dark matter around the edge of the system. We also need to begin broadcasting a message to the city ships right now. They need to get it before they flee towards the mass shadow and try and jump out.”

“Well, you better begin recording one right now,” Ninrold said. “None of our preprepared messages will quite fit the situation. You handle that, leave the flying of my ship to me.”

“Of course,” Emilie said with a nod. Then she turned to her console and right away pulled up its recording equipment. Pausing for just a second or two, she closed her eyes and composed herself. Quickly she ran through the gist of what she wanted to say. Opening her eyes again, she tapped her console to begin recording. “Kalassai people, many of you do not know me, but some of you do. My name is Captain Emilie Kansas of the Human species. I am friends with Captains Wal-sma and May-sic and have visited with Mother Way-san on her city ship. Your people have counted me a friend in the past, I hope you will do so now again. Let me begin by apologizing for intruding upon your meeting. I know that this is truly a momentous occasion for your species. I did not come here expecting to find such a gathering. Certainly, I come meaning no harm nor threat. Our meeting is fortuitous, however. For I was seeking out your species. I bring news from my homeworld about our war with the Karacknids. And I bring a request for help. My species and our allies, including the species who constructed this worldship that I’m speaking to you from, are planning one final strike against the Karacknids. We intend to capture their homeworld and their Imperator, and force peace terms upon them. We are assembling the largest fleet our species have ever constructed. Already, they are on their way to attempt this task. I come seeking your help. We need guides to help us through Karacknid space and perhaps even additional warships if your people would be willing to fight alongside us. The future of all our species hangs in the balance of this war. Please do not flee, but wait and allow me to speak to you all further on this. Let me emphasize this once again, we mean you no harm. To prove this, we will not fire on your ships, no matter what they may attempt to do to us. I eagerly await your reply.” Without waiting for Ninrold’s approval, Emilie sent a message to Nebula’s COM officer and gave the Kulrean officer a nod. The Kulrean officer gave Emilie a hand gesture a few seconds later to inform her the message had been sent. Looking back up at the holo display, Emilie sought out the nearest city ship. It was one and half light hours away. It would take that long for her message to reach them. Don’t run away before then, she thought towards the city ships.

And may we survive that long, she added a few seconds later as she saw the tactical situation had already changed. Now ten Kalassai ships were chasing them. Nebula was starting to leave some behind in her wake, but as Emilie continued to watch, more and more Kalassai ships kept appearing. Some were too far away to be of any threat. Others were already in positions to move ahead of Nebula’s course. Expertly, Ninrold wove her way between the newly appearing Kalassai ships as Nebula charged deeper and deeper into the system. For more than thirty minutes, Emilie’s confidence kept growing. The city ships were not moving, and though there were now more than a hundred Kalassai warships chasing them or maneuvering to get ahead of them, none came close to threatening to break through Nebula’s point defenses. Though each Kalassai ship was able to spit out hundreds of their energy absorbing rock-like munitions every minute, their ballistic flightpath made them simple for Nebula’s sensors to track. It was even easier for her point defenses to blast them apart.

“Captain!” a sensor officer suddenly called out, panic filling her voice.

Emilie looked towards were the Kulrean officer was pointing. Nine hundred new warships had just appeared from the edge of the gathered city ships. They were accelerating straight towards them. Emilie swallowed hard as she turned towards Ninrold. There were now one hundred and thirty Kalassai ships behind them. More were closing in from the flanks. The new Kalassai fleet were just over half an hour away. And the city ships still haven’t received my message yet, Emilie reminded herself. They were reacting in response to Nebula’s gravimetric signature. That was all they knew about the giant worldship.

“You have trapped us,” Ninrold complained as Emilie turned to her.

Emilie nodded. There was no sense in arguing. “I suggest we slow our approach. We want my message to reach the city ships before that fleet reaches us.”

“And let the ships behind us catch us, they’ll try and tear us apart. No. We should break to one side and get ourselves out of here.”

“Don’t,” Emilie said as she raised both her hands towards the rest of Nebula’s bridge crew. She could tell they were already moving to put Ninrold’s suggestion into effect. Standing, Emilie moved closer to Ninrold. Lowering her hands, she brought them together. “Please, we can’t run. If we do, we’ll never get this opportunity again. Give my message time to reach their leadership. They won’t destroy us once they know who we are.”

Ninrold waved a hand towards the rear of Nebula. “The ships out there firing on us have already received your message. It made no difference for them.”

“They probably have orders to protect their city ships at all costs,” Emilie said. “They don’t have leeway to simply let us pass by them.”

“What do we do? Wait until that fleet reaches us? We don’t have the capabilities to take out all their fire. They will destroy us.”

“Then we will have to take that risk,” Emilie said barely above a whisper. “Please, we have no other choice. Think of my uncle. Think of all the Human and Alliance warships that will be heading into Karacknid space. They’re all taking a huge risk to try and end this war. To protect their worlds and yours. We must take this risk for them.”

Ninrold stared at Emilie for several seconds, then she turned to look back at the holographic depiction of the Kalassai fleet. Turning back to Emilie, she slowly nodded. “I will trust you, Commodore Kansas. I just hope that the Kalassai do the same.”

Emilie smiled at Ninrold, and then give the Kulrean the deepest bow she had ever given anyone. “Thank you,” she said as she rose. Then she too turned to stare at the Kalassai fleet. And I hope so too, she thought, but very wisely kept to herself.

Chapter 15

As history has shown time and time again, even the most powerful of warships can be overcome by its inferior, if it can be outnumbered and overwhelmed.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Nebula

As the large fleet of Kalassai ships continued to charge towards Nebula, Emilie felt beads of sweat start to form on her forehead and the back of her shoulders. The closer the Kalassai ships came, the more tension she felt. Ninrold had trusted Nebula and her crew to Emilie’s judgement. Yet, as they drew closer and closer, the Kalassai ships looked more and more menacing. As the seconds ticked by, she felt a building pressure to change her mind. They had all heard her message by now, and yet, it was having no effect. There was only a narrow window where Nebula still had a chance to try and escape.

“New contacts!” A sensor officer called out. Emilie already saw them on the holo display. Three hundred new ships had appeared as if out of nowhere. They too were charging towards Nebula.

“They’ve cut off one of our escape routes!” Ninrold complained. She was staring at Emilie again. “If there are more ships out there.”

Emilie didn’t need to be told. The Kalassai seemed to have squadrons of ships powered down all over the system. If there was another one in the vicinity of the last course they could take to try and escape, they were already trapped.

“The new contacts will reach us fifteen minutes before the largest Kalassai fleet,” the bridge’s tactical officer reported. “They’ll be able to open fire first.”

It makes no difference, Emilie thought to herself as she stared at the groups of Kalassai ships closing in from in front and behind of them. Whoever fired first, sooner or later they’d be joined by the rest of the ships closing in on them and then even Nebula’s point defenses would be overwhelmed. “Perha..” Emilie began but immediately cut herself off. She had been casually glancing at the nearest Kalassai fleet. The holo image had automatically zoomed in. It can’t be, she said to herself. Yet, the image didn’t lie. And Nebula’s sensors were too good to be tricked. Which meant she was right. She was actually recognizing one of the ships in the Kalassai squadron. It was Wayfarer! The very Kalassai ship she had been on years before.

“What are you trying to say, Emilie?” Ninrold asked.

Emilie looked down from the holo display to see several of the Kulreans staring at her. “Project the course of my initial message we sent through the system. When did it reach the position the latest fleet began its acceleration from?”

On the holo display, a wave like a ripple in a pond started from the position Nebula had been when Emilie sent her message. It spread out in all directions as it crossed through the system. Less than two minutes after the message reached the point where the fleet of three hundred Kalassai ships had sprung to life from, they did so again as the display replayed the moment they had first been detected. “They are friendlies!” Emilie said as a wide smile beamed across her face. “I know one of those ships. It’s Wayfarer. She was the first Kalassai ship I encountered with Intrepid. Her Captain Wal-sma knows me, she trusts me.”

“Then why are they charging us?” Ninrold asked as she pointed towards the quickly accelerating group of ships around Wayfarer.

A good question, Emilie admitted as she stared at the alien ships. She was sure Wal-sma wouldn’t attack her. But how sure are you she is still captaining Wayfarer? That was another question. “I don’t know,” she admitted to Ninrold. “But they have to be up to something. They reacted when they heard my message.”

“We’re getting a COM signal,” an officer announced, cutting off Ninrold and Emilie’s debate. “It’s from that group of ships.”

Emilie smiled at Ninrold. She was certain it was good news. “Let us hear it,” Ninrold replied, not sounding just so confident.

Immediately, a Kalassai appeared on the main holo display. Like all the Kalassai Emilie had met before, it was floating in the thick yet translucent goo that filled their ships. As all Kalassai looked alike to Emilie, she had no idea who it was. As soon it spoke however, her smile widened even further. “Emilie!” Wal-sma said, its tentacles waving about around its body frantically. “I am astounded you are here. Your timing is impeccable. Or maybe not. It may turn out very badly for us all.” Wal-sma visibly shook itself. “In any case. That is for the future. You are in very serious trouble right now. You have interrupted a Gathering. You have automatically been sentenced to death. My ships are coming to you. If we can, we will not let that happen. Please. Do everything I say, and things may work out for us.”

Emilie looked to Ninrold as soon as the recording was done. “You better reply. Tell Wal-sma we will hear what she wishes us to do,” the Kulrean said.

Emilie nodded as she turned back to her console. She wished Ninrold was a bit more positive about following Wal-sma’s instructions, but she had to accept Ninrold didn’t know Wal-sma like she did. And it is her ship, she reminded herself. With a tap on her console, she began to record herself. “Wal-sma, it is a pleasure to hear your voice. We are very glad to see you. What would you have us do?” As soon as she was done, she looked over to the COM officer. This time, the officer waited for Ninrold to nod, and then she sent the message.

It took fifteen minutes for the message to reach Wayfarer and for a reply to come back. When it did, it was put on the holo display at once. “I do not know how fast your ship is, but you must reach Wayfarer as soon as possible. And whatever you do, do not fire on the ships pursuing you.”

“Do you want me to reply?” Emilie asked Ninrold.

“You trust this Wal-sma with your life?” Ninrold asked. Emilie nodded. “Then there is no need,” Ninrold said. She raised her voice. “Set course for Wayfarer, maximum speed. Let us show the Kalassai what a Kulrean ship can do.” Emilie kept her face straight, but inside she was smiling. The Kulreans were a very aloof species. Yet, when it came to anything they had built, they were very proud.

As soon as Ninrold gave the order, Nebula shot forward. She easily outstripped the ships that were still trying to chase her. In what seemed like no time, they reached two-way communication range with Wayfarer. “We are being hailed,” a COM officer reported.

A gesture from Ninrold altered the holo display to show a floating Kalassai. Emilie assumed it was Wal-sma. “Captain Wal-sma, thank you for allowing us to join you. Allow me to introduce Captain Ninrold of the Kulrean species. It is her ship that I have travelled here upon. Her species are good friends with mine, and have just recently joined us in our war against the Karacknids.”

Wal-sma turned slightly to face Ninrold, it then brought its tentacles together in a sign of greeting. “I am pleased to meet you Captain. Your ship is truly impressive. You have faced many of our ships and not one has managed to land a hit on you. Your defenses are amazing. I am sure the Karacknids have not enjoyed confronting your ships.”

“I do not believe they have,” Ninrold replied, barely hiding her pleasure in Nebula’s abilities. She then bowed deeply to Wal-sma. “And it is an honor to meet you. My species has had interstellar capabilities for more than a millennium. We have travelled far and encountered many species. None were able to build ships as impressive as your city ships. Though as Emilie has informed me, your ships have not been built at all, but grown instead. That makes them all the more impressive.”

“I hope I get a chance to show you around my ship,” Wal-sma said. “Any friend of Emilie’s is a friend of mine… Now,” it continued as Wal-sma turned to bring Emilie back into the conversation. “I am afraid we do not have time to exchange more talk now. My ships are going to take up formation around yours. We will let you listen to what is about to happen, but you must not intervene. Though I am glad to see you here, many others are not. As I said, your arrival may prove to be very fortuitous. My species is at a crossroads. But if you are to help us in choosing a path, you must survive the next few minutes. Let me try and guide us through this situation, and if we are successful, we can talk more afterwards.”

Emilie turned to Ninrold. “It is your ship, Captain. What do you say?”

“We will entrust ourselves into your care, Captain,” Ninrold said to Wal-sma. “But if any ships open fire upon us, we will defend ourselves. And we may have to flee from the system, no matter what crossroad your species has come to.”

“That is understandable,” Wal-sma replied. “You have a crew you are responsible for. So do I. I understand. If it comes to a fight, you may do as you please. I hope we will not need to go that far, however. Please be patient. I must go now; we are almost in communication range of Admiral Hilhal’s fleet.” Without waiting for a response, Wal-sma cut the COM channel. Moments later, Wayfarer and the three hundred ships with her split into groups and formed protective half-spheres around Nebula. A little over half arranged themselves to face the approaching fleet while the rest faced the ships that had been chasing Nebula.

“They are not going to fight them, are they?” Ninrold asked.

Emilie didn’t have a concrete answer. “I hope not,” was all she could say. The actions of the other Kalassai she could understand. After losing their homeworld and then centuries of being hunted, the Kalassai were religious about keeping their city ships secret and safe. If destroying Nebula was how they thought they could continue that, she knew they would. At least, if they would not listen to reason first. Wal-sma had to know this too. And yet it is putting itself in harm’s way. A conversation Emilie had once had with Wal-sma when they had first met came back to Emilie. Since losing their homeworld, the Kalassai could not grow more of their ships. As their ships were their homes as well as warships, it meant they could no longer have children.  Only a very select few were allowed to reproduce in order to replace the few Kalassai that died each year. Wal-sma wants to have children, Emilie thought as she recalled the passion with which Wal-sma had spoken about the topic. And the only way they can do that is to defeat the Karacknids and gain the freedom to settle down in a system they could try to call home. They are going to fight, she realized. For whatever reason, Wal-sma saw Emilie’s arrival as important. Important enough to die for!

In front of everyone on Nebula’s bridge, the image of Wayfarer changed to show two Kalassai facing each other. “Move your ships away from that vessel at once Captain. Do so now. I am not going to send you another warning.” Emilie guessed it was Admiral Hilhal speaking.

“I cannot do that,” Wal-sma replied. “I have given Nebula my protection. They are my guests here. Emilie has come to address the Gathering. She should be given safe passage to our city ships, not waylaid like some kind of pirate. She is known to us. She has spoken face to face with Mother Way-san before. If you kill her, you will displease Way-san greatly.” Emilie wasn’t so sure of that. After meeting with her, Way-san had all but decided to imprison her for life. It seemed Wal-sma was gambling on Hilhal not knowing that.

“I have my orders,” Hilhal said, waving its tentacles at Wal-sma. “Move, or face the same fate as this trespasser.”

“Wait!” Wal-sma shouted. “Think before you act, Admiral. You have seen with your own eyes the capabilities of this alien vessel. They have fended off attacks from over one hundred of our ships with ease. They haven’t even used their offensive weapons. How do you think your fleet will fare if you try and engage them and us? You may destroy us, yes. But how many ships will you lose? How many Kalassai will die? Emilie means us no harm. If you attack her, you will be condemning more of our people to death than the Karacknids have killed in a decade. Do not do this, I beseech you Admiral. We are all friends here.”

“You intend to fight alongside this alien ship that has desecrated our Gathering!” Hilhal snarled. “You blaspheme everything our species stands for.”

“No,” Wal-sma replied, resolve filling her voice. “Once, our species stood up to the Karacknids. Once, we fought them as equals. Once, they were afraid of us! They destroyed our homeworld because it was the only way they could defeat us. I am living up to that tradition. Emilie comes here as our ally in our war against the Karacknids. I will not let you attack her. If you wish to take her life, then you must take the lives of my people and my ships first.” The image went immediately blank.

“What is happening?” Ninrold called out.

“Someone cut the COM channel,” an officer reported.

“We’re reading energy spikes from the Kalassai fleet,” another said. “They are preparing to fire.”

“Move us ahead of the Kalassai ships, put us where we can defend them,” Ninrold snapped. Nebula began to move just as the first Kalassai ships opened fire. Hundreds and then thousands of enemy ordinances began to race towards Nebula. The first thousand were all taken out, but the wave of weapons fire just kept coming. It quickly looked like Nebula’s defenses were about to be overwhelmed. Suddenly, Wayfarer opened fire with her point defenses. Then the rest of her sister ships did the same. The swarm of enemy fire that had been about to engulf Nebula was beaten back. For more than a minute, a stalemate ensued. Try as they might, Admiral Hilhal’s fleet couldn’t penetrate the defensive fire being put out by Nebula and Wal-sma’s ships.

Whether it was out of frustration or a rational decision, Emilie never found out. Either way, it didn’t matter. For out of nowhere, the Kalassai fleet switched its targets. Thousands of their energy absorbing rock like munitions now sped towards Wal-sma’s ships. Emilie gasped. Every Kalassai life was precious to the Kalassai, as were their ships. She couldn’t believe her eyes as Hilhal’s fire came closer and closer to Wal-sma’s ships. For several seconds, they still managed to hold their own. Yet, defending themselves was much harder than defending one single ship. Eventually, several munitions got through. Two ships were hit. One had a small chunk blown out of its nose. Rocklike chunks and the thick goo that filled Kalassai ships spewed out into space. Emilie was sure Kalassai were being sucked out as well.

The response from Wal-sma’s ships was immediate. For the first time, they opened fire with their offensive weapons. Hilhal’s ships reacted by throwing their ships into evasive maneuvers and opening fire with their defensive weapons. It caused their offensive fire to slacken enough where a stalemate developed again. It only lasted several seconds, however.

“We’re picking up a COM message, it’s from the city ships…” a COM office repeated.

“Which one?” Ninrold called out.

“All of them. It’s just one word. ‘Stop’!”

On the holo display, Emilie saw the message had already had its effect. Every Kalassai ship had stopped firing. Their evasive maneuvers had ceased. Sitting stationary relative to one another again, both sets of ships warily watched each other. The only movement was from several of Wal-sma’s ships as they moved towards their damaged sister ships to lend aid.

“What do we do now?” Ninrold asked Emilie.

Emilie shook her head. “We are in Wal-sma’s hands. Your guess is as good as mine.” Ninrold didn’t appear to like that answer. But there was nothing she could do. As the minutes dragged on, even Emilie began to feel uneasy. The Kalassai ships were just staring at each other. There was no sign they were communicating, and they certainly weren’t trying to get in touch with Nebula.

Eventually, there was movement among Wal-sma’s fleet. Wayfarer and one other ship began to move. With her attention now focused on it, Emilie recognized Dancer, the Kalassai ship Alvarez had rescued. May-sic is here too, Emilie thought. She was encouraged that both Kalassai she had befriended were on her side. As she watched, both ships came close to one another and then several umbilical docking cords came out and linked the two ships. Together, then they closed with Nebula.

“We’re being hailed by Wayfarer,” the COM officer reported.

Moments later, Wal-sma’s form appeared in front of them. As usual its tentacles waved about as it spoke. “My apologies for the delay Captains, but I had to see to my damaged ships. We lost twenty-four of our people. Not in thousands of years has a Kalassai killed another.”

“It is perfectly understandable,” Ninrold said. “You have my and my ships’ condolences.”

“Thank you,” Wal-sma said. As she spoke, its tentacles wrapped together and remained still for several seconds.

“Your Mothers intervened to stop the fighting. May I ask, what happens now?” Emilie asked.

“In the long run, we do not know,” Wal-sma said. “The Mothers have only demanded that we stop fighting. They have agreed not to destroy your ship for now. Nothing else has been decided yet. They are discussing that as we speak, though when they may make a judgment is not known. Right now, we wish to speak to you face to face. There is much we must discuss, and time may not be on our side. May we dock our ships with yours?”

“You may,” Ninrold said as she gave Wal-sma a small nod.

“Though our ship’s atmosphere will not be to your suiting,” Emilie said. She then pulled a small device out of her tunic pocket. “I have kept this. We can come on board your ship if you are willing.”

“Of course, you are always welcome on Wayfarer,” Wal-sma said.

“Then we will come right away,” Emilie said as she looked at Ninrold. When the Kalassai Captain nodded, Emilie jumped to her feet. She waved at the holo image of Wal-sma and then began to move out of the bridge.

One minute later, and one of Nebula’s miraculous turbo-lifts had taken Emilie and Ninrold to the access hatch Wayfarer had been directed to. Looking out a viewport, they watched as a docking cord appeared to grow out of Wayfarer’s hull and attach itself to Nebula. “Interesting,” was all Ninrold said. Emilie took it that she was impressed.

As soon as the seal was tight, thick goo flooded into the tube. “It doesn’t feel too unpleasant,” Emilie said as she raised her breather and popped it into her mouth. “But moving around does take some getting used to.”

“I will be fine,” Ninrold replied. She too pulled out a breather. It was one that had been fabricated by a Kulrean engineer after Emilie had shown hers to Ninrold weeks ago.

As soon as the docking hatch emitted a beep to say they could proceed, Emilie hit the button to open it. Stepping into the small compartment that wasn’t filled with goo, she reached out and touched the rocky bark-like structure of Wayfarer’s docking umbilical. It was just as she remembered. A click behind her told her Nebula’s hatch had closed. Looking down, she smiled as she watched the goo begin to seep into the compartment. It tingled, but it almost felt familiar to her. She had spent weeks trapped in the stuff on board the city ship she had once visited. She couldn’t help but glance at Ninrold to see how she was getting on. Despite her best efforts, the Kulrean’s discomfort was written all over her face. When Ninrold glanced at her, Emilie looked away. She decided to save Ninrold any embarrassment.

In a matter of seconds, the goo was up over her head. Moments later the wall sealing off their compartment from the rest of the cord receded. Emilie took a few steps forward to get a feel for moving in the Kalassai’s natural environment. Then she pushed herself up and began to swim. Though she was sorely tempted, she didn’t look back at Ninrold. When she reached the other end of the cord, it automatically opened. She wasn’t surprised to see two Kalassai floating within what she would have called a hanger on board Nebula.

“Greetings Captain,” one of the Kalassai said as she swam towards them. “Welcome onboard my ship,” it added, telling Emilie she was speaking to Wal-sma.

“Thank you for allowing us the honor of coming on board,” Emilie replied. She then pointed to her shoulder. “And it is Commodore now. I have been promoted since our last encounter.”

“Then let me congratulate you,” Wal-sma said. “Captain Ninrold, is she joining us?”

Emilie glanced back towards the docking umbilical. She was just in time to see Ninrold appear. Still insisting on standing, the Kulrean was fighting her way forward step by step. “She is,” Emilie said as she turned back to Wal-sma and May-sic. “As she comes, let me say it is a pleasure to see you both again. When I left, I wasn’t sure I ever would. And as we’ve been searching for you these last few months, I was growing even less sure. It took us a long time to find one of your ships. And Nebula’s sensors are very good.”

“We are just as pleased to see you again too,” May-sic said. “Especially with everything that is going on. The Gathering was called one year ago. It has taken this long for all our ships to arrive. I expect that is why you had such a hard time finding any of our people.”

“I am sure it was,” Emilie replied as she waved a hand towards where all the city ships were. “I have rarely seen such an impressive sight in all my life.” In truth, only the Kulrean home system had impressed her more.

“Your words honor us,” Wal-sma said as its tentacles came together for a brief second. “And now, your friend has arrived.”

Emilie turned and gave Ninrold a small nod. She nodded in turn to say she was ok. “Let me formally introduce Captain Ninrold of the Kulrean people to you,” Emilie said. “Nebula is one of only one hundred worldships her people have built. Commanding it is a great honor among her people.” Both Wal-sma and May-sic brought their tentacles together to greet Ninrold. “And let me introduce Captains Wal-sma of the ship Wayfarer and May-sic of Dancer,” Emilie added.

Ninrold bowed deeply to both of them. “Thank you for your hospitality. Despite the warm welcome some of your ships have given Nebula, your civilization is truly impressive. In the past, my people have travelled far and wide throughout our sector of the galaxy. Until now, we have not met a species who has been able to achieve the feat of building so many large vessels. Emilie tells me the Karacknids destroyed your home system. I am sorry, I am not able to visit it. It must have been very impressive.”

“You are most welcome on board my ship,” Wal-sma said. “And you deeply honor us with your words. I hope our two species can become firm friends in the years to come. If you are enemies of the Karacknids, then I am sure that will be the case.”

Ninrold nodded. Emilie had half expected her to object to being classified as an enemy of the Karacknids. She didn’t think the Kulreans thought like that. Probably she is willing to let it go in a first contact situation, she figured. “You said you needed to speak to us urgently. What about?” Emilie asked. “This Gathering is important I am sure, but how is our arrival so timely?” she added as she asked the question that had been on her mind since Wal-sma had first opened communication with them.

“Yes, let us discuss the weighty matters before us,” Wal-sma said. “If there is time after, we can catch up with one another properly. May-sic will explain.”

“It is largely your fault Emilie,” May-sic said, coming straight to it. “Though I do not mean that in a bad way. Your meeting us and your discussion with two of our Mothers sent shockwaves through our people. Our actions in breaking you out of their prison did not help either. Since then, there has been a growing fracture within our society. In five hundred years, our people have never once considered trying to stand up to the Karacknids again. Yet you gave Wal-sma and me hope. We want a better future for ourselves and for our offspring. Many of the younger generations have flocked to our side. There has been a growing movement to join you in your war with the Karacknids. In total, I believe we have over one thousand ships that have indicated they feel this way. Even two of the younger Mothers have committed their city ships to the cause. Yet the rest of our society is horrified by the idea. The tensions haven’t overflown into fighting yet, but it has come close. At least until today, it had only come close.” May-sic paused for several seconds. Though Emilie couldn’t read their emotions, she guessed both Kalassai felt the loss of their people hard. “The Gathering was called to try and deal with the growing division. I believe the Mothers felt that if they came to a common decision the younger ships’ Captains and their people would acquiesce.”

“And they haven’t?” Emilie asked.

“No final decision has been made yet,” May-sic explained. “There have been many debates. Wal-sma and I have been deeply involved in them. The two Mothers who support us have as well. But a final decision is not far away. We have felt it coming. That is, until your arrival. Your coming has changed everything.”

Emilie couldn’t help feeling a growing sense of guilt as May-sic spoke. The turmoil within the Kalassai people was all her fault. And now, her arrival had made it even worse. She had forced the tensions to spill over into bloodshed. “I am truly sorry my initial reaching out to you has come to all this,” Emilie said.

“Do not be,” Wal-sma said loudly. “You have given us what we have not had for centuries. Hope. Even if it means many of our people will die, we do not regret your coming to us one bit. Now though, we must hear the details of the proposal you are bringing us. If we are to request that you address the Gathering, we must make sure that it will be acceptable to our people.”

Emilie’s stomach did a somersault. “Me?”

“From what you have already broadcast across the system, you have come to negotiate entering into a full military alliance with our species,” May-sic said. “Have you not?”

“We have,” Emilie said more firmly. She hadn’t thought of it quite like that, but it was what she was asking. And if she had to make such a request to the Kalassai leaders, then that was what she would have to do. “The Kulreans have joined the fate of their species to ours in this war. I am asking that the Kalassai do the same.”

“Then we must hear the full plans of how your Emperor intends to achieve victory,” Wal-sma followed up.

Emilie swallowed hard, then launched into a brief history of the recent years of the war and her uncle’s plan to try and force the Imperator to agree to peace terms. Here and there, she brought Ninrold into the conversation to explain the Kulreans’ role in events. As she went through everything, Emilie felt her confidence waning. Recounting the events of the war did not paint a particularly positive picture of the prospects of standing up to the Karacknids. When she finished, Emilie held her breath to see what the two Kalassai would say.

Neither spoke for what seemed like at least one minute. The silence was agony for Emilie. Eventually, Wal-sma put her out of her misery. “Your plan is audacious. But it has sent shivers down my tentacles all the same. The Karacknids destroyed our homeworld. Joining you to conquer theirs would be a satisfying way to repay them.”

Emilie had her mouth open about to defend her uncle’s audacious plan. Yet, as Wal-sma finished speaking, she quickly shut it. The Kalassai’s response was the last thing she had been expecting.

“If anything would, capturing the Imperator who ordered the death of our system would rouse our people to war,” May-sic agreed.

Emilie smiled. “I think you both would get on very well with my uncle.”

“Then let us figure out a way to get you before the Mothers so you can present your plan to them,” Wal-sma said, sounding more excited than Emilie had ever heard her.

Chapter 16

In the War of Doom, piracy was almost a non-existent problem. With every vestige of the Empire’s economy devoted to producing warships, there was little opportunity for pirates or even smugglers to earn a living. This quickly changed in the years that followed the War of Doom.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, Gramrian home system. 14th September 2485 AD, (six weeks since leaving Earth.)

“Someone has been busy,” Alvarez commented as Drake’s sensors picked up the large group of ships in orbit around Scalatar.

“Indeed they have,” James agreed. He had been expecting the Conclave species to have a fleet of five or six hundred ships to add to their armada. It looked like they had outdone themselves. Over a thousand were waiting in orbit. “Let us hope they have all had their engines upgraded.” The Conclave species had many more ships, at least another two thousand according to the reports they had been sending to Earth. They were older ships however, ones that wouldn’t be able to accompany Drake and the rest of James’ fleet. At the moment, they were no doubt deployed along the frontier of Conclave space. A Karacknid invasion was still thought to be in the planning. Though if it was, James suspected the Karacknids were about to get an unpleasant surprise.

As Drake and the rest of the five thousand five hundred ship fleet James had under his command headed into the system, he examined the Conclave ships. There were five very distinctive designs among them. Clearly each species has contributed some ships, he figured. Of course, that was going to add to the difficulty of coordinating his fleet effectively, but he wasn’t about to turn away a thousand additional warships.

“Shall I begin refueling operations?” Ivanov asked.

James nodded. “Yes, and transmit our needs to Scalatar.” In the journey to the Gift and then through Conclave space, his fleet had used up about eight percent of the fuel it had brought with it, and replenishing their stocks was essential. In response to his order, tankers came alongside each ship as James’ fleet headed towards Scalatar and refueled them. The Gramrians could then re-fuel the tankers once they came into orbit. James intended to stay within the system for as short a period as possible.

Half an hour after entering the system, James noticed Alvarez had leaned forward in his command chair. He was intently reading something on one of his displays.

“How long ago?” was all he needed to ask.

“Seven months,” Alvarez answered. “They’ve received no word from her since. Though she did leave some letters for us.”

James nodded. He hadn’t expected to have heard anything from Emilie just yet. But it would have been nice. At least she’s as safe as she can be, he reassured himself. The Kulrean worldships were the most powerful vessels he had ever encountered. Still, he thought of Emilie as much as a daughter as a niece. The idea of her being in the middle of unexplored space did not sit easy with him. Though she wouldn’t be any safer here, he had to admit. At least, not when the fighting began.

“We’re being hailed,” Lieutenant Petrov reported an hour later when the fleet came into two-way communication range. “It’s Admiral Shraw.”

“Let’s speak to him,” James said. A moment later, Shraw’s intimidating form was being displayed by the holo projector. Not for the first time, James was glad that the Gramrians were on his side. Even the look in Shraw’s eyes screamed out that the alien was a born predator.

“Greetings Emperor Somerville,” Shraw said, sounding very formal. “Let me be the first to welcome you to our home system. The Tribal Heads will want to welcome you officially, but I thought I’d get the first word in.”

James bowed his head slightly to Shraw and kept a grimace off his face. He had already passed through Folian and Poideal space. Both Conclave species had insisted they hold official greeting ceremonies for him as a foreign head of state. James had been forced to grin and bear it all. Thankfully, it only delayed his fleet by a couple of days at most. Still, the thought of another one wasn’t pleasing. “I’m glad you did,” he said in reply to Shraw. “I’m eager to hear about your fleet.”

“And I yours,” Shraw replied. “You and the Varanni Alliance have amassed quite the force. The Karacknids are not going to know what has hit them.”

“That is the plan,” James said as he smiled. Shraw returned the gesture, though when he did it, his razor-sharp teeth and forked tongue that flicked back and forth between them gave off a far more menacing feel. “Now, tell me about your ships’ capabilities.” As Shraw eagerly began to describe the different ships each of the five conclave species had built from scratch or modified, James listened closely. Then he began to share with the Gramrian Admiral about his fleet. He took particular delight in Shraw’s surprise when he described Drake’s capabilities. Eventually though, Drake reached Scalatar and settled into orbit. Immediately, a flood of small fuel ships began to swarm around the large tankers at the heart of James’ fleet. “I’m afraid we’ll have to end our conversation there,” James said sadly. He had been enjoying his conversation with the Gramrian, though they had met several times before and had even fought together in the second battle of Earth. He hadn’t had the luxury of really getting to know Shraw. He now understood why Vice Admiral Becket and he got along so well. “Your tribal elders have already sent an official invitation to the surface.”

“I have received one as well,” Shraw said. “I must go and find my formal Admiral’s uniform. I guess I’ll see you on the surface.”

“I’ll see you down there,” James said before he ended the COM channel. He stood and gestured to Alvarez and Ivanov. “We may get this over with. You both better join me. I presume Jourm, Ya’sia, and Jil’lal have all been invited as well?”

“They have,” Ivanov confirmed. “More than thirty senior officers have.”

Maybe I’ll be able to hide in the crowd, James told himself. He doubted it. Even though the Varanni Alliance was far larger and more powerful than Humanity, it was his niece Emilie who had first made contact with the Conclave species. They looked on Humanity as their closer ally. That meant he would be the center of attention.

*

Eighteen hours later, James was very pleased to be back on Drake. He was even more pleased to be surrounded by his fleet commanders. Drake’s main conference room was packed with more than forty senior naval officers. Commodores, Rear Admirals, Vice Admirals and full Admirals all filled the adjustable seats the Kulreans had added to Drake’s design. Everyone, even the commanders from the five Conclave species, were able to adjust the seats to get comfortable. These are my people, James thought as he stood off to one side and watched all the commanders talking to one another. After years of practice and schooling by Susanna, Fairfax, and Christine, he could handle himself in political gatherings. But he was at home amongst his fellow Admirals.

“I think that is everyone,” Ivanov said as she stepped into the conference room behind Rear Admiral Davies, who nodded at James before heading off to find a free seat.

James took a deep breath. “Then let’s be about it.” Ivanov shot him a quick smile and then moved to take her seat. James paused for a second to collect his thoughts and moved to the podium that faced his commanders. Silence immediately engulfed the conference room. James took a moment to look around at all the different alien faces staring at him. Not for the first time, the reality that so many different species could work together amazed him. Thirty years ago, Humanity knew about none of them. Now they were all fighting as one. “We all share a common enemy,” James began. “But more than that, we share a common friendship. The Karacknids once wished to destroy us one by one. Now instead, we are united together in our love for freedom and our hatred of our common foe. Together, we are about to embark on the most difficult and dangerous task any of our fleets have ever attempted. This will likely be the last time we are all together before we reach the Karacknid homeworld. Sadly some, perhaps even many of us will not make it that far. My Chief of Staff tells me our tankers will be refueled and ready to depart in two hours. We have that much time now together. For the sake of our Conclave allies, I intend to outline our general strategy. Then we can discuss the finer details. Many of you will be operating away from the main fleet for significant periods of times. At different points along the journey we will have to rely on one another. It is essential we are all of the same mind. Let us begin then.” Tapping a button on the podium, the conference room’s massive holo projector sprang to life and displayed an image of Conclave and Karacknid space above James’ head.

“The opening stages of Operation Hail Mary will be similar to Vice Admiral Becket’s famed Valley Campaign,” James began to explain. As he spoke, two fleet symbols appeared and approached the sector of Karacknid space they had all come to call the Valley. “Becket, assisted by Admiral Shraw, and Vice Admiral Malik, assisted by Rear Admiral Fleckin, will launch two strikes at the Karacknid defenses along the mouth of the Valley. Since Becket’s raid, our scouts indicate that the Karacknids have strengthened their defenses there by at least fifty percent. It is unlikely that our strikes will be able to cause any real damage, but it should get their attention.

“At the same time, two small squadrons of stealth ships will seek to slip past the Karacknid defenses and head up the western edge of the Valley. They will take up positions to cover the two shift passages leading into that side of the Valley. This may be the most dangerous part of our opening moves. There is no doubt the Karacknids would expect us to repeat the same tactic Admiral Becket employed. Still, if we can get mines laid around the entrances of the shift passages, it will aid the main fleet’s advance.

“Whilst all this is going on, the rest of us will be proceeding to this location.” On the map, a system west of the Valley, fifteen light years outside of Karacknid space, began to flash. “The Conclave species have already sent supply freighters with fuel to the Orlu system. Once there, we will scout out the defenses the Karacknids have along their border west of the Valley. We will give Admiral Becket’s and Admiral Malik’s fleets two weeks to begin to make their way to join us, and then we will strike. Hopefully, with overwhelming numbers, we will be able to punch through the border and begin our advance. As soon as we do, the fleet will break into three elements. I will command one, Admiral Jourm the second and Admiral Ya’sia the third. Each fleet will deploy several powerful squadrons ahead and to the flanks of our line of advance. Then, we will proceed as rapidly as possible towards the heart of the Karacknid empire. With our fleets split up and a number of squadrons roving from system to system, we should be able to keep the exact size and direction of our main thrust hidden from the Karacknids for some time. Yet, we must not forget our ultimate goal. Our ships are our most valuable commodity. No engagements should be taken with Karacknid forces that do not present us with an opportunity for a significant victory. We must preserve our forces as we advance so that we have the capabilities to take the Karacknid homeworld when we arrive. To that end, we will begin combining our fleets again, if and when significant Karacknid forces start to threaten us.”

Pausing briefly, James looked up at the holo map. As he had explained it, Ivanov had been manipulating the map. There were now three large fleet symbols about half of the way up the western edge of the Valley. Surrounding them were several smaller squadrons in different systems, simulating what the advance squadrons would be doing. With each squadron attacking Karacknid worlds, it would be difficult for the Karacknid warships in the area to determine how many warships James actually had. Not to mention which squadron represented the true line of advance he would be taking. And if we can block the Karacknid forces in the Valley from getting out to give chase to us, then even better, James thought. Becket had used the same tactic whilst she had been retreating from her Valley campaign. Luring the Karacknids into the Valley, she had mined the shift passage on its eastern side to prevent them from following her. As James had said, he doubted they would be able to have the same success trying the tactic a second time. Still, even delaying the Karacknid fleets that were in the Valley and any additional ships that Becket and Malik’s attacks might lure in would be beneficial. Taking another breath, James looked back down at the officers. “As you can see, all this only gets us about a fifth of the way towards the Karacknid homeworld. If we’re lucky, we may make it a little further, but by then the intelligence we have on Karacknid positions will have dramatically changed. We do not know what we are going to encounter once we reach the Karacknid core worlds. By then, it will be over to our ingenuity and ability to think on the spot. Let us take this time now to ensure that we are familiar with the plan and with one another.” Nodding to Jourm and then Ya’sia, James invited them to join him at the podium. Together, they then launched into outlining the finer points of their overall strategy. Quickly, the discussion turned to many of the tactics they hoped to employ. In what felt like no time at all for James, the two hours were over. Before he was ready, the commanders were all shuffling out of the conference room. Unsurprisingly, several waited to speak to him.

Becket was the first to approach. James gave her a wide smile and held out his hand. When she took it, he covered hers in both of his. “Good luck Admiral. You’ve come a long way from when you were a Sub Lieutenant on my first Drake. You impressed me then, and I have every confidence in you now. Just don’t delay coming back to re-join us. I doubt we will have the time to wait.”

“Do not worry on that account,” Becket assured him. “I have no intention of missing the main event. We will play our part and draw the Karacknids’ attention, and then get out of there.”

“Then godspeed. You have no time to spare.”

Becket smiled at him once again, gave him a firm nod and then turned to leave. As she passed Jil’lal and Scott, they both gave her a hug. James smiled at the friendship they shared. “You two are both ready to be my attack dogs?” He asked as they stepped closer to him.

“We are,” Jil’lal answered for the both of them.

“And we know,” Scott said as she raised a hand and flashed him a smile. “We’re not to take any unnecessary risks and fall back to you if things get dicey.”

“Exactly,” James agreed. “Our mission is not to raid as many Karacknid systems as we can. We are only doing so to sow confusion for their commanders. But I know you know this. As I said to Becket, I trust you both implicitly. There is no one else I’d rather have.”

“And we will not let you down,” Jil’lal promised. “It seems like you have been training us for this for two decades. We will not fail.”

James reached out and shook both of their hands. In reality, he wanted to hug them just as he had wanted to do the same with Becket. But with so many other commanders still in the vicinity, it wasn’t the time for such displays of affection. “We have all been training for this our entire lives,” he said as he released Scott’s hand. “Let us hope that it has been enough.”

With a final nod, both commanders turned and left. For a couple of minutes, James was able to be alone with his thoughts as other commanders filtered out from the gathering. Then just Jourm and Ya’sia were left. “No final thoughts?” James asked them.

“Just that I’m glad that the Conclave species are with us,” Jourm said. “This is my first time meeting them. Admiral Shraw has certainly left an impression.”

“He does do that,” James agreed. “You should see their commandos in action. General Johnston still talks about it. And Shraw tells me they have thirty thousand amongst their ships. We’ve taken on another ten thousand onto our troop ships in the last day.”

“Then I look forward to getting the chance to see them in action once we reach the Karacknids’ homeworld,” Jourm said. “Though we have a long way to go before that ever becomes a possibility.”

“But we have no better fleet to make the attempt,” Ya’sia said sounding more optimistic. “We will do this; all of our planets are at stake. That will drive us on.”

“It certainly will,” James said as he shared a deep look with his two most senior subordinates.

“And let us watch each other’s backs,” Jourm added. “Together, we will crush the Karacknids.”

“Death to the Karacknids,” Ya’sia said vehemently.

“Death to the Karacknids,” James and Jourm repeated. Sharing one last look, Jourm and then Ya’sia turned and left the conference room. Now completely alone, James stared up again at the Holo display. It would take a couple of months for them to complete the first part of their plan. Then at least three, probably more like four to get to the Karacknid homeworld. May we get there in one piece, he hoped.

Chapter 17

It is hard to imagine now as we look back in hindsight, but for years, even at the height of the War of Doom, the Karacknids were seen as Humanity’s greatest enemy. The Silizzeras were not so much as even a shadowy presence on the Empire’s borders. As we know now, this would not last long.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Viper, 1st October 2485 AD, (eighteen days later).

“It is almost time,” Becket said to her command staff. “Any moment now.” Everyone around her was silently watching the holo display of the inner system. Currently, Viper and two hundred and fifty other Human and Gramrian warships were ever so slowly skirting around the outer edges of the system they were in. They had been doing so for the last two days. Within the system, in orbit around a small fleet base, two hundred Karacknid warships were powered down. Nine ships were patrolling different parts of the system. None had come anywhere near Viper. Becket’s course had her ships well beyond the system’s mass shadow in the dark matter that prevented shift drives from engaging. It meant if her ships were discovered, it would be much harder to escape, but there were no Karacknid ships patrolling the course she had chosen.

Come on, Becket thought towards Commodore Musalla. The timing they had agreed to wasn’t exact, but it was close enough that something should be happening. Another five minutes passed, causing the tension on the bridge to rise further. Then the small gravimetric pulse was picked up by Viper’s sensors. It only lasted a couple of seconds. Yet, it was enough to get every ship in the system’s attention. Becket glanced at her sensor officer.

“The computer’s analysis indicates the waves came from a powerful engine. Military grade,” Lieutenant Armitage reported.

Becket nodded. That was exactly what the Karacknids were supposed to detect. The sudden outbreak of two hundred new sources of gravimetric waves confirmed that they had. “The Karacknid fleet is breaking orbit,” Armitage announced. “They’re turning onto a heading towards their mining installation around the seventh planet.”

Commodore Musalla responded just as she had been instructed. Now that it was clear her ships had been detected, they came out of stealth and began to charge towards the mining facility. Six Karacknid cruisers were guarding it. But that was all. They were no match for Musalla’s sixty-four warships. Surprisingly, the Karacknid cruisers began to move away from the mining facility after less than ten minutes.

“They’re not going to fight,” Commander Wilson, Becket’s Chief of Staff commented. “Do you think they at least took the time to evacuate the mining facilities crew?” She asked.

“If they did, I doubt they got them all. There are still mining ships operating down there,” Captain Rogers, Becket’s Flag Captain answered.

Even though she knew the mining ships were likely crewed by Karacknid civilians, Becket felt no remorse at their impending destruction. All the mining freighters were trying to scatter, yet none had engines even close to being powerful enough to get them out of the way of Musalla’s squadron. The mining operation supplied minerals to the Karacknid construction yards. The miners were as complicit in the Karacknid conquests as the crews of their warships. As the small engagement played out, there was little drama. Musalla had snuck her squadron in close enough to be able to strike at the mining facility before the Karacknid fleet caught up to her. Within thirty minutes, it and every one of the ships that had been within the vicinity of the system’s seventh planet were destroyed. Next, Musalla launched a handful of tungsten spears down to blow up the facilities on the planet’s surface. Using the planet’s gravity, she then slungshot her fleet around it and away from the pursuing Karacknid fleet. She didn’t break straight towards the mass shadow and the shift passage back out of the system though. Instead, for three hours, her ships tried to outmaneuver the Karacknid fleet. Time and time again, Musalla tried to break past the fleet and at least make it appear like she wanted to try and head deeper into the Karacknid empire to attack other systems. From the response of the Karacknid fleet, Becket concluded its commanding officer knew what he was about. The fleet’s maneuvers didn’t have the polish of the fleet she was used to fighting on the frontline, but for a garrison world, they were decent enough. Eventually, Musalla gave up trying to trick her way past the Karacknids. Turning the noses of her ships back to the point they had entered the system, she went to full military power. Her job had been completed, however. Her various maneuvers and her efforts to go in and out of stealth to throw off the pursuing Karacknid fleet had forced the Karacknids to draw in all of their patrolling ships. Seventeen additional ones had also appeared at various points from where they had been hiding in stealth. Now Becket knew where all the Karacknid forces in the system were. It made it easy for her to direct her fleet through the rest of the system and towards the single shift passage that led to the next Karacknid system. By the time they got to it, there were no Karacknid ships in their immediate vicinity. Without hindrance, they entered the shift passage and then jumped into shift space.

Becket shared a smile with her Flag Captain and Chief of Staff once they had made the jump. The Karacknid commander would no doubt be congratulating himself on driving off another attempted incursion into his space. Soon, he would be getting quite the shock.

*

IS Viper (sixteen hours later).

In the next system, Becket was not nearly as careful. As soon as her ships exited shift space, she ordered them to charge the sole inhabited planet. From the Kalassai data, she knew it was one that had been conquered by the Karacknids less than seventy years ago. Even so, the Karacknids had built up quite a substantial orbital presence. It was defended by less than fifty warships though. This time however, they didn’t flee. Six ships did break orbit and get well out of the way before Becket’s fleet came. Five of them headed towards the two shift passages that led even further into the Karacknid empire. No doubt they would be bringing a warning to the nearest Karacknid fleets. The final one headed up and around Becket’s fleet, clearly intent on investigating what had happened to the border fleet Musalla had dueled with. In different circumstances, Becket would have dispatched a handful of destroyers to try and hunt it down. She made no such effort this time.

“I guess this commander’s charge is too great to simply retreat and leave in our hands,” Wilson commented. She shook her head as she spoke. “It is a weakness they don’t seem to be learning to overcome.”

Becket nodded. Time and time again in the war, when Allied Fleets had gone on the offensive, inferior Karacknid fleets often stood their ground and fought to the death. No doubt a part of their unwillingness to retreat was their lust for battle. Yet Becket suspected there was more to it. If the orbital stations filling Viper’s holo display had been built up over the last seventy years, they were no doubt very valuable to the Karacknids. If the commander of the fleet defending them simply abandoned them, she guessed he and perhaps even some of his subordinates could face the death penalty. When she had shared her thoughts with Somerville months ago, he had concurred. For the Karacknids, it was better to die in battle than sully the Imperator’s honor by running from an enemy. At least when it comes to larger fleets, Becket reminded herself. The six cruisers from the last system had retreated after all. “Open fire,” she snapped as soon as her fleet came into missile range. Six thousand missiles shot out from her ships. The Karacknids only managed a thousand in reply. None came close to threatening to break through her fleet’s point defense fire. In contrast, more than half of the Karacknid ships were blown apart by her first salvo. The second finished them off. Then the third destroyed every orbital station the Karacknids had built. In the space of just sixteen minutes, her fleet had wiped out any presence of the Karacknids in the system. All except for the six ships that were racing towards each of the system’s shift passages.

“Set course for the next shift passage,” Becket ordered. A part of her wanted to remain in orbit and try and make contact with the local populace. Yet, there was little point. After seventy years of occupation, the Karacknids had no doubt reduced their technological capabilities back to something akin to the Stone Age.

For forty-five minutes, her fleet accelerated hard towards the next shift passage, and so to the next system they might be able to raid. However, as soon as all of the Karacknid ships that were bringing word of her actions disappeared as they jumped into shift space, Becket ordered her fleet to alter its course. Instead of heading deeper into the Karacknid empire, they turned back towards the shift passage they had come from. Then, powering down their reactors and reducing the thrust from their engines, they entered stealth and prepared to wait.

Becket wasn’t surprised when Viper was flashed by a laser COM link from Hunter, Admiral Shraw’s new flagship. “So far so good,” he said when his face appeared on her command chair’s holo display.

“So far so good,” Becket echoed back. “Now let’s hope our opponent takes the bait. You may begin maneuvering your fleet into position.”

“I will momentarily,” Shraw replied. “I just wanted to check in with you first.” He then glanced over his shoulder in the direction five out of the six Karacknid ships had fled. “It is tempting, knowing that there are other Karacknid systems largely undefended within our grasp.”

Becket nodded and smiled at the Gramrian. It was exactly the kind of thing she expected him to say. “I feel it too. But unless I’m mistaken, we’re going to have plenty of opportunities to attack unprotected systems once we re-join the main fleet.”

“You are right, you are right,” Shraw repeated as his tongue flicked back-and-forth from his mouth. “Yet when one gets the taste of victory, it’s hard to let another opportunity go.”

Becket laughed this time. “You Gramrians are all the same. If my ships turned tail and ran, I dare say you’d be tempted to pursue us just for fun. Let us wait for this Karacknid fleet. Destroying them will be more satisfying anyway.”

“Of course, I understand. I just wanted to make sure you couldn’t be tempted,” Shraw said with a smile.

“Not this time,” Becket said, not trying to hide it as she rolled her eyes. She knew Shraw understood the gesture. “Now get back to your fleet, and stop trying to lead me astray.”

“As you wish Vice Admiral,” Shraw said, his razor-sharp teeth still on display. “Perhaps we will have this conversation again if we can destroy this Karacknid border fleet.”

“Perhaps,” Becket said, if only to end the conversation. She then gave him a small wave goodbye and ended the COM channel.

“They are almost as hungry for battle as the Karacknids,” Rogers commented.

“By the time we’re done with Hail Mary, even their desire to fight will be quenched,” Becket replied as her mood turned somber. But how many of us will be around by then?

*

IS Viper (thirty-six hours later).

Becket was wide awake and feeling fresh. She had slept a good ten hours. When she had been a Lieutenant or even junior Captain, she knew she would never have been able to do so in the circumstances she found herself. Yet the years had matured her. And you did spend the best part of five months behind enemy lines raiding their systems not long ago, she reminded herself. Being just two systems into the Karacknid Empire was no longer the intimidating prospect it might have once been. It also helped that she knew there was no way the Karacknid border fleet could have reached her position in less than thirty-two hours. And that assumed the ships would head straight for the shift passage when the messenger ship she had let escape reached them. The fact that they hadn’t arrived yet told her that they hadn’t. But they can’t be too far away now, she was certain. She’d seen enough of the Karacknid commander to know he was competent enough to get his fleet moving in an emergency. Glancing around Viper’s bridge, she could tell everyone was ready. Everyone had their hands on their consoles and there was a tension in the air and in everyone’s shoulders. They were just waiting for the time to jump into action.

It came sixteen minutes later. Out of nowhere, two hundred contacts appeared on the gravimetric sensors. Becket shook her head. They were right on the edge of the system’s mass shadow. Right where the shift passage ended. Throwing caution to the wind, the Karacknid commander had brought his fleet out as close to the system as he could. Becket counted to five to give her officers time to track the new contacts. “Fire!” She ordered. “Put our ships into full reverse.” The Karacknid fleet was so close they were almost within energy weapon range. She didn’t want to give them any ideas.

Just a fraction of a second after her one hundred and forty ships fired, Admiral Shraw’s ships released their missiles as well. Racing in from two different angles, the Karacknid ships were about to be swamped. For a border garrison fleet, they reacted quickly. Their active sensors all came on together and they began to alter their formation. Within just a couple of minutes, they opened fire with their own salvo. Becket grimaced, they had targeted Shraw’s fleet. He’s going to get the fight he wanted, she thought, though she was far from happy about it. But they’re only going to get one salvo, she reassured herself. Given how close the Karacknids were, her missiles were going to strike them before they could reload.

“Engaging our missiles now,” Lieutenant Levitt announced. Everyone on the bridge was watching their progress. Hundreds and then thousands were destroyed. It wasn’t nearly enough however. Five hundred made it to attack range. The Human mark IV’s detonated first. They did so much damage that Shraw’s missiles flew the last few seconds to their targets almost unmolested by defensive fire. Where the mark IV’s caused smaller explosions within the Karacknid fleet. Forty of Shraw’s thermonuclear warheads filled the ranks of the Karacknid fleet with expanding balls of destructive energy. Being so close, Viper’s sensors were momentarily blinded. When they cleared, half of the Karacknid fleet was gone or were falling out of formation, debris streaming behind them.

“Their next salvo won’t prove nearly so effective,” Rogers commented.

But we still have to worry about their first, Becket thought. As she turned her attention to that salvo, Karacknid missiles began to detonate less than three hundred thousand kilometers from Shraw’s ships. The three fighter squadrons Becket had as part of her fleet were engaging them. They destroyed more than sixty and caused many more to have to waste fuel carrying out evasive maneuvers. The staggered salvo would be easier for Shraw to engage. Even so, as the Gramrian point defenses opened up, Becket was afraid they weren’t going to be enough. Her fears became reality as the Karacknid warheads released large blue blooms of their destructive antimatter. Twelve of Shraw’s ships were engulfed by them. Only two reappeared. Neither looked functional. “Hit them again,” Becket ordered, her hands were now fists on her command chair.

To their credit, the Karacknids managed to reform themselves and release another salvo before Becket’s second salvo struck home. It was pitiful compared to their first, but one or two missiles still had a chance of sneaking through Shraw’s defenses. The Karacknids’ defenses had no such chance. Hundreds of missiles punched through them, and once again the Karacknid fleet was torn apart by detonations. Just eighteen warships looked functional when the explosions stopped. They had survived more by chance than as a result of anything else.

“One more salvo to finish them,” Becket ordered. Then she watched Shraw’s ships. She breathed a sigh of relief when only one antimatter missile got close enough to detonate. The ship it targeted managed to evade most of the explosion. It looked like it only lost a layer of its armor and some weapon points. “Contact Admiral Shraw and make sure we send him whatever assistance he needs. Move us towards his ships.” Becket added as soon as her third salvo was away. Then she lapsed into silence as she watched the remnants of the Karacknid fleet be destroyed.

Mission complete, she said to herself when the final missiles detonated. “Signal Commodores Hernandez and Marar that they can detach their commands. Inform them that the fleet wishes them luck.” For an hour, Becket watched as Shraw’s fleet did its best to recover survivors from the damaged ships as the two squadrons of Hernandez and Marar made their way towards the shift passages that led deeper into the Karacknid system. Now it’s time to get out of here, she thought when Shraw signaled to say he was ready to depart. With luck, she had sown enough confusion to keep the Karacknid commanders guessing for weeks, if not months. The Karacknid ships that had escaped earlier would bring news of a new incursion into their territory. Hernandez and Marar had just sixty ships between them. Yet it would be more than enough to attack and raid a few small, lightly defended, Karacknid systems or outposts. Simulations suggested they had at most a sixty percent chance of being able to survive their missions. Yet that was a better chance than the simulations gave for the overall plan to take the Karacknids’ homeworld. In one sense, leaving them alone behind enemy lines was actually a blessing in disguise. And when a Karacknid force finally does get back to the system to find out what has happened, they’re going to find debris from their border garrison. That in itself would be confusing. “Set course to rendezvous with Admiral Somerville’s fleet,” Becket ordered. “And let us hope Admiral Malik has had as much success as we have.” And if he has, may our main advance go all the smoother, Becket thought, though there was little conviction behind it. Striking an unprepared Karacknid garrison squadron was one thing, sooner or later, they were going to attract the ire of much larger fleets. When we do, I better be there to see it, Becket thought as her ships accelerated fast towards the shift passage. Somerville was now two weeks ahead of her; she intended to make up that time long before any real fighting was likely to happen.

Chapter 18

The Conclave species have proven to be among some of our most faithful allies. Though not all of their five species were happy with how things played out.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 23rd October 2485 AD, (three weeks later, Karacknid border system).

James took one last glance at the holo display of his fleet. Every component was in position. He had already received confirmation from each of his commanders. They understood their roles perfectly. “Give the go order to Rear Admiral Rama’si,” he ordered. Seconds later one hundred Folian warships blinked off Drake’s display as they jumped into shift space. A counter then appeared on the display. It counted down from twenty minutes. When it reached zero, James nodded to his navigation officer. Lieutenant Salamanca jumped the flagship into shift space. Five hundred of the most recently Kulrean-constructed Human warships did the same. The journey through shift space took just five seconds, and then the gravity from the border system’s star pulled the large squadron back into real space. Already in stealth, none of the Human ships powered up their engines or reactors. Instead, they allowed their momentum to slowly carry them into the system.

As soon as they reverted to real space, the holo display changed to show the system. Rear Admiral Rama’si’s ships were detected at once. They were spread out in eleven groups. Only ninety-nine were detected and four of them looked badly damaged. Just as importantly though, there were no signs of Karacknid scout ships. Just several expanding balls of debris. “Admiral Rama’si is hailing us on a wide angled laser COM channel,” Lieutenant Petrov reported. “He reports all Karacknid scouts destroyed.”

“Acknowledge the message,” James responded. His eyes immediately turned away from the area around the end of the shift passage to the inner system. Already, Drake’s sensors had detected several points of interest. From scout ships dispatched days ago, he knew to dismiss most of them. There were several asteroid mining facilities and even a sizeable gas mining operation within the system. They could be destroyed on a whim however. Of much more importance was the garrison fleet of four hundred warships sitting in orbit around the system’s ninth planet. The gravimetric sensors showed that already the Karacknid ships were reacting to Rear Admiral Rama’si’s attack. Jumping a squadron of one hundred ships in to overwhelm the scouts patrolling the shift passage was undoubtedly a precursor to a larger invasion. The Karacknid fleet was breaking orbit and maneuvering to point where it could either try and engage Rama’si’s ships, or fall back if the threat proved too great.

“They’re not running,” Alvarez commented. “Let’s hope it stays like that.”

“Indeed,” James agreed. That was exactly what his plan was attempting to do. As he watched events playing out on the holo display, Rama’si’s ships reformed into one squadron. Five minutes later, another one hundred ships appeared. This time, it was a portion of the Poideal fleet. They moved to join Rama’si’s ships. “Okay, slowly bring the reactors to fifteen percent and let’s increase our thrust to ten percent,” James ordered. Still in stealth, his ships began to move much more rapidly into the system.

Five minutes after James’ order, one hundred Lalabroke ships appeared and moved to join their Conclave brethren. James couldn’t help but smile at the slow buildup of forces. The Karacknid still outnumbered the enemy fleet, at least the ships they could see. And at the moment, all they knew was that Conclave ships were threatening to attack their system. No doubt that in itself was a shock. The Karacknids thought of the Conclave species as weak and irrelevant. In part that was true, if the Karacknids had bothered to put together a fleet of fifteen hundred or so warships at any point over the last three years, they could have overrun Conclave species. That window of opportunity had now closed however. Still, the Karacknid commander hadn’t quite figured it out yet. And when you do, it will be too late, James was already sure. As his fleet continued to slip into the system unnoticed, more Conclave ships slowly arrived. Their numbers grew to six hundred. At that point, James knew the Karacknid commander had to start to get concerned. Yet his ships hadn’t moved. They were still keeping station directly in front of the most obvious line of advance the Allied fleet would take. For nearly twenty minutes the stand-off continued. The Karacknid ships didn’t move to engage the Conclave ships, while at the same time the Conclave ships simply held their position at the end of the shift passage.

“It looks like one of the most obvious traps ever set,” Alvarez said. “They have to see that.”

“I’m sure they do,” James replied. “But figuring that out doesn’t change much. What can they do about it but wait and see?” As if the Karacknid commander was reading his mind, thirty ships broke away from his formation. They spread out and began to slowly head towards the shift passage, their active sensors filling space with megajoules of electromagnetic energy. James glanced at Lieutenant Anderson.

The tactical officer shook his head. “They shouldn’t pick us up. Not for another half an hour anyway.”

With a nod, James turned back to the holo display. Thirty minutes was more than enough time for the rest of his plan to play out. Twenty-one minutes later, right on cue, Jil’lal’s three hundred Vestarian warships appeared. They moved just enough to allow the Karacknids to pick up their drive signatures and then fell into formation with the Conclave ships. Just what is going on? James could imagine the Karacknid commander wondering. Vestarian warships hadn’t been seen in this part of space before. The frontline of the war between the Karacknid Empire and the Allied species, where the Karacknids had only ever encountered Vestarians before, was five thousand light years away. If the Karacknid commander even had information on Vestarian warships, it was likely vague. Now the real dilemma comes, James knew. The Karacknid commander was now outnumbered two to one. What was he going to do, flee or stay and gather more information? The appearance of Conclave and now the Vestarian warships had to have him concerned and intrigued at the same time.

As the minutes passed by, James shared a glance with Ivanov and Alvarez. The Karacknid ships weren’t moving. The enemy commander wanted to gather as much information as he could. Well, James thought towards him, you’re going to get your wish. Moments later, the one hundred and fifty Mindus warships that were part of the Allied Fleet appeared. Five minutes after that, the rest of the Conclave ships jumped in. Then Alliance ships began to appear. First in their hundreds, then in thousands. By this point, the Karacknid commander clearly figured he better get out of harm’s way. Just as fifteen hundred Human warships suddenly appeared out of shift space, his ships began to accelerate deeper into the system and towards the shift passage at its far side. It was far too late however, far far too late. From the Allied Fleet, eight hundred fighters suddenly launched from their carriers. Two for every Karacknid warship. At once, they began to charge after the Karacknid ships.

James waited until the attack wing of fighters caught up and then passed his fleet to give his next order. “Take us after them,” was all he needed to say. In response, his five hundred ships came out of stealth and went to maximum military power. Moving faster than any Human squadron had done before, even with Drake’s massive size, they began to gain on the Karacknid garrison fleet. Given how far they had snuck into the system, it took less than half an hour to get close enough to the Karacknids to bring them into missile range. Missile range of James’ ships that was. With just a nod towards Anderson, James gave the order. Twelve thousand mark VI missiles shot out of their tubes. James couldn’t help but glance at IS Centurion, one of the battle cruisers at the head of his fleet’s formation. She was rear Admiral Scott’s new flagship. The mark VI’s had been Scott’s brainchild several years ago. They combined their bomb-pumped grazer technology with the multistage missile capabilities Humanity now had, thanks to the advanced inertial compensator that allowed them to build space fighters. The mark VI’s were nothing more than scaled-down mark V’s. Up until now however, the mark V’s had only been able to be used by orbital battlestations. Now all of James’ newest ships carried several salvos of them. The missile tubes of the Kulrean-built ships allowed them to fire both mark IV’s and VI’s. “Slow acceleration rate,” James ordered once the missiles were clear. “Match our velocity to the Karacknids’.”

As his ships decelerated, James watched his missiles catch up and then overtake the fighters Admiral Jourm had launched. The mark VI’s then flew for another five minutes until they reached the outer range of the Karacknids’ point defenses. At once, they began to jink and weave as Karacknid fire tried to reach out and strike them. For forty-five seconds, the missiles continued to dive in after the fleeing Karacknids. But then, two thousand kilometers further out than a mark IV would have been able to, the surviving missiles detonated. Directing their thermonuclear energy into several focusing crystals, they released four laser beams each. Not as powerful as the grazer beams the mark IV’s created, their lasers nevertheless had a longer engagement range. Thousands of beams struck the Karacknid ships. Barely more than a handful escaped without getting hit at least once.

Charging right in behind the missiles, the eight hundred fighters and bombers met almost no defensive fire. Just twenty-two of their number were taken out. Then the rest released their plasma missiles, or in the case of the Alliance fighters, fired their single grazer beam. Travelling at the speed of light, their grazer beams caused more than two hundred additional explosions amidst the Karacknid fleet. Then hundreds of plasma balls came barreling into the damaged and crippled Karacknid warships. By the time all the destruction had passed, Drake’s sensors picked up less than sixty Karacknid ships still operational. “Move us into mark IV range,” James ordered. “Let’s finish this.” There was no point wasting another salvo of mark VI’s. Not when what was left of the Karacknid fleet had no chance of penetrating his ships’ point defenses.

“They’ve got guts,” Alvarez said as what was left of the Karacknid fleet turned and actually began to accelerate towards Drake. Given the Human ships’ speed advantage, it was clear they could no longer escape. “Guts, but it will make no difference,” James’ Flag Captain predicted. It took just one salvo for him to be proved correct. The remaining Karacknid ships were blown apart. The meagre number of missiles they managed to fire off were almost all swatted away by Drake’s Kulrean point defenses alone. What weren’t taken out had zero chance of getting past the combined point defenses of the Human ships. They opened fire for just five seconds, then the threat was gone.

“Signal Admiral Jourm,” James said as he turned to Petrov. “Order him to bring his fleet into the system. We’ll rendezvous as we head to the next shift passage. Signal Rear Admiral Scott, inform her she can detach her squadron and begin to scout ahead of our line of advance.”

“Aye Admiral,” Petrov said, her voice brimming with confidence.

James almost envied her youth and inexperience. Cheer up, he told himself, whatever lies ahead, it has started well.

*

IS Drake, 6th November 2485 AD.

Fourteen days and two systems later, James found himself staring at a large Karacknid fleet base that orbited the third planet of the system Drake was in. Currently, the planet’s orbit had it nearly at the far side of the system to Drake’s position. Even so, the electromagnetic energy it gave off dominated the holo display of the system. According to the data James’ scouts had brought back several hours ago, it was clear the fleet base was meant to service several of the garrison fleets that were spread out along the edge of the Karacknid Empire. Five or six of the fleets, if my guess is correct, James figured. There were easily fifty repair yards and more than a hundred other large stations that likely carried supplies and munitions. Given the size of the fleet bases that had been built to service the Karacknid fleets fighting on the frontline of the war, the one in front of him could easily meet the needs of two or three thousand ships. “Take us in slowly,” James said as soon as he was confident there were no surprises waiting for him. Well ahead of his ships, a massive shell of stealth recon drones were quietly making their way through the system. Apart from the three hundred Karacknid ships guarding the fleet base and several hundred more freighters moving to and from it, there was no sign of enemy activity.

Still in stealth, every ship in James’ fleet, bar the few small squadrons he left to watch their back, carefully began to make their way into the system. With no scout ships active, they were able to plot a straight-line course towards the fleet base. If any Human commander left such a base so unprotected, James would make sure they were facing an immediate court-martial. He suspected it was the same within the Karacknid empire. At least for fleet bases near a war zone. Yet, even for one protecting a border that hadn’t seen any fighting in half a century, it was still hard to believe its defenses were so lack luster. Vice Admiral Becket had reported the same when she had launched her first attacks into the Valley section of Karacknid space. That was only several hundred light years from here, James thought to himself, surely they have learned their lesson? That had been the reason for his initial delay in advancing into the system. He had thought for sure the Karacknids had some hidden trap. Yet his drones still continued to pick up nothing.

An hour later, and the Karacknids still hadn’t responded. James toyed with the idea of launching his fighters. In total, he had three thousand four hundred with him. They could easily overwhelm the Karacknid fleet and the handful of battlestations in orbit. But they would take losses, he was sure. And this will be a good chance to let the fleet fight together. “We will advance to maximum powered missile range and hold position. We’ll hammer them until they are no more,” he ordered as he turned to Ivanov.

Ivanov nodded. “We’ll transmit your orders to the fleet now Admiral.”

“Forty-five more minutes until we reach the point where we will open fire,” Anderson added.

James was content to leave them to it. Since leaving Earth, and even more so since leaving Scalatar, his fleet had gone through hundreds of simulations fighting with one another. His commanders knew the capabilities of each other’s leaders and ships. Still, simulations could never be a substitute for a live fire exercise against the real enemy. Finally, just fifteen minutes before his ships reached missile range, the Karacknids started to react. All of a sudden, their battlestations powered up their reactors and then their warships started to maneuver. Rather than run though, they moved closer to the battlestations, clearly intending on fighting. “I wonder if they have detected us all yet?” James mused out loud. It was quite possible the Karacknids had just got a glimpse of his force. But then again, even if they had seen all the ships in his command, it was still possible they would stand and fight.

“If they haven’t, they are about to get a real surprise,” Alvarez said. When James looked at him, he had an eyebrow raised. James nodded in response to his question. “Let’s take the fleet in, standard acceleration profile,” Alvarez ordered.

Coming out of stealth, all six thousand warships of James’ fleet revealed themselves. At once, twenty Karacknid ships broke orbit. Rather than charge James’s fleet though, they made a break for one of the shift passages that led deeper into Karacknid space. Without needing to wait for an order, Wing Commander Hawthorn ordered two hundred fighters to launch in pursuit. None of the Karacknid ships would be escaping to bring news of the attack.

Nor will any of the Karacknid ships in front of us be surviving for long, James thought as his fleet entered missile range. When it came, the giant salvo surprised even James. One hundred and forty thousand missiles filled the holo display of space between James’ ships and the Karacknid fleet base. As soon as James saw it, he knew it was overkill. Yet the experience of coordinating a real salvo together was worth it. The missile the Karacknids fired in return was pitiful in comparison. It was made even more so when Hawthorn launched another two thousand fighters and had them intercept the missiles. The Kulrean defensive fire from Drake and Jourm’s and Ya’sia’s flagships finished the rest. James was so confident that he didn’t even see his own ship open fire with its weapons. His full attention was on his salvo. As expected, the Karacknids put up a brave fight. Nearly six thousand missiles were destroyed. Yet on the holo display, it was hard to tell that any had been taken out. Such was the massive wave of destruction closing in on the Karacknids. When the missiles started to detonate, not only did the Karacknid fleet and battle stations disappear from the sensors, but the entire planet was also momentarily obscured by the destructive force. When it cleared, not a single Karacknid ship nor station was left intact. Those that hadn’t been completely blown apart were being sucked down into the planet’s atmosphere and were burning up in orbit.

“Another victory,” Ivanov said as she flashed James a quick smile. “It’s only a beginning, but it is a start.”

“It is,” James agreed. “You and your team handled the fleet expertly. Now it’s time to split our forces and sow as much confusion as we can. Set up a COM call with Jourm and Ya’sia.”

Moments later, holo images of Jourm and Ya’sia were being projected from James’ command chair. “It is time to divide our forces,” James said to them. “You are both in agreement?”

Jourm glanced at Ya’sia and then nodded. “We are,” he answered for them both. “My advance squadron commanders are eager to get going.”

James smiled. He knew Scott and Jil’lal felt the same. “Then let us sow destruction among our enemy. Good luck out there and stay in constant contact. If you encounter any significant enemy fleets, send word to the other sections of our fleet and draw them on to us. We will crush them before they know what they’re really up against.”

Jourm and Ya’sia both nodded. They understood the Napoleonic concepts of rapid movement and concentration of forces. James had drilled it into them more than once. And Vice Admiral Becket’s use of the same strategy in the Valley had demonstrated its effectiveness in large-scale naval warfare. “Then let us be about our task,” James said. “From now on, time is not on our side. Sooner or later, news of our incursion in strength is going to spread. The Karacknids will know this is no feint.”

“And then the anvil and hammer will come against us,” Jourm said, using one of the Human phrases he had picked up.

James smiled at the small mistake. “We will be ready,” he said confidently. Though inwardly he knew it was more of a hope than a certainty. Once they were behind enemy lines, anything could happen.

“Good luck to you as well Emperor,” Ya’sia said. “We will not be far away if you need help.”

“I don’t doubt it,” James replied. He saluted both Jourm and Ya’sia. They returned the gesture and ended the COM channel. Just moments later, James watched on the holo display as his fleet broke into three smaller sections. Around Drake, all of the Human, Vestarian, Poideal, and Gramrian ships remained. The Allied ships, supported by the rest of the Mindus and Conclave ships, split into two equal groups. Then each fleet began to move towards one of the three shift passages leading out of the Karacknid fleet base system and deeper into their empire. As they moved, each fleet split again and two smaller squadrons moved ahead of each main body of ships. Ahead of James’ fleet, Rear Admiral Scott‘s and Admiral Jil’lal’s squadrons of two hundred ships prepared to begin scouting and raiding ahead of the main line of advance.

The sudden alert pulled everyone’s attention away from the shift passage they were headed towards. New contacts had just been detected in their rear. For a split second, James was concerned he would have to order his ships to recombine. His worry turned into a smile as soon as Drake’s computer identified the gravimetric signature of IS Viper. Vice Admiral Becket had caught up with them. “Signal the Vice Admiral, request that her ships join us at her earliest convenience. And slow the fleet by one third. I want her ships with us before we jump out.” As his orders were sent, James returned his attention to the next shift passage. From now on, he would have no idea what was ahead of them. All he knew was that the Karacknid homeworld still lay more than fifteen hundred light years away. A long way, he thought to himself. But we are coming.

Chapter 19

The loss of even one scout ship is a calamity for the Kalassai people. The loss of a city ship was unthinkable.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Kalassai City Ship

Finally, Emilie thought as she began to swim down the umbilical cord from Wayfarer to the city ship the Mothers were using for their Gathering. Wal-sma and May-sic flanked her on either side, and Ninrold followed behind, still stubbornly trying to walk in the Kalassai goo. For two weeks after the brief battle, she and the Kulrean Captain had been forced to wait on Nebula. The Mothers had flat-out refused to speak to them until all the mess that had resulted from the fight had been sorted out. Emilie had met with Wal-sma a couple of times over the two weeks, and though the Kalassai hadn’t given too much away, Emilie guessed that the tensions within the Kalassai people breaking over into actual fighting and killing had sent shockwaves through their species. Even so, Emilie’s patience had been wearing thin. Her uncle and his entire fleet would likely have begun their advance into Karacknid space by now. The Kalassai Mothers’ delay was putting them at risk. But they have relented, she said to herself as she calmed her nerves. In just a few moments, she would be meeting all the Kalassai Mothers. Having had two weeks to think about the prospect, Emilie was no longer nervous. She was simply determined. She had to win the Kalassai over to her uncle’s cause.

As soon as they reached the end of the docking umbilical, the hull of the Kalassai city ship retracted and allowed them to swim in. Pausing for a few seconds, they waited for Ninrold to catch up with them. When she looked around, she was surprised not to see any Kalassai waiting to greet them and welcome them on board the city ship. Any time she had boarded a Kalassai ship before, she had been welcomed by a member of the ship’s crew. A calculated insult, Emilie concluded. Though she wasn’t sure if it was meant for her and Ninrold or Wal-sma and May-sic.

“This way,” Wal-sma said. “We have to take the ship’s main conduit to the Gathering Chamber.” As she spoke Wal-sma swished her tentacles and her jellyfish-like body shot ahead of the group.

Emilie grimaced at the prospect of swimming in another conduit. She had done it twice before, years ago on the previous city ship she had boarded. Glancing back at Ninrold, she felt sorry for the Kulrean. There would be no way for the Captain to keep her pride. Swimming along after Wal-sma, the group took several turns as the corridor they were in wound its way towards the center of the large oval shaped ship. Eventually, after several branches, the corridor ended as it joined the conduit. Ahead of her, Emilie could see hundreds of Kalassai floating in the strong current. Judging from Wal-sma’s description, she guessed the main conduit circled entire inner sections of the city ship. Kalassai would enter it and allow the current to pull them around to wherever they wanted to get off. Moving right up to the edge, she looked down. The floor of the large tube-like structure was at least thirty meters below. Ninrold would never be able to walk down to it. The current would pull her away long before she made it. “You’re going to have to swim,” she said as she turned back to the Kulrean. “Or at least float, the current will take us where we need to go. Though to get off, you’ll have to swim out of the central current.”

Ninrold’s face fell when she saw the conduit. It only lasted for a second though, then her features flattened and only determination was left on her face. “You go first,” she said to Emilie as she gestured towards the conduit.

“All right,” Emilie said as she turned back to Wal-sma and May-sic. “Lead on.” With a swish from their tentacles, both Kalassai propelled themselves out into the current. Emilie moved to the edge of the corridor and, pushing off with her feet, did the same. At once, she felt herself being pulled along. Kicking gently, she moved herself slowly towards the center of the current where it picked up even more speed. As she moved, she kept a close eye on her two Kalassai guides. She knew if she lost them, she would never be able to recognize them again. The hundreds of Kalassai floating all around her looked identical to her. Thoughts of them made Emilie look around. As she expected, they were closing in around her. Rest, the worldship she was on, had never had an alien on board before. Emilie remembered it had been the same on the last city ship she had visited. Yet it felt very different now. Then she had sensed the curiosity from the Kalassai. This time, the hostility was unmistakable. Almost, if she didn’t know she had an invitation to speak to the Mothers, Emilie feared she might be attacked. As she glanced ahead again to make sure she hadn’t lost Wal-sma and May-sic, she saw they had slowed down and allowed her to catch up. They too sense the hostility.

In an effort to ignore the Kalassai that were closing in all around her, Emilie glanced back at Ninrold. What she saw made her laugh so hard, her breathing piece came out of her mouth and she had to scramble to put it back again. The Kulrean had clearly never swam before. Her arms and legs were kicking about in all sorts of strange directions. Still, she is coming along, Emilie had to admit. “We are almost at the gathering chamber,” May-sic said as it swam back to come alongside Emilie. “Will Ninrold be able to make it out of the conduit?”

Emilie glanced back at the Kulrean again. “I think you better go back and warn her now. Direct her over to the side she has to get out of.” Without replying, May-sic continued moving back towards Ninrold. Emilie didn’t have time to look back and see how Ninrold was doing, for when she glanced forward again towards Wal-sma, the Kalassai had started to move out of the center of the current. Swimming for all her worth, Emilie did the same. Then in the distance, a corridor appeared. It looked like Wal-sma was headed towards it. As best as she could, Emilie made for the corridor. She wasn’t moving fast enough to propel herself straight into it as she passed, but she did manage to grab onto its outer edge. Using her arms and legs, she pulled herself into the corridor. As soon as she was protected from the current, she allowed herself to float in place. Taking deep breaths, she fought to calm her beating heart. A crash behind her made her spin round. Just in time, she reached out a hand and grabbed hold of Ninrold. Unceremoniously, she pulled the Kulrean into the corridor. Keeping its distance, May-sic followed carefully behind. Emilie knew from experience that while Kalassais’ tentacles were strong, their gelatinous bodies were easily damaged. A wayward arm or leg from Ninrold threatened to cripple or even kill May-sic. “I’m sorry,” Emilie said as she helped Ninrold to her feet. “There’s no dignified way to do this. I’m sure this is not how you imagined meeting the Kalassai leadership.”

“Not in the least,” Ninrold replied. As soon as her feet touched the corridor’s deck, she pushed Emilie’s arms away. “Thank you, but I’m okay now.” Turning around to find their two guides, Ninrold nodded to them. “I’m ready.”

Emilie thought she would have liked a few more moments to compose herself, but evidently she wasn’t going to get it, for Wal-sma and May-sic turned and began to swim down the corridor. Following them once more, Emilie wasn’t surprised to see the corridor open up into a massive chamber. It was so big she couldn’t see its far end. Though it was extremely large, Emilie was shocked to realize that it was full of Kalassai. There were so many of them swaying back-and-forth that initially she hadn’t been able to distinguish how many there really were. Yet the chamber was almost cramped. With their translucent abdomens, Emilie almost started to feel sick as she was able to look through hundreds of Kalassai and see still hundreds more moving behind. “There are more than just Mothers here,” she said as she turned to Wal-sma.

“There are,” Wal-sma replied slowly. “Now let me introduce you and Ninrold.” Moving forward again, the massive cloud of Kalassai parted as Wal-sma approached. Their group kept going forward until Emilie reckoned they were in the middle of the chamber. Then they paused. Wal-sma and May-sic spun around slowly as they looked up at the thousands of Kalassai that floated above them.

“Mothers and Captains of this esteemed Gathering. I, Captain Wal-sma, bring to you an honored guest to address our people. Never before has an alien witnessed a Gathering of the Kalassai, let alone addressed one. Yet we are at a pivotal point in our species’ history. The events of the last two weeks demonstrate that more than anything else. I therefore present to you Commodore Emilie Somerville, niece of the Human Emperor.”

“Who supports this petition to allow an outsider to speak to us?” a booming voice asked from the midst of the cloud of Kalassai.

“I, Captain May-sic do,” came the reply from beside Emilie. “I consider Commodore Somerville a friend and ally. You should listen to what she has to say with the same weight you would give Captain Wal-sma, or my words.”

“That is yet to be determined,” another voice replied.

“But the petition is granted,” the original booming voice said. “The petitioner may speak.”

Emilie swallowed hard and then glanced at Ninrold. No mention had been made of the Kulrean Captain. Wal-sma had explained that they had planned to request for both of them to be able to speak. Something had obviously changed. The hostility we felt in the conduit, Emilie guessed. Taking a deep breath, she quickly adapted her plans and then opened her mouth to speak. She didn’t get a word out however.

“Before we hear what this alien has to say,” a third voice said. Emilie looked around to see who was speaking, but it was impossible to tell. “These aliens must answer for the division and harm they have caused to our people. Never before have the Kalassai been divided. And yet, this alien’s first encounter with us sent shockwaves of disunity throughout our people. And now, at her second coming, the first Kin slaying in our species’ history has occurred. What do you say to these charges alien?”

For a moment Emilie felt thrown off balance. Quickly she forced herself to change tack. At least she knew she was prepared for the question. She hadn’t been idle over the last two weeks. With Ninrold, she had went back and forth over how to handle just the kind of allegation she now faced. In the end, she had determined to hold to the values Christine and her uncle had enshrined into the Empire’s constitution. “I did not come here to apologize,” she said as loudly as she could, hoping her voice filled the large chamber. “Nor do I intend to now... From the first time I encountered your species, I have sought only your good. The Karacknids destroyed your homeworld. They have hunted you ever since. Your species has deserved none of this. Rather, you should be free. Free from fear and free to find a new system to call your own. That is what my species desires as well. The Karacknids are our common foe. What I have offered your species in the past, what I come again to offer, is a chance to defeat them. A chance for your people to be truly free. If that idea has sent shockwaves through your people, I feel no guilt. If your people wish to be free, then they should be free. If they wish to fight for that freedom, then you should not stand in their way.” Looking around as she took a breath, Emilie had no idea if her words were getting through. She pressed on anyway.

“I do mourn the loss of life that has happened with my coming again. Yet neither I, nor Captain Ninrold opened fire on your ships. Nor did Wal-sma’s and May-sic’s ships cause any loss of life. The blame for the deaths that occurred neither lies at their feet nor mine. If you have charges against me, they can only be for speaking the truth. And for speaking it out of a love for my own people and a concern for yours. For that, I am guilty. But what your people have chosen to do with the truth, that is their prerogative.” Having given her answer, Emilie stood still and awaited the Gathering’s response. If it was possible, it felt like the waves of Kalassai closed in on her even more. At the same time, silence filled the chamber as the seconds dragged by.

“You speak boldly to ones who hold your life in their power,” a Kalassai voice eventually said.

“I speak the truth, that is all,” Emilie replied as she raised her chin. “My species’ very existence is on the line in our war with the Karacknids. I did not come here to share idle conversation.”

“There is truth in what you say,” another Kalassai said, Emilie was quickly losing track of the distinct voices she had heard. “Admiral Hilhal must take much of the responsibility for the lives that have been lost. And yet, you speak with a cavalier attitude that concerns me greatly. Ideas are dangerous. Ideas threaten unity. You have threatened our unity.”

Emilie opened her mouth to reply. Then she stopped herself. She hadn’t expected to get into a philosophical debate. In for a penny, in for a pound, she thought as she repeated a phrase she had heard her uncle use on occasion. “A unity based on lies, even one based on the withholding of truth, is no real unity. Your people deserve to know what is going on in the galaxy around them. Just as you, their leaders, need to hear what I have to say.”

“You should be more careful in how you address us,” the first booming voice that had spoken said. Emilie recognized it at least. “Have you no respect?”

“It is because I respect the Kalassai people that I am here,” Emilie said, moderating her tone somewhat. “If I did not, why would I come?”

“Then let us come to why you have come,” a different voice said. “Many of us have argued against allowing you to remain in the system, never mind enter this city ship. Yet here you are. Against our wishes, Mothers Gal-ba and Vern-sal have insisted you speak to us. We have gathered here to listen. Say what you have come to say so that we may return to more important matters.”

Emilie felt the passion that was driving her start to deflate. The Mother had all but admitted she had no intention of really listening. I must try, she scolded herself. Lives are at stake. Taking another deep breath to steady herself, she launched into explaining the alliances that Humanity had formed, the history of the war and just what her uncle was attempting to do. She emphasized again and again how defeating the Karacknids wouldn’t just save her people, but bring freedom to the Kalassai as well. Especially if they helped, they would be able to be a part of the peace deal. The Karacknids could be forbidden from hunting the Kalassai ever again.

“And so it has all come down to this,” Emilie concluded, pouring passion into her voice. “More than fourteen species have allied together to see this one task attempted. We will take the Karacknid homeworld, capture the Karacknid Imperator and remove the very reason the Karacknid species fights. This is the only way we can defeat such a foe. But we may not be able to do it without your help. Peace is within our grasp. Yet it is only by reaching out together that we may take hold of it. Please, aid us in this fight that affects us all.” Again, when Emilie stopped speaking no one replied. The silence lasted at least a minute or longer this time. Despite the enthusiasm in her voice, Emilie felt her confidence waning as the silence dragged on.

“Now all of you can see for yourselves,” a Kalassai eventually said as it swam out of the large group and moved to Emilie’s side. She guessed it was one of the two Mothers who supported Wal-sma and May-sic. “We have a chance for a real future for our people. We must take it and join ourselves to this alliance that seeks the Karacknids’ destruction.”

“You speak too hastily, Mother Vern-sal. Far too hastily. These matters are weighty. The case your supplicant makes is stronger than expected, I admit. The technologies they have demonstrated in the ship they have come here on cannot be denied. Nor can the potential future she has outlined. Yet much must be weighed.”

“There is no time for that,” Emilie said as a hint of desperation filled her voice. “Emperor Somerville’s fleet is already on the move. If you do not send aid soon, then it may be too late.”

“You’re asking us to risk everything. To throw away precious Kalassai lives and ships. Lives and ships that cannot be replaced. This decision cannot be rushed,” a Mother insisted.

Emilie began to lose hope. As others voiced their opinion, it shrank further. “If it is put to us that we must decide now, and I say that we should not make such monumental decisions in such a short period of time, then contemplating this petition further is of no value. It may be that this alliance of species successfully defeats the Karacknids. If so, then we will benefit from the victory that they accomplish. Yet if they fail, the Karacknids wrath will be very great indeed. Perhaps it is better for us to remain as we are. If this task is a success or failure, we will be better off staying away from it.” Many voices rose up in agreement. Emilie felt a sadness creep into her heart as others spoke to the same effect.

“I will go!” Wal-sma suddenly shouted above the many conversations that had broken out. “I will go,” she repeated when everyone had turned back to face it. “I will leave with Emilie to fight alongside her allies in this endeavor. If by my aid or even my death I can win a better future for my people, then so be it.”

“As will I,” May-sic added. “And so too will those captains who have decided to follow us. It has already been decided.”

“How dare you!” The booming Kalassai voice called out. “How dare both of you! The Kalassai people are ruled by the Gathering of Mothers. You have no authority to make such a decision. Once we have decided, you will submit to our will.”

“We will not,” a different voice said. Emilie had to look around for it. The voice came closer though as another Kalassai swam down to take a position beside Wal-sma, May-sic, and Vern-sal. Emilie figured it had to be the other Mother who supported Wal-sma, Gal-ba. “What Commodore Somerville has proposed to this Gathering is a way to secure the freedom of our species. A way to allow us to find a new home system. To build new ships and once again to have offspring of our own. Any Gathering that refuses this offer, that refuses to fight for the future generations of our species; they are no Gathering of ours. If needs be, we will form our own Gathering and lead our people to war with or without your blessing.”

“You threaten us with schism?” The booming voice cried. “Never in our species’ history has such a thought been entertained at a Gathering before. You show by your words how utterly dangerous this Commodore Somerville is.”

“Call it schism if you will,” Gal-ba replied slowly. “My allegiance is to the people of my city ship and to the future generations of Kalassai we wish to see. We will therefore do what must be done!”

“Blasphemy!” multiple voices called out. In seconds, the Gathering lost all cohesion and turned into a ruckus. Emilie watched as several small groups of Kalassai formed. She couldn’t make out half of what was being said, but the rest of the Kalassai peeled back from them either in shock or horror. They are declaring that they will follow Gal-ba, Emilie realized. A mixture of horror and hope filled her. She was causing even more division among the Kalassai. And yet, more were joining Wal-sma’s side. Her uncle was going to get some help.

As more Kalassai took sides, Emilie figured nearly ten percent of the room, maybe more, were showing that they were in favor of fighting. Rather than bring any clarity to the situation though, the ruckus only intensified. Arguments and shouting broke out all around. Thousands of Kalassai were swaying back-and-forth, their tentacles swinging in all directions. Quickly, Emilie lost any sense of what was going on. Looking around to Wal-sma and May-sic for help, she didn’t get any. Both Kalassai seem to be arguing with other Kalassai who had come close enough so that they could bellow at one another.

“Perhaps this will change all of your minds,” Ninrold said as she spoke loudly and clearly for the first time. To Emilie’s surprise, Ninrold’s breathing piece was able to amplify the Kulrean’s voice. It allowed her words to fill the entire chamber. Every Kalassai stopped speaking and turned to look for the source of the new voice. Pulling out her hand, Ninrold flicked on the portable holo projector Emilie hadn’t realized she had brought. Out of it, an image of a star system sprung. Emilie had no idea what Ninrold was doing. The system looked like any of a thousand others she had seen before. Yet, it was not meant for her. Like a rock thrown into a pond, an explosive ripple effect shot out through the Kalassai. In their thousands, they reeled back from where Emilie and Ninrold stood. Even Wal-sma and May-sic moved away from them. A sudden silence gripped the Gathering. Not a single Kalassai moved. Everything was still. Even Emilie found herself frozen to the spot.

Chapter 20

Every alien species has its own wants and desires. Understanding that is one of the first lessons taught at the Diplomatic Core. Yet, figuring out just what they are, that is a far harder task. Though not expected to carry out complex diplomatic missions, often naval captains can find themselves far from Earth, meeting foreign dignitaries without any diplomatic support. We must therefore seek to develop the necessary skills to navigate such challenges, whether we desire to or not.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

“There,” Ninrold’s piercing voice said to the entire chamber. “Now that I have all of your attention, let me introduce myself.” As she spoke, the Kulrean failed to hide a smidgen of condescension from Emilie’s ears. Emilie hoped the Kalassai didn’t pick up on it. “My name is Captain Ninrold. I have been sent here as an official Ambassador of the Kulrean people to meet with the Kalassai people. If I may say so, my species considers itself an old and accomplished civilization. While all of the other sentient species around us were still thousands of years away from developing their own space technologies, we were exploring and mapping the stars. We have discovered hundreds of sentient species, and have catalogued them all. Never before have we encountered a species so capable as yours. Your city ships truly are a sight to behold. On that I congratulate you… However, your hospitality and your treatment of guests leaves a lot to be desired. It was my intention to come here today and offer your species my species’ friendship. And to offer you what aid we might in your struggle against the Karacknids. I see now that such discussions will get us nowhere. Perhaps then, this might.” Pausing for the briefest of seconds, Ninrold enlarged the holo image. It had the same effect as before, the Kalassai seemed to flee from it.

Emilie was dumbstruck. Both Ninrold’s tone and the Kalassai’s response to the image had her shocked. She shook her head. She could at least understand Ninrold’s frustration, but she would have never expected the Kulrean to show it. No matter how long she stared at the image, she could not see its significance. That was, until Ninrold zoomed it in. As the system’s third of five gas giants suddenly dominated the display, a memory was triggered in the back of Emilie’s mind. Way-sma had shown her a similar image several years ago. It had been of the Kalassai homeworld! The Kulreans know of a similar system! Emilie was so startled by the thought, her breathing piece fell out of her mouth for the second time that day. She almost choked as she grabbed it and put it back in. She stared at Ninrold with a mixture of wonder and anger. Why hadn’t they told her about it before?

“Captain Somerville has only shared the briefest of details with me about your past. She told me she was sworn to secrecy about what she knows. However, after analyzing your ships, some of my scientists were able to determine that a very unique set of circumstances is required to grow your vessels. Your species is also adapted to living on a very particular type of gas giant. It just so happens that we have come across one that I suspect is quite similar to your homeworld. It is eight thousand light years from here. If this is what you have been searching for, then I am happy to share this information with you. If you desire, I can give you all the survey data our expedition ship collected, now more than eight centuries ago.

This time, the silence lasted many minutes. At first, all the Kalassai remained still, then they started to move slightly, and then in increasing amounts. Tentacles were flying everywhere as the Kalassai gestured to one another. Still, no one spoke. Then Emilie heard a slight murmur. It quickly was picked up and echoed throughout the thousands of Kalassai. Soon, the commotion was even greater than the arguments that had broken out over the possibility of a schism. For minutes though, none tried to speak to Ninrold or Emilie.

“Silence,” the booming Kalassai voice bellowed. It had to repeat itself several times to get the gathering to quieten down. Then out of the midst of the Kalassai, one swam forward. “This must be some kind of trick,” the booming Kalassai voice said.

“I assure you, it is not,” Ninrold said. “My species does not lie to its friends.”

“So, you intend to bribe us then?” Another Kalassai voiced. “You offer us the hope that we have all longed for down through many centuries. If we fight for you, you will tell us where this possible new homeworld is.”

Ninrold gestured with her hand to communicate a negative. “No, that is not the case.” She then tapped her portable display, and coordinates appeared beside the gas giant. “I offer you this information without any strings attached. Though the system is over eight thousand light years away. It would be all but impossible for you to travel there without going through the Gift wormhole. Even my species has not mapped out two thirds of the distance you have to travel. The shift passages, if there are any, are not known to us and our allies.”

Suddenly, Emilie got the feeling every Kalassai in the chamber was staring at her. “Then it is the Humans who will use this information to bribe us. You will only allow us to use your wormhole if we fight with you against the Karacknids.”

Almost, Emilie said yes. She was tempted, very tempted. With one word, she stood a good chance of getting exactly what she had sought out the Kalassai to get. Yet, how could she? If James’ plan failed, she would be dooming the entire Kalassai civilization to death. Another idea came to her. “No, I would not attempt to force your hand in this way. If your species is to go to war with the Karacknids, it must be of your own choosing. I would not, nor do I believe my leaders would prevent you from travelling through the Gift if this system Captain Ninrold has presented truly offered your species a chance of finding a new homeworld. Our own homeworld has been threatened so many times by the Karacknids that we understand how important your quest for a new home is. We would not stand in your way… However,” Emilie said and then paused as she slowly turned in a circle to look at all the clouds of Kalassai floating around her. “However, judging by the coordinates Captain Ninrold has shared, this new system is just several hundred light years away from Varanni Alliance space. That means that if the Alliance falls to the Karacknids, they would quickly incorporate this system into their empire. Even if you moved all of your city ships there today, you would enjoy less than two decades at your new home before the Karacknids would conquer it. Probably not even that, for their scouts would detect you within a matter of months and then their fleets would come. Unless the Karacknids are defeated, you would never be safe starting a new home in this system.”

“This new revelation changes everything!” a voice said from beside Emilie. Turning, she saw it was one of the Mothers who already supported fighting. “This offers us a chance to rebuild what we have lost. To allow all of our people to lead normal lives. To have offspring and to raise them, and to pass on our wisdom and culture to a fresh generation. Even more, to live in peace. This is the most monumental moment in our species’ history. All of us must unite in this task. Only by defeating the Karacknids can we gain this new homeworld.”

All of a sudden, many of the Kalassai began to swim down towards the center of the chamber. Within moments, Emilie found her position surrounded by hundreds of them. Slowly though, the number coming began to slow and then dwindled away. It was only a wild guess, but Emilie reckoned at least twenty percent of the Kalassai had joined the Mother who had just spoken.

“I would join you,” one of the Kalassai still floating high up in the chamber called out. “If we can confirm that this system truly exists. If we could send a reconnaissance mission and the report came back proving what Captain Ninrold has shared is true, then I would be willing to fight for the prospect of a new home. But I will not risk my ship and my people on the promise of a stranger.”

“There is no time for that,” Emilie said quickly, beating anyone else who wanted to reply. “The end of the war is now months away. Either in defeat or in victory. By the time you would send such a ship and it would come back, the Karacknids may have already won. You must decide here and now what you will do. Your species has been running for centuries. Surely, now is the time to stand and fight. Yes, you cannot be sure we are not lying. But I know what my people would do. If we had lost everything to the Karacknids, we would fight to the last man for even the slimmest of chances to gain it back. If it is true your species has been running from the Karacknids for centuries, then you have watched them conquer sentient species after sentient species, and not lifted a finger to help. Given what happened to your home system, I can understand that, at least in part. But you need run no longer. Please, stand with us, stand with us and fight our common foe,” Emilie pleaded.

At first, there was no response to her words. Emilie slowly turned again as she looked up to the Kalassai. Her hands tightened into fists and her lip trembled. Please, she thought to herself. Please help us, help yourselves. When the Kalassai finally spoke, Emilie recognized the booming voice of one of her chief opponents. Her shoulders sunk. “For many centuries now, we have all known that the fate of our species has hung on a balance. Many of us grow old and will soon die out. Yet in our old age, we have lost the ability to reproduce. And slowly but surely, the Karacknids have been destroying ship after ship. Our living space is being reduced again and again. The end of this journey has been known to us all, though we have not spoken it out loud. Extinction. Without a new homeworld that is where the future of our species lies. Extinction.

“I do not trust the words of these two alien captains. Not completely. And yet, their words stir me. This I cannot deny. We have run for most of our lives. If I am to die one day in my old age, facing the extinction of our people, I fear that on that day I would look back to this day in shame… If our species is to risk extinction then, I say, let us do it for a worthy cause! Let us fight for a new homeworld!” Swimming out of the midst of the Kalassai far above Emilie, one single Kalassai crossed the divide between those who were willing to fight and those who were not. Swimming right through Wal-sma’s supporters, the booming voiced Kalassai moved to Emilie’s side. “For the chance of a new homeworld, I will fight and die with you, Human.”

Emilie bowed low to the Kalassai. “Then the fate of our two species will be intertwined. May we find peace and freedom together, or may we die fighting for the good of our people.” Movement above Emilie made her look up; it was like a damn had broken. Hundreds and hundreds of Kalassai were flooding down from the top of the chamber towards her. She stared awestruck as every single Kalassai moved to join the ranks of those who were willing to fight. Then something new happened. It started with the booming-voiced Kalassai and Wal-sma and May-sic beside her. Interlinking their tentacles, they began to swirl around and around her and Ninrold. In seconds, hundreds more had joined in, then every Kalassai in the Gathering Chamber did so. Their movement sent wave after wave of pressure through the goo to crash into Emilie. It was so strong, she had to fall onto one knee so as not to be swept away. Then, starting as a low rumble, a humming-like noise began to come from the Kalassai. Quickly, Emilie had to cover her ears with her hands. Yet it kept rising up and up. Emilie thought her head was going to explode. Even so, she couldn’t close her eyes for the Kalassai were now moving and vibrating in sync with their humming. Above her and all around her, the entire chamber was alive with swiftly moving Kalassai. Their speed and the swishing of their tentacles grew ever more frantic as the volume of their humming kept rising. Then just as Emilie felt her ear drums were going to burst, it crashed over into a crescendo. Immediately, every Kalassai stopped dead still. For a second, Emilie grew concerned that was just what had happened. They were so still, she feared the Kalassai had carried out some unknown ritual and killed themselves. But then from high up in the chamber, the humming started again. When it did, like a massive school of fish, the Kalassai began to move out of the chamber. As they went, the humming grew and grew in volume once more.

“What is going on?” Emilie asked when two Kalassai broke away from the interwoven mass of aliens. She was only guessing it was Wal-sma and May-sic.

“It is our war chant,” Wal-sma said simply. “Not in a thousand years have we gone to war. But we are now. You have stirred us, Captain Somerville. Stirred us in a way I didn’t think possible. Now, you have said it yourself, we have no time. Come, much must be done.”

A beaming smile broke out across Emilie’s face. At the same time, her shoulders slumped. A weight had suddenly lifted from them. She had done it! Her uncle had tasked her with convincing the Kalassai to join the war. The pressure of not letting him down had vanished. “Of course,” she said, still smiling. “The Karacknids have no idea what is about to hit them.” Though she still considered herself a complete stranger to Kalassai ways, it was impossible to miss the sense of danger that was emanating from all the Kalassai around her.

Standing back on her feet, Emilie felt the current being created by the movement of all the Kalassai pull at her. Pushing off, she moved into it and allowed it to catch her. With only a gentle effort, she was able to swim along as more and more Kalassai flowed out of the chamber and towards the city ship’s main conduit. Once there, Emilie followed the mass of Kalassai as they streamed along the conduit. Hundreds flowed into every corridor that branched off from it as they returned to their ships. There were so many Kalassai around Emilie that it was easy to swim against the meagre current when Wal-sma directed her to where she was to get off. It wasn’t long then before Wal-sma had directed her back to Wayfarer. Within minutes of crossing the umbilical, Wayfarer broke away from the city ship.

Once on Wayfarer’s bridge, Emilie’s role became one of an observer. What she watched happen in just a few hours blew her away. Within twenty minutes of the conclusion of the Gathering, every Kalassai ship within the system was on the move. They all came together and as Wal-sma described it, a massive movement of people began. Every warship owned by the Kalassai had most of its inhabitants taken off and transferred to city ships. Only those needed to fight the ship were left behind. But the movement did not stop there. Even city ships were emptied as they too were prepared for war. What Kalassai weren’t needed were squashed onto the few ships that would remain behind. Then forming up into one giant formation, the Kalassai city ships and warships turned towards Karacknid space. Only then did Wayfarer move to dock with Nebula once again. Emilie accompanied Ninrold back to the docking umbilical and stepped back onto Nebula’s deck with her. “This is as far as you go, isn’t it?” She asked the Kulrean Captain.

Ninrold nodded her head in a very Humanlike fashion. “We have done what we set out to do. I have brought you to the Kalassai and you have convinced them to join the war. There’s nothing more Nebula can do here. I will return to the frontline of the war at your territory. It may be that my ship is needed there. I have already requested for your things to be brought here so you can transfer them to Wayfarer. I presume you will be staying with our new allies.”

“I am,” Emilie said. “I need to see this through to the end. I am sorry though that you will not be with me.”

“In truth, a part of me is too,” Ninrold admitted. “But I cannot go against the wishes of our Superintendents. Good luck Captain,” Ninrold added as she stepped closer to Emilie and held out a hand.

Emilie had to fight to keep the surprise of her face. Never had a Kulrean offered such an intimate contact to a Human before. “And good luck to you too,” she replied as she took Ninrold’s hand and shook it. “I couldn’t have done this without you. It was the promise of a new homeworld that turned them in the end.”

“They are an impressive species. They deserve the chance to find a new homeworld after what the Karacknids have done to them,” Ninrold replied. “Hopefully, no more species will have to suffer as they have.”

“In that, we are agreed,” Emilie said. “I will miss you, I must confess. But protecting our homeworlds is as important a task as what the Kalassai and I are going to attempt. May you have a safe journey back to Earth.”

“And let us hope that we both live to see each other again someday,” Ninrold said as she took her hand back. She then bowed deeply to Emilie. “Farewell Commodore.”

“Farewell to you too Captain,” Emilie replied.

As Ninrold turned and strode away, several other Kulreans appeared bringing Emilie’s stuff. Looking through it, Emilie was thankful to see most of it was food supplies. From her last visit with the Kalassai, she knew they could produce food that would sustain her, yet it had been far from palatable. Helping the Kulreans, she transferred the supplies across to Wayfarer and then swam her way back to Wayfarer’s bridge. By the time she got there, she saw that the Kalassai fleet had already covered more than half of the distance to the first shift passage they would have to take. On the Kalassai display of the system, she also saw that Nebula had already detached from Wayfarer and was speeding towards a different shift passage.

“It is a pity that Nebula will not be joining us,” Wal-sma said from where she floated above her Captain’s console. “I fear we will regret not having her guns before this is over.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Emilie said as she watched the worldship reach the point where it could jump into shift space and then disappear. “But Nebula has her role to play elsewhere. Now, let us discuss strategy. How do you envisage your ships reaching the point where my uncle’s fleet is advancing on the Karacknid homeworld?”

In front of Emilie, the goo started to reform. In seconds ,a star map of nearly half of the Karacknid Empire appeared in front of her. A route was then highlighted. “The journey will not be easy. We will have to fight our way to your Emperor’s position. But if his fleet has penetrated as far as you believe it will by the time we get there, they will have already caused much destruction and confusion. Perhaps we may use it to our advantage.”

Emilie stared at the star map. The Kalassai’s unfamiliarity with the strategy and tactics of large fleet warfare was immediately evident in their plan. And no plan survives contact with the enemy, Emilie said to herself. Yet they are on the move. And that was more important than anything else. We are coming, she thought towards her uncle as her eyes rested on the point where she estimated the Allied fleet might already be within the Karacknid empire. We are coming.

Chapter 21

The Karacknid civilization, with all its flaws, is nevertheless a fascinating species to study. Certainly there were far more dimensions to the Karacknid people than any on Earth guessed during the War of Doom.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Slayer

“Exiting shift space in thirty seconds,” an officer called out.

Tanaka-lan tensed his body as the drop into normal space sent a small vibration through his dreadnought. Seconds later, the holo display updated to show a single star still nearly half a light year away. He knew there were planets orbiting the star, but they were not close enough to be detected. Instead, the nearest objects that sprang to life were sixteen destroyers. Upon detecting his flagship, they powered up their engines and moved closer. Tanaka-lan waited patiently for their reports to be transmitted and analyzed. Fifteen minutes later, he was reviewing them. Though he had been prepared for disappointment, anger still coursed through him. He couldn’t stop his claws extending out and into the padded sections of his command chair. No sign of the Allied Fleet! And no sign of any new artificial shift passage! The Humans were up to something, he was sure of it. The scout reports he was reading all but confirmed it once again. All along their frontline fort systems, their fleets were a fraction of the size of what had just recently been defending the area. If he hadn’t already confirmed it was the same along the border with Alliance space, he would suspect the Humans had pulled their fleet back to launch an attack from Alliance space. Yet the Alliance fleet was nowhere to be found either. All right, he said to himself. If he couldn’t find out what they were up to by sneaking ships into their systems, he was going to do it in force. “As soon as we have recharged our shift drives, we will jump into their Fort system. Tell the fleet to be prepared to begin an immediate chase.” One way or another, he was going to force the Humans to show him what they were up to.

Four hours later, his ship jumped out of shift space once again. This time, the system’s sun dominated the holo display. Beta-fort, Tanaka-lan thought to himself. It was one Human system he hadn’t attacked before. Yet his predecessors had and so he knew exactly what he was walking into. As a result, as soon as his fleet had all arrived, he gave the order to advance. The reaction of the defenders was instantaneous. Breaking orbit, they abandoned the few orbital stations they had built around the system’s sixth planet.

“Four Kulrean ships confirmed in the fleet that is retreating High Admiral,” a tactical officer reported.

“I see them,” Tanaka-lan said. It was tempting, very tempting to launch all his fighters and try and destroy the four worldships. He knew all too well that once they fell back and joined with others, they would be very dangerous. Yet even four of them would tear hundreds of his fighters apart. No, we will wait and see just how the Humans plan to counter this thrust. Then we will strike them when we can do the most damage. “Continue the pursuit, we will jump deeper into Human space as soon as we reach the next shift passage.”

*

IS Vengeance, New Berlin system (eight days later).

Vice Admiral Lightfoot was sitting in his command chair, reviewing the latest reinforcement reports. It didn’t make for very encouraging reading. So much effort had been put into completing every ship that had been under construction or arming the warships the Kulreans had built for Somerville’s Operation Hail Mary, that new construction was now coming online very slowly. The Admiralty expected only to be able to equip him with an additional eighty warships over the next month. Eighty ships to bolster the defenses of five systems, Lightfoot thought to himself. It’s not even enough for one. Especially when the few scouts he was able to spare to send into Karacknid space indicated that every Karacknid fleet base was still receiving reinforcements monthly, if not weekly. Already, two small fleets had returned to X-14 and X-15 and work was underway to rebuild the bases he and Somerville had destroyed in Phase One of Hail Mary. Lightfoot felt his unease growing. Sooner or later, the Karacknids would figure out that the Alliance and Humans had significantly reduced their frontline defenses. Then they would begin to pour over the border. That part was why he had his meagre fleet stationed at New Berlin. There was no point trying to commit too many forces to the frontline, for there, they just ran the risk of being overrun. At least at New Berlin he could keep an eye on all of Humanity’s border forts and reinforce one if it was required. Lightfoot’s only hope was that when the blow landed, the Karacknids would focus their attention on Alliance space. Though there were thousands of Alliance warships in Somerville’s fleet, the Alliance fleet hadn’t committed the same proportion of ships the Imperial Fleet had. And with X-14 and X-15 destroyed, attacking Alliance space will be much easier, Lightfoot told himself. His reasoning didn’t have its desired effect. His sense of unease remained the same. For one reason or another, the Karacknids seemed to have developed a fixation with conquering Earth before defeating the Alliance. Knowing that there were tens of thousands of Karacknid warships just waiting for a chance to launch a major offensive had Lightfoot on constant alert.

As a result of his anxious thoughts, the sudden contact which appeared on Vengeance’s sensors right at the edge of the system towards Karacknid space sent a shiver down Lightfoot’s spine. It didn’t get any better when the ship was confirmed to be a Kulrean worldship. There was only one reason for a border fleet to dispatch a worldship back to him. They had urgent news to communicate. Minutes later, and Lightfoot was staring at the report from Beta-fort. Three thousand Karacknid warships had forced the defending fleet to retreat. And no doubt they are still retreating, he was sure. Given how long it had taken the worldship to reach him, the Karacknid fleet had likely already reached the Holstein system. Lightfoot felt sorry for the inhabitants of the colony. It had been conquered once before by the Karacknids right at the start of the war. Though General Johnston’s marines had liberated the colony, no money or effort had been put into improving its defenses. If the Karacknids landed troops, the colony would fall in a matter of hours. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of colonists had left after the first Karacknid invasion; still, Lightfoot knew there were still many more once again at the Karacknids’ mercy.

“What are your orders Admiral?” Lightfoot’s Chief of Staff asked. She had all of his staff officers gathered on the bridge along with Vengeance’s Captain.

Before Lightfoot could answer, another alarm went off as an additional contact was detected. Seconds later, it was confirmed to be another worldship. Within minutes, a third had appeared. As each ship was identified, it became clear they had come from separate border forts. “At least three attacks,” Lightfoot said to his staff. “This is no feint.” His worst fears were coming to fruition. Over the next twenty minutes, as each worldship reported in, Lightfoot got a fuller picture of the situation. The main Karacknid thrust was coming through Beta-fort. Three thousand Karacknid ships had attacked there whilst two other fleets of one thousand each had hit the flanking forts of Alpha and Gamma. All three of Lightfoot’s forward fleets were retreating before the Karacknids. Perhaps the worst news was that Tanaka-lan’s flagship had been detected leading the main Karacknid fleet. That was confirmation enough, if any extra were needed, that it was a serious push. “They know that we have pulled back our ships,” Lightfoot said to his staff. “With the destruction of their fleet bases at X-14 and X-15, I suspect five thousand ships is the most they can keep in supply for a prolonged operation. That means this attack is serious. If we can’t stop them, they will push all the way to Earth. I want orders drawn up for all of our border fleets, even those that haven’t been forced to retreat. They are to fall back here immediately. We must combine our worldships. With twenty of them, we should be able to make a stand, even if the Karacknids combine their fleets.”

“Understood Admiral, we will draw up those orders and send them out immediately, shall we send the worldships to the unengaged border fleets?” Lightfoot’s chief of staff asked.

“Yes, they need to be warned as soon as possible.”

As his staff officers got to work, Vengeance’s Captain leaned over towards Lightfoot. “Even if we managed to combine all of our fleets, we will have less than nine hundred warships. We’ll hardly be able to get more than a handful of missiles through their point defenses. We’ll shoot ourselves dry trying to stop them.”

Lightfoot held his subordinate’s gaze. “What else would you have us do? Emperor Somerville’s fleet is months away by now. We must turn them back. We are all there is… And maybe there is a way,” he added as something came to him. If the Karacknids wanted to strike at Earth, they had to be pushing their supply lines to the extreme. Likely, they were overextending themselves. The opportunity being presented to them due to the weakened defensive fleets that protected Humanity’s borders was too good to pass up. And maybe they are wondering where our ships have gone? Lightfoot thought. We can use that.

*

Vengeance, New Berlin system (twelve days later).

To Lightfoot’s dismay, the main Karacknid attacking fleet jumped into the New Berlin system just twelve days after the first report of their attack arrived. The three border fleets that had been pushed back had all joined Lightfoot’s forces, but the two additional fleets from Epsilon and Zeta-forts hadn’t arrived yet. That meant he had just six hundred ships to face off against Tanaka-lan’s fleet.

“The final count is four thousand ships. From their drive signatures, it looks like the Karacknid fleet that attacked Alpha-fort has joined Tanaka-lan’s fleet,” Lightfoot’s tactical officer reported. “There’s no sign of the fleet that attacked Gamma-fort.”

Lightfoot nodded. “That is a small blessing.” He turned to his Chief of Staff. “Is everything in position?”

“All the ships we have here are ready, though our simulation suggested we needed another fifty or sixty freighters. Another three days, and we would have had them.”

“When they would arrive was always out of our control,” Lightfoot replied as he stared at the advancing Karacknid fleet. For a moment, he contemplated falling back a system or two. Yet if he did, it would mean he would have to abandon his plan. The one hundred or so mining freighters he had gathered at New Berlin couldn’t outrun the Karacknid fleet. “We will make our stand here,” he said loud enough for all of Vengeance’s bridge officers to hear. “If we succeed, and if Karacknid scouts detect our intact fleets from Epsilon and Zeta-forts approaching, it may give them extra incentive to fall back.” For several seconds, Lightfoot met the eyes of all of his officers. Most nodded to him or gave some other sign of recognition. “Very well then, break orbit and set course for the Karacknid fleet. Begin slow launching our fighters.”

As his orders were carried out, Lightfoot set his gaze once more on the Karacknid fleet. Its four thousand ships had maneuvered into an attack formation, and were slowly approaching New Berlin. No doubt they had launched hundreds of stealth recon drones to survey the system. The fact that Lightfoot’s fleet wasn’t retreating told Tanaka-lan he had a plan. Rightly, the Karacknid Admiral was being cautious. That wouldn’t last for long, Lightfoot knew. As soon as his opponent confirmed that there were no additional warships hidden within the system, he would increase his acceleration. “Open a COM channel to Captain Nimring,” Lightfoot requested. He had already spoken to all of his captains and had his words relayed to the crews of every ship in his fleet. Everyone knew what he was about to ask of them. Lightfoot had no concerns about the resolve of his people. The Kulreans, however, were more of an unknown. “Captain,” he said as soon as the senior commander of the twenty Kulrean worldships established a COM channel with Vengeance. “The time has come.”

“Our preparations are not quite where we had hoped they would be,” Nimring replied. “But I understand your orders. This is our only choice.”

“Then you and your people are ready to join battle with our enemies?”

“We know what is expected of us. Our homeworld is on the line today as well. We will not fail our people, nor our allies.”

Lightfoot gave Nimring a small bow. “You have earned my respect Captain. Very well then, let us get this over with.”

“And let us hope that with our actions today, we will allow those who follow us to turn back this enemy fleet,” said Nimring.

Lightfoot nodded slowly to show his agreement. He then gave Nimring a salute and ended the COM channel. As his ships started to leave New Berlin behind, Lightfoot’s mind couldn’t help but go out towards Emperor Somerville. You better not fail us, he thought towards his friend. We will do whatever it takes to protect our borders. But it is all for naught if you fail.

*

Slayer

Tanaka-lan felt a drop of drool run down between his upper teeth. He quickly flicked out a tongue and caught it before it ran past his lip. It wouldn’t do for his subordinates to think he was too eager yet. The battle was far from won. Yet, they have nothing with which to threaten me, he thought as he watched the enemy fleet accelerating towards him. The scouts he had dispatched weeks ago to what the Humans called their New Berlin system had been watching the enemy fleet. They had received reinforcements from some of their other border fleets, but two of their fleets were still days away. Hardly any other reinforcements had come in from deeper within their territory. That the enemy fleet was still advancing told Tanaka-lan two things. Firstly, that Somerville’s fleet was somewhere else. And secondly, that the Humans were desperate. Whatever they have planned, they didn’t count on us attacking along this line of advance, despite the destruction of our fleet bases. That was going to make his victory all the sweeter. He’d be able to destroy a Human fleet and take out all their orbital stations around their New Berlin colony. That would more than make up for the damage the Human attack had caused. “Prepare our fighters to launch,” Tanaka-lan ordered. The Humans had put more than a hundred freighters right at the head of their formation. His scouts had informed him they were full of asteroid chunks. No doubt the Humans intended to fling them at his ships. That was fine with him, his fighters could destroy them and then tear into their warships. Whatever asteroid chunks survived would be easy to dodge. That tactic might work against orbital battlestations, but not against a fleet of mine, he thought towards his opponent. The fact that the Humans were even trying it suggested that Tanaka-lan was facing an inferior enemy commander. Though that encouraged Tanaka-lan, it also raised more questions. He still wanted to know where Somerville and the main Human fleet was.

“Our stealth recon drones are picking up some anomalies from behind the Human fleet,” a sensor officer reported. “Analysis suggest they are likely fighters trying to remain hidden.”

“Launch a spread of active sensor drones,” Tanaka-lan snapped at once. He didn’t want to be caught out by any surprises. As drones raced towards the Allied Fleet, small missiles, a squadron of fighters that had been cruising in front of the Allied Fleet, and other defensive weapons tried to take out the drones. Most were destroyed, their active sensors making them easy targets. Yet enough got close enough to flood the area behind the Allied Fleet in electromagnetic energy. More than five hundred small contacts were detected. They will use their hidden fighters to protect their freighters, Tanaka-lan surmised. That is fine, it will allow me to destroy them before they reach our ships. “Launch all fighters now, direct them against the Human freighters. They are to engage any enemy fighters that appear. Once the freighters are destroyed, they may engage enemy capital ships. Accelerate the fleet to attack speed as well.”

Minutes later, eight hundred fighters sped away from Tanaka-lan’s fleet as they charged the enemy. In response, three hundred fighters appeared from behind the Human fleet and moved to intercept his force. Tanaka-lan’s claws retracted. Why aren’t they committing all their fighters? He asked. Something didn’t seem right.

“We are entering missile range,” his tactical officer reported.

“Open fire,” Tanaka-lan ordered as his mind continued to whirl. The Humans should have committed all of their fighters to protecting their freighters. The only way the freighters would work was if they were brought to almost point-blank range before disgorging their asteroids. The Humans needed to protect them with all of their fighters, not just some. It made no sense. As the holo plot in front of Tanaka-lan became full of missiles when his fleet and then the Human fleet fired, he couldn’t find an answer. Moments later, and the battle became more confused as his fighters engaged the Human fighter force. Nearly half of his fighters were sucked into an intense dogfight. The rest broke past the Human fighters and charged the Allied Fleet. His missile salvo was just seconds behind them.

As soon as the twenty Kulrean worldships in the Human fleet opened fire with their point defenses, Tanaka-lan’s claws reappeared and dug into his command chair. Thousands of strange blue energy bolts ripped through his fighter force. Nearly a hundred were taken out before they got close enough to engage the freighters. Then standard Allied point defense weapons joined the battle. Soon fighters, freighters, and enemy capital ships were being blown apart. Into the maelstrom, the massive missile salvo from his fleet came crashing in as well. When the energy from the attack began to dissipate, Tanaka-lan sat forward in his command chair. Now saliva was gathering around all his teeth. One of the first images he saw caused him to let out a snarl of success. A Kulrean worldship was falling out of formation, several massive holes had been blasted into its side. Atmosphere and debris were streaming behind it. Die, you treacherous scum, he thought towards the worldship. She and her sister ships had forced him to fall back in shame from Earth. Now he would begin to exact his revenge. “Target our next salvo at the worldships exclusively,” he ordered. Nearly half of the Humans’ freighters had been destroyed, they were of little concern to him now. And we will finish their warships once the worldships are done for.

Several explosions amongst his fleet caused Tanaka-lan’s enthusiasm to take a dent. The Humans had managed to get a handful of missiles through his defenses. “Do not let that happen again!” He ordered his officers. He outnumbered the Humans more than four to one. None of their missiles should be getting through! His anger subsided as his second salvo of missiles crashed into the Humans. Three more worldships were destroyed. “Slow our acceleration rates,” he ordered. He didn’t want to allow the Humans to come close enough. There was no point letting them think they might get close enough to use their asteroid chunks against him now. “Keep firing.”

“High Admiral, we’ve got a better look at the rear of their fleet. We’re detecting at least three hundred more fighters back there,” a sensor officer suddenly shouted.

“What?” Tanaka-lan demanded.

“Admiral,” a different officer said. “I’m sorry, but I’ve just detected a priority one message from one of our scouts. It has been sent from the other end of the system.”

“Pull our fighters back,” Tanaka-lan ordered. He thought he had figured out the Humans’ plan now. The asteroid chunks were only meant to serve as a distraction. Their reserve fighter force would probably try and strike at his capital ships right when the asteroids were released. “Tell them to prepare to defend the fleet. Those Human fighters are being kept in reserve to strike at us.” He watched just long enough to see several hundred of his fighters pull back from the dogfight they had been in. He grunted in approval. They had given a good account of themselves. More than two thirds of the Human fighters were gone. They were so defeated that they didn’t even try to pursue as his fighters fell back. “Show me this message?” He asked as he turned to the sensor officer.

“I sent it to your command chair, High Admiral,” the officer replied.

Tanaka-lan pulled it up. He covered his teeth with his mouth as he began to read. It made even less sense than the Humans’ tactics. He had been expecting a report on an advancing Human fleet. Yet it was from a Human system eighty light years away. One of the scouts he had sent to look for Somerville’s fleet had found something. Then he got to the main point of the report. He froze. The armored scales that covered his torso locked together. At once, everything clicked into place. A wormhole, Tanaka-lan said to himself in wonder and fear. The Humans have access to a wormhole! Immediately, he knew where it went. The mystery of the Human fleet that had launched their raid against the far side of the Karacknid Empire made sense. They have a wormhole that leads to Conclave space. They’ve been working closely with the Conclave species all along! That is how their ships got there so quickly, and how the Conclave fleets managed to come to help protect Earth. All along, we’ve been fighting on one front, when they’ve been fighting on two! Another mystery was immediately answered in Tanaka-lan’s mind. The ships that had been pulled back from all along the frontline, it was no ruse. They have formed one giant fleet and it has gone to Conclave space. That was the only explanation that made sense. That was why his scouts could not find Somerville’s fleet. They could overwhelm the border fleets we have guarding that sector of our Empire. No! They could do much more. For a moment, Tanaka-lan’s mind almost refused to keep thinking. It was impossible. Unthinkable, even. No one had ever tried to launch an attack into the Karacknid core worlds. Yet that was the very reason why it might work. No Karacknid defensive strategy expected such an attack. None of the home fleets were prepared. “It could work,” he said, not realizing he was speaking out loud. “They could go all the way to the homeworld.”

For several minutes, Tanaka-lan simply stared into space as his mind played out just how such an attack might go. He knew several of the Admirals stationed near Conclave space. He rated none of them as useful tacticians. That was why they were where they were. Then something else came back to him. The Empress’ speech. She spoke of striking at the heart of the Empire. They are going for the Imperator and our homeworld! It had been no trick. She had been speaking the truth all along.

For several more seconds Tanaka-lan simply stared blankly. Eventually, movement in front of his eyes managed to grab his attention. The Human fleet was approaching. Suddenly, it looked very different to him. It is not an attempt to use asteroid chunks to overwhelm us. It is a suicide mission! He realized. The fleet in front of him was the only defense the Humans had protecting their empire. They had committed everything else to trying to destroy the Karacknid homeworld. And they are gunning for you, he concluded. That too now made sense. If he was killed, it would take months for news to be sent back to the Imperial homeworld and a new overall commander appointed. Taking him out might just delay the war on the frontline long enough for their attack to be successful. For the first time in his life, Tanaka-lan was genuinely scared. Not for himself, but for his Imperator. For the very Karacknid Empire itself. “Order our fighters to engage the fighters they have in reserve immediately!” He ordered as his fear drove him to action. “Forget about their worldships, they cannot harm us. Target everything at their warships. And pull the fleet back, maximum acceleration. Move Slayer to the rear of the fleet.” I must get out of here, Tanaka-lan said to himself. All thought of striking the Human homeworld left him. He needed to get back to Jaranna and rally his forces. There was no time to lose, he needed to get his fleets back to Gayla, the Imperator needed to be protected at any cost!

*

IS Vengeance

“Now!” Lightfoot ordered as soon as the first signs of the Karacknid fleet decelerating hard were detected. Two things happened in response. First, the remaining freighters detonated, releasing thousands of asteroid chunks. The explosions propelled them towards the Karacknid fleet. Behind them, every Human warship took the safeties off their reactors. Every joule of energy was then forced into their engines. With a shot, every ship lurched towards the Karacknid fleet. It is too late, he thought towards Tanaka-lan. Whatever it was that had tipped off the enemy commander to their real intentions, his fleet was not getting away now. “Keep our fire focused on the ships directly in front of that flagship,” Lightfoot ordered. Already, Tanaka-lan’s flagship was moving behind more of his ships. It made Lightfoot grind his teeth together. The Karacknid High Admiral might have guessed the one target Lightfoot was interested in. He will still not get away, Lightfoot assured himself.

He winced as another salvo of enemy missiles crashed into his fleet. As the antimatter explosions erupted all around Vengeance. Two destroyers that were a part of her escort were taken out. Many more ships were crippled or destroyed. Too many for Lightfoot to count.

“Enemy fighters incoming again,” an officer shouted.

“Signal Nimring to prioritize them,” Lightfoot snapped. If Tanaka-lan was onto his plan, the fighters would attempt to engage his reserve fighter force. That could not be allowed to happen.

“One more enemy salvo, and we will reach energy weapon range,” Lightfoot’s Chief of Staff reported.

One more, Lightfoot thought to himself as he looked at his fleet on the holo display. We just have to hold on for one more. When it struck, the devastation was enormous. Over two hundred ships were wiped out of existence. So much antimatter washed over them that they simply ceased to exist. Though it pained him greatly to see so many ships destroyed, Lightfoot tightened his hands into fists. He still had three hundred ships left. Three hundred ships that were racing at unbelievable speeds towards the heart of the Karacknid fleet. Here and there, ships were detonating as their engines or reactors overloaded. But he still had a powerful enough force. “Order our fighters to charge,” he said just seconds before his ships entered energy weapon range. Then he raised a fist as he stared at the Karacknid flagship. In his mind, he recalled the images of Earth as it had been nuked by the Karacknids in the first battle of Earth. “Die, you bastard!” he screamed as his flagship opened fire with its laser and plasma cannons.

From both fleets, thousands of energy weapons released gigajoules of destructive force towards one another. They crisscrossed the distance between the ships in the blink of an eye. Human warships and Kulrean worldships were blown apart. Yet so too were Karacknid capital ships. Hundreds of them were heavily damaged or crippled. Into the hole that had been blasted in the Karacknid fleets’ formation flew three hundred Spitfire fighters. Right behind them, almost matching their speed were the four surviving Kulrean worldships, led by Captain Nimring. Every energy weapon on the worldships was hurling thousands of blue half triangle beams at the defensive weapons that tried to strike down the fighters. Still, the combined defensive fire from almost four thousand Karacknid warships was focused on the fighters. Their numbers began to disintegrate at a frightful pace.

Right before the last forty got close enough to release their missiles, the few Human ships still remaining fired their second volley of energy weapons. Two heavy cruisers and eight destroyers in close formation around the Karacknid flagship where instantly vaporized. Immediately, thirty-six Spitfire fighters released their plasma missiles. Sensing the danger, the Karacknid fleet switched its defensive fire away from the fighters. Now everything was hurled at the plasma missiles.

On Vengeance’s bridge, Lightfoot willed the missiles on with all his strength. He was watching the final attack on his command chair’s holo display. The main display had been destroyed. Vengeance had taken three laser cannon hits. The bridge around him was dark and full of smoke. Several officers where slumped over their seats, dead or dying. Though aware of it, Lightfoot had no more energy to feel for their loss. Hands in fists, teeth gritted, he urged the plasma missiles on even as they were destroyed one by one. In the six seconds it took them to cover the distance to Tanaka-lan’s flagship, thirty-one were taken out. Then the last five detonated, releasing huge balls of plasma. Two of those balls were struck by defensive fire from Tanaka-lan’s flagship and broke apart. “Yes!” Lightfoot roared as three struck home. Each one burnt its way deep into the innards of the enemy flagship. Lightfoot held his breath as he waited for a secondary explosion that would signal the complete destruction of the ship.

It never came however. As if out of anger for the damage done to their flagship, every Karacknid ship in their fleet fired their second volley of energy weapons. Laser beams ripped into every Human warship that was left. Vengeance was torn apart. The two remaining Kulrean ships were hit by more than five hundred beams each. Together, they detonated, releasing a massive explosive wave that destroyed more than fifty Imperial fighters. In an instant, the fighting was all but over. The remaining Karacknid ships and fighters quickly swept away what Spitfires had survived the final charge at Tanaka-lan’s flagship. Then space around the Karacknid fleet became quiet once again.

*

Slayer

Tanaka-lan’s body hurt all over. The bridge had lost main power, and only emergency lights were on. Glancing down at his right hand, he saw all three of his main claws had been ripped from his fingers. They had been embedded in his command chair when the plasma bolts had smashed into his ship. Snarling, he tried to sit upright. It only brought more pain. “We are not dead,” he said out loud. “We are not dead!” he shouted louder. Anger coursed through him. The Humans had come so close to killing him. Far closer than they should have. An almost blinding lust for revenge welled up within him. It would have consumed him but for one thought that fought it. The Imperator, Tanaka-lan said to himself. I must get to the Imperator. Looking up from his own body, he searched out for crew members who were still alive.

“What are your orders High Admiral?” A tactical officer asked. He had been bent over checking Slayer’s Captain, but Tanaka-lan’s words had drawn his attention. “Captain Mara-jar is dead.”

“Forget about him,” Tanaka-lan said, ignoring the pain that shot through his abdomen with every word. “Forget about Slayer. Get me a shuttle immediately. I need to get to a Dreadnought that is undamaged. The fleet must pull back. We must send word to our other fleets. Time is of the essence!”

Chapter 22

Not much is known about the accomplishment for far greater events meant little first-hand accounts were taken from the survivors; yet from what we can piece together, the survival of Misfit and her return to Earth was one of the greatest feats of the war.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Centurion, 18th November 2485 AD.

“New contacts powering up their engines!” Centurion’s sensor officer called out. “They were hiding near the orbital facilities around the third planet. Four destroyers have been picked up so far.”

“Track them,” Scott snapped. “Signal Commander Carruthers, he is to launch fighters and pursue them.” Glancing at the holo display, Scott watched the new contacts for several seconds. She had eighty ships closing with the system’s third planet. The Karacknids had several orbital stations and a well-developed surface mining operation on the planet. Centurion’s sensors had detected large deposits of valstronium. They are running, she decided when the initial course of the four destroyers appeared. The orbital stations had several small defense satellites to protect them. But the fighter squadrons bearing down would easily dispatch them. Clearly, the Karacknid warships didn’t want to face the same fate. Turning her attention away from the third planet, Scott left the destroyers to Carruthers’ fighters.

“Firing again,” Scott’s tactical officer reported. From Centurion and the one hundred and fifty warships in formation with her, three thousand two hundred missiles were hurled into space. They joined another salvo already racing towards gas mining stations and fifty Karacknid warships orbiting the system’s only gas giant. Though outnumbered, these Karacknid ships weren’t trying to flee. Of course, Scott hadn’t given them the chance. Sneaking past the two frigates patrolling the shift passage, she had advanced into the system far enough that the Karacknid warships had no hope of out running her battlecruiser. Rather than break orbit and attempt a futile escape, the warships had chosen to stay and fight alongside the gas mining stations’ meagre defenses. Scott was okay with that. In the space of just twenty minutes, Centurion and the rest of Scott’s fleet reduced what had likely taken several years to build to molten slag. The Karacknid warships didn’t even manage to get one missile through Scott’s defenses before they were taken out. Returning her focus to the rest of the system, Scott saw that her detached squadron had destroyed the orbital installations around the system’s third planet. Even as she watched, explosions rocked the planet’s surface as the valstronium mining facilities were wiped out. Carruthers’ fighters had dispatched their targets as well, and were already on the way back to their carrier. Nothing was left of the four destroyers they had intercepted. Within the whole system, only one contact remained that wasn’t a part of Scott’s command. One lowly Karacknid frigate was racing towards the system’s eastern shift passage. Carruthers’ fighters could have caught and destroyed it as well. None of Scott’s subordinates suggested such an action, however. She had already determined that the frigate would be allowed to escape. It was racing towards the system’s eastern shift passage. That’s where she wanted news of her attack to go.

Currently, her fleet was two systems to the east of Somerville’s intended line of advance. From the direction of the systems she had attacked, and where she intended to strike next, it would look to the Karacknids that Somerville’s fleet wanted to head into the Upper Valley. There were only two shift passages that led into the Valley from their position. One they had passed weeks ago, but the other lay along Scott’s line of advance. Warn them we are coming, Scott thought towards the fleeing frigate. “Signal our fleet elements to converge on Centurion,” Scott ordered. “Then lay in a course for the eastern shift passage. Dispatch Captain Farshad’s destroyer squadron ahead of us. Make sure she knows to take a close look at the next system before venturing in. If they know we are on our way, they may try and prepare a surprise for us.”

As her subordinates acknowledged her orders, Scott watched each element of her fleet pull back from their assigned targets. In all, she had three hundred and fifty ships under her command. The Karacknids had developed mining facilities and other stations at five separate locations within the system. All of them had been destroyed. Yet as impressive as the destruction was, it was only a fraction of what they had dealt out to the Karacknids. For the past several weeks, they had been striking system after system as they scouted a path for Somerville’s fleet. Sooner or later, we’re going to come up against a real enemy fleet, she was certain. If the Karacknids had been pulling more of their ships back rather than sending them in piecemeal, she was sure they already would have. But they haven’t yet, she thought as she took in all the destruction her ships had caused. Either there was no competent commander organizing the defense of this sector they were attacking, or the Karacknids hadn’t figured out yet just how powerful a force was pushing its way into their space. Whatever it is, long may it continue, Scott hoped.

*

IS Centurion (four days later.)

“Another unprotected system,” Scott commented as she and her command staff surveyed the scouting data Farshad’s destroyer squadron had brought back. The system on the bridge’s main holo display contained just one planet of interest. Hundreds of cities dotted the planet’s surface, yet the energy readings coming from them were minimal. It was a clear sign the planet was home to an alien civilization the Karacknids had once conquered. In orbit, there were several small stations. Presumably housing the few Karacknids that it took to keep the planet submissive and to collect whatever resources the Karacknids used the locals to produce.

“Shall we attack it?” Scott’s Chief of Staff asked. “It’s hardly worth the effort.”

“Hardly indeed,” Scott said. “And unless we move into the system at a snail’s pace, those two warships will never be able to escape us.” Due to the planet’s position relative to the only two shift passages out of the system, Scott could easily block either route of escape the Karacknid warships might try to take. If she failed to stop them, it would only be because she was letting them go. Any astute Karacknid commander would grow suspicious at that. “Carruthers’ fighters can take the warships and stations out. We’ll launch a strike from here. That way, we will waste only a couple of hours. If any Karacknid scouts come through this way, they’ll detect the planet has been attacked and report it back. That might further add to the story we are trying to tell.”

“So we are heading back to Somerville’s fleet?” Centurion’s Captain asked.

Scott nodded. “We need to make contact and check-in. We’re as far from the main fleet as I’m comfortable being. If they need us, I don’t want to be out of position.” Her decision made, Scott rolled her shoulders and allowed her body to relax into her command chair. She then watched as forty-eight Spitfire fighters were launched from one of her two carriers. Immediately, they accelerated to full speed and charged towards the Karacknid stations. With only two Karacknid warships in the system, there was no need for stealth.

As soon as they detected them, the Karacknid warships powered up their reactors and sensors. But they did nothing more. Fools, Scott thought. They had to have known about her fleet’s presence nearby. The one ship she had allowed to escape to this system had to have warned them. And yet they hadn’t fled then. And they’re not going to now. They were going to die with the stations they had been charged with protecting. When Carruthers’ fighters charged in to launch their plasma missiles, the Karacknid warships put up as much of a fight as they could. One Spitfire fighter was destroyed. Then multiple balls of plasma struck each destroyer and blew them apart. The orbital stations followed moments later. Scott shook her head as the Spitfires began to decelerate and reverse their course. Trading one Spitfire for two destroyers was a good victory. At least at any previous point in the war, that would have been the case. Yet now, as they headed deeper and deeper into Karacknid space, they were coming across more and more Karacknid warships. For everyone we destroy, they seem to have two more defending the next system. In contrast, Scott knew there was no way she could replace her lost fighter. The nearest Human fighter factory was several thousand light years away. We have to get to their homeworld well before they bleed us dry, Scott thought as her fighters raced back towards their carrier.

The screaming of alarms wrenched Scott from her thoughts. A host of new contacts had just appeared on the gravimetric plot. For a couple of seconds, Scott’s heart began to race, but as she saw the ships were at the far end of the system, she forced herself to relax. “Confirmed, the new contacts are Karacknid warships. They are headed straight for our position and the shift passage we emerged from,” a sensor officer reported.

“So,” Scott said as she tried to exude an air of calm. “The Karacknids have finally put a fleet together to face us. It’s about time.” Though her words brought a few smiles, no one laughed. She guessed they understood. Her ships were nearly outnumbered ten to one by the newcomers.

“Shall I send orders for the fleet to prepare to jump out as soon as our fighters land?” Scott’s Chief of Staff asked.

“Not yet,” Scott answered. “Change of plan. We’re not running back to Somerville just yet. We need to keep an eye on this fleet. Prepare our four fastest frigates. I want them to jump out immediately.”

“Yes Rear Admiral,” Scott’s Chief of Staff replied.

Pulling up a file on her command chair, Scott updated the report she had been writing for Admiral Somerville. Quickly, she outlined what she planned to do. The Karacknid fleet was no doubt trying to intercept Somerville’s fleet. She intended to keep her fleet in front of the Karacknids and stop them from sending any scouts forward to locate Somerville ships. She was also going to dispatch two powerful squadrons to check the nearby systems. It was quite possible the ships on Centurion’s sensors were just part of a larger fleet that was advancing through several systems. Content that that was all she would be able to do with her limited resources, Scott finished the report and sent it to her Chief of Staff. “Transmit this to our frigates and order them to depart. Then bring our fleet out of stealth and move us into the system. Let’s let the Karacknids know we are here. Maybe it will slow down their advance.” This time, Scott didn’t have to work on sounding confident. It came naturally. Raiding largely unprotected enemy systems was satisfying in a way, but she had insisted on joining Operation Hail Mary to bring the fight to the Karacknids. She was in her element facing off against an enemy fleet of two thousand five hundred ships.

*

IS Drake, 29th November 2485 AD, (seven days later).

“All right, tell us what we are up against,” James requested as he nodded to his Chief of Staff.

Ivanov stood and tapped a button turning on the conference room’s holo display. She then turned to face James’ command staff. “Admiral Jil’lal sent a squadron of twenty destroyers and frigates ahead to scout out what we’ve designated the Foxtrot Seventeen system. We knew from the Kalassai intelligence that it was a heavily developed Karacknid colony. The Kalassai believed it served as a sector capital for this part of the Karacknid empire. What Jil’lal’s scouts found has confirmed this. The system is home to the largest fleet base we have yet seen.” The holo image zoomed in to show one of the system’s planets. Its orbitals were thick with stations. Some were immediately identifiable as construction yards. Some even had ships partially built within them. Beyond the construction yards though, there were hundreds of other stations. Far more than were needed to service shipbuilding operations. Here and there among the other stations were large battlestations as well. It was clear the base was of significant importance to the Karacknids.

“There’s also a garrison force of at least fifteen hundred ships,” Ivanov continued as the image zoomed out slightly to show a large formation of warships hovering in high orbit above the shipyards. “Given the amount of real estate in the system, our analysts believe the base serves as a resupply and repair hub for all of the Karacknid garrisons between here and the inner core worlds of the Karacknid empire. Our scouts also identified a number of cities on the planet’s surface. They are all highly advanced, suggesting that the cities are home to Karacknid colonists rather than a conquered species. There could be upwards of several hundred million Karacknids present.”

James’ eyebrows rose. That was unexpected. So far, no Allied Fleet or even a scout had encountered a world solely inhabited by Karacknids. Here and there, they had outposts to oversee the species they had colonized, but a Karacknid only world, that was something new. I’ll have to speak to my commanders again, James said to himself. The Karacknid colony would make a very tempting target. He did not want any trigger-happy captains launching nukes at the planet in a misguided effort to get revenge for the attacks on Earth or Kirama. “And your tactical assessment?” James asked as he focused his mind back on to the main problem.

“The base is too large and powerful to leave in our rear,” Ivanov concluded. “If we don’t assault it and take it out, it could serve as a focal point for many of the Karacknid garrison squadrons we have slipped past. They could combine at Foxtrot Seventeen, resupply and then pursue us. We could find a very powerful force in our rear if we don’t take out this base.”

“Agreed,” James said with a nod. “Fifteen hundred ships are already more ships than I want operating behind us. And we know there are others out there.” For just over a month now, his fleet had been steadily advancing deeper into the Karacknid empire, roughly running parallel to the western edge of the Valley. Several small skirmishes had been fought between the forward squadrons of his, Ya’sia, and Jourm’s fleets. But so far, neither of the three main fleets had been forced into any engagements. Even so, a number of Karacknid squadrons ranging in size up to three hundred ships had been spotted running from the advanced squadrons or trying to shadow James’ forces. If they were able to combine with the fifteen hundred ships of Foxtrot Seventeen’s garrison, the Karacknids would have a force powerful enough to threaten James’ fleet. “So, how are we going to crack this nut?”

Before anyone answered, James felt his datapad vibrating. Knowing he would only be interrupted if it was important, he held up a hand. With his other hand, he activated his datapad. A priority alert was being displayed. Accessing it, he saw a new report had just arrived from Rear Admiral Scott. Quickly, he scanned through it. When he was done, he sent it to his command staff. “Foxtrot Seventeen has suddenly become even more urgent,” he said. “Rear Admiral Scott has just sent a contact report back to us. A Karacknid fleet of two thousand five hundred warships is to our east. They are maneuvering to close with us. Given their position as of a week ago, they are either trying to intercept us before we reach Foxtrot Seventeen, or they may be planning to rendezvous with Foxtrot Seventeen’s garrison. We cannot allow either to happen. If they combine, we will be facing four thousand ships. Even if we could combine all of our fleets, fighting our way past them would be a costly battle.” As James had been speaking, Ivanov altered the holo display to show a map of local space. On it, the estimated location of Scott’s fleet appeared along with the new Karacknid fleet. “Suggestions?” James asked.

“We need to send word to Ya’sia and Jourm, it’s time to combine our fleets,” Alvarez said at once. “We can’t risk being caught by these two fleets on our own. Especially if there are other fleets out there we haven’t learned about yet.”

“I concur,” James said. “I want orders drawn up to that effect immediately,” he added as he gave Ivanov a nod. “Dispatch fast frigates to both fleets immediately.” Ivanov nodded and pulled out her datapad and began to tap on it furiously. Turning from her, James raised an eyebrow towards the rest of his command staff.

No one spoke for several seconds as they stared at the holo map. “This new Karacknid fleet,” Anderson said as he widened the star map to show more systems. “Judging from its angle of approach, it may have come from the Valley. If so, their intelligence on us has to be sketchy. They may not even know if Rear Admiral Scott’s force is all the enemy ships they are facing. We could use that.”

James smiled; he had been thinking the same thing. Anderson was developing a devious trick. He is learning, James thought to himself. “And how would we do that?”

“If Scott is successful in keeping the Karacknid fleet from sending scout ships to investigate us, she may also likely intercept any ships the Karacknid fleet sends to Foxtrot Seventeen. It will make it harder for both Karacknid forces to coordinate. We could send Jil’lal’s squadron into the Foxtrot Seventeen system ahead of us. Her ships could screen our advance. If we join with Ya’sia and Jourm’s fleets and place ourselves between the Foxtrot Seventeen garrison and this new Karacknid fleet, we’d hold the central position. We could strike at either fleet with a significant numerical advantage.”

“An excellent plan,” James said, eliciting a smile from Anderson. “But we need to act quickly if we are going to have any chance of pulling it off. And we have to send reinforcements forward to Jil’lal to make sure she isn’t overwhelmed by the garrison force. Let’s draw up a more detailed plan and run some simulations. I want orders ready to be dispatched within the hour.”

In what seemed like no time at all, James and his command staff worked through the finer points of Anderson’s suggestion. They also incorporated a number of contingency plans based on how the Karacknid fleets might respond to their initial moves. Then they ran a number of simulations to see just how things might play out. Quickly, James was satisfied that they had a working strategy. At least one to begin to put into play. No doubt things would change as more scout reports came in and the situation developed. “Okay then, we have a plan, let’s begin to execute it,” he said as he nodded to his command staff. “Let’s get these orders written up and on their way to where they need to go.”

“May I make another suggestion?” Captain Alvarez said as James’ other officers began to carry out his orders.

“Of course,” James replied.

“This Karacknid colony, it’s the first we’ve ever encountered. The Kalassai intelligence contains almost nothing about what Karacknid worlds are actually like, nor about their society. This is a golden opportunity to gather more information on our enemy. If we are going to try and capture the Imperator and force the Karacknids into peace, we should try and learn as much about them as we can. If we can destroy this garrison fleet and even the new Karacknid fleet Scott has detected, we will likely need a day or two to reorganize our forces. We could use that to land ground troops on the colony and gather what intelligence we can.”

James bit his lip. “A ground landing could be costly, we only have so many ground troops, and we’re going to need them if we get to the Karacknid homeworld.”

“If it looks too dangerous, then we need not proceed,” Alvarez said. “But there again, we know almost nothing about the kind of ground defenses Karacknid colonies have. Attempting a landing here may save us ground troops in the long term.”

“Very well,” James conceded. “Liaise with General Johnston and begin to make preparations. If we can take the orbitals, we’ll assess whether or not to launch a landing then.”

“As you wish Admiral,” Alvarez said with a nod.

Chapter 23

The Vestarians were the first alien civilization Humanity encountered. Though the meeting of our two species began in conflict, it has blossomed beyond what either could have imagined at the time. Vestar is now counted among one of the six leading Imperial worlds. Her contribution to our five hundred year history is unrivaled among our allies.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Rising Star, 4th December 2485 AD, (five days later).

“All ships report ready to jump Admiral,” Rising Star’s COM officer reported.

Jil’lal hesitated for a couple of seconds. She ran through the plan once more in her mind, looking for weaknesses. She found none. Bringing her four hands together, she nodded to her COM officer. “Send the order, we jump in thirty seconds.”

Two small tremors ran through Rising Star as the Vestarian battleship entered and then exited shift space in a matter of three seconds. At once, her active sensors powered up and began to scan the space around the warship. The thirty other ships in formation with her did the same. Eight similar squadrons spaced out around the edge of the shift passage’s mouth also began to look for enemies. In a matter of moments, eight ships had been detected. Four of them were already maneuvering, the others had been powered down trying to hide. All of Jil’lal’s squadrons launched missiles at the targets in range. The Karacknids did likewise. The holo plot became a maze of missiles flying in all directions. Within five minutes however, the brief engagement was over. Jil’lal unclasped her hands. The easy part was over. None of her squadrons had taken losses as, grouped together, the lone Karacknid scouts hadn’t been able to overpower their point defenses. “Signal the other squadrons to rendezvous with us and set course for the Karacknid fleet base. Maximum acceleration.”

Turning her attention to the Karacknid fleet base, Jil’lal watched their reaction. Already, thousands of power readings were being picked up by Rising Star’s sensors. On the gravimetric plot, the Karacknid garrison fleet was on the move. They weren’t breaking orbit, but they were moving to place themselves between Jil’lal’s fleet and the many shipyards and other stations orbiting the system’s third planet. Just you stay there, Jil’lal thought towards the garrison fleet. If they came out to try and engage her, she would have little choice but to retreat. “Launch fighters,” she ordered. “Let’s make sure they know we have long range strike capabilities.” Threatening the Karacknid orbital stations with a fighter strike was the best ploy she had to encourage the garrison fleet to stay put. And for all they know, we could have many more ships with us, Jil’lal thought hopefully. Certainly, news had to have reached the sector capital of the many systems being hit by the detached squadrons Somerville, Ya’sia, and Jourm had probing ahead of their main fleets.

“Detecting several ships breaking orbit,” a sensor officer called out. “Twenty ships, into three groups. They are heading towards the other three shift passages.”

Jil’lal waved a hand to acknowledge the report. She was already looking at the gravimetric plot. “Send all our fighters in pursuit, focus on the group of ships heading towards the eastern shift passage. I want three squadrons after them. Split the rest between the other two. We don’t want any news of our presence getting out of here.”

Over the next two hours, Jil’lal maneuvered her fleet in closer towards the supply base. She didn’t come close enough to threaten it, nor put her ships in a position where the garrison fleet could force her into battle. Yet, she did move close enough to keep an eye on everything they were up to. At the same time, she watched as her fighters intercepted the ships the Karacknids had dispatched to send out a warning. She smiled a predatory grin when the eastern group of ships was completely destroyed. One ship did escape from the other two groups, but that was likely to be of little consequence. Now, if you want to try again, you’re more than welcome, Jil’lal thought as her fighters turned around and began to head back to their carriers. Her warships were now close enough that she could attempt to intercept any additional messenger ships herself. If the Karacknids wanted to get news out, they’d have to send a lot more warships, and even then, there was no guarantee they’d get past her.

*

IS Drake, (eighteen hours later).

When Drake jumped into the Karacknid sector capital, James wasn’t surprised by what he found. Jil’lal’s fleet was exactly where he had ordered her to be. The Karacknids, clearly not happy about having such a small enemy pestering them, had two groups of three hundred warships trying to chase her away. Even as James watched, Jil’lal expertly maneuvered her fleet away from both, whilst still keeping her forces close enough to the Karacknid fleet base that she could launch a fighter strike if an opening came.

“Several ships have been waiting for us Admiral,” Lieutenant Petrov reported, “they have messages from Admiral Ya’sia and Rear Admiral Scott for you.”

“Send them to my command chair,” James replied. “Ivanov, take the fleet in, there’s no need for us to hide now. They may as well know they’re up against a real threat. Hopefully, it will encourage them to leave Jil’lal alone. Then send a request for an update from her. I want to know if any Karacknid ships managed to leave the system.”

“At once, Admiral,” Ivanov replied.

James nodded to her and then pulled up the reports. He checked Scott’s first. Twelve hours away, he thought to himself as he carefully read what the Rear Admiral had sent him. She had managed to keep her fleet ahead of the Karacknid fleet, despite a couple of attempts by the Karacknids to catch up to her. Her fighters had given the Karacknids a bloody nose each time. Not for the first time, James was very thankful that the Karacknids had no fighter squadrons deployed to this part of their Empire. And her scouts have detected no other Karacknid fleets, that’s good, James was relieved to see. Next, he read through Ya’sia’s update. Her fleet was just ten hours from reaching the sector capital system. That is cutting it close, he knew. If Ya’sia was late, he could find himself stuck between the Karacknid garrison and the fleet that was moving in from the east. You wanted the central position, he reminded himself. Well, now you’re in it. If the Karacknid garrison fleet knew about the approach of their Eastern fleet, from their perspective, it would look like they were trapping him between a hammer and an anvil. If Ya’sia was late, they would end up being correct. We are committed now, James thought. We can’t let them combine. “Ya’sia’s fleet and this eastern Karacknid fleet are approximately ten hours away,” he said as he explained the situation to his staff officers. “We need to engage the garrison fleet before the eastern fleet gets here. If we can hurt them badly enough, then we’ll be able to focus on the eastern fleet with Ya’sia. Let’s begin preparations for assaulting the planet’s defenses.”

As his officers did just that, James quickly wrote fresh orders for Ya’sia. He wanted her to wait in the outer system and be prepared to engage the eastern Karacknid fleet. If she could, she was to delay them until Jourm’s fleet arrived. As soon as he was done, he sent the orders to Lieutenant Petrov to transmit the message to a frigate that would wait at the end of the shift passage for Ya’sia’s ships. With that done, James focused his attention back onto his fleet and the Karacknid fleet base. With Drake, he had two thousand three hundred warships, including three hundred from one of Ya’sia’s probing squadrons which had managed to rendezvous with him before entering the system. Jil’lal’s fleet would put him over two and a half thousand. It gave him a healthy numerical advantage over the Karacknid garrison fleet. Yet there were more than fifty battlestations and an unknown number of other defenses built into the many orbital stations the Karacknids had. “Let’s start launching stealth recon probes,” James requested. “I want as accurate a picture of what we are up against as possible. And ask Admiral Jil’lal to send us all the data she has collected on their defenses as well.”

Over the next hour, James brought his fleet forward to rendezvous with Jil’lal. As he expected, the Karacknid warships harassing her fled once they detected his fleet approaching. “Hail Rising Star, I want to speak with Admiral Jil’lal,” James requested when Drake got into two-way communication range. “Admiral,” he said with a smile when Jil’lal appeared on his command chair’s holo display. “You’ve done an impressive job.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “I must confess, it was a relief to see your ships. The garrison fleet has not been happy with my presence in their system.”

James chuckled. “I’m sure they haven’t. But they didn’t make any serious efforts to get news of your attack out after your initial arrival?”

Jil’lal shook her head. “Not that we detected. I think they were possibly trying to when you arrived. Those two Karacknid squadrons were driving us away from covering a direct line to the shift passage we think the eastern Karacknid fleet is coming from.”

“Which means they are expecting the eastern Karacknid fleet,” James concluded. “That’s probably why they haven’t been too concerned about alerting them. They expect them to already know about us.”

“What is our next step?” Jil’lal asked.

“Now we test their defenses,” James answered. “The eastern Karacknid fleet is likely only hours away. I want to be engaging their base when they get here.”

“Very well, my ships will fall into formation. We are ready to fight,” Jil’lal said.

James flashed the Vestarian a quick smile. “I expected nothing less.” He ended the COM channel. “Lay in a course to bring us into missile range of the Karacknid base. I want to do a flyby attack. We’ll launch one salvo and see how it fares,” he ordered. “We have several hours before the eastern Karacknid fleet arrives. Let’s put them to good use.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov replied.

Forty minutes later, and James’ fleet of two thousand seven hundred and fifty warships slipped into missile range of the Karacknid fleet base just long enough to release fifty-two thousand missiles. The Karacknid garrison fleet fired their own salvo in return, yet it was less than half the size of the Allied fleets’. As his ships moved away from the Karacknid base, Allied fighters engaged the Karacknid missiles. They destroyed a couple of thousand of them and caused many more to have to take evasive measures. Then the Allied missiles reached their targets. Impressive, James had to admit. Nearly every Karacknid orbital station had some kind of point defensive weapon. Less than fifty mark IV missiles got close enough to detonate and send grazer beams piercing into the Karacknid ships and stations. A handful of ships detonated, but that was all the destruction James could make out. Most of the large orbital stations had taken a grazer beam and seemed apparently no worse for wear. They are well built, James concluded. As soon as the last missile detonated, James switched his focus back to his fleet. Already, all of his ships were engaging the Karacknid missiles with their point defenses. Five managed to get close enough to detonate. James grimaced when one destroyer was engulfed in a cloud of antimatter. It didn’t appear out the other side. Reports started coming in of three other ships that had been damaged, none seriously though. “How did we fare?” James asked after waiting several minutes for Ivanov and Anderson to analyze the attack.

“The defenses are significant,” Anderson replied. “My best estimate suggests it would take us upwards of twenty missile salvos to batter our way through them. In the meantime, we might lose a hundred or more ships.”

James nodded as he thought through the numbers. Losing eighty ships to destroy a fleet of fifteen hundred Karacknid warships was more than favorable. Yet not quite so much if we had to expend twenty missile salvos to do so. His ships would have to use up nearly half of their ammunition in such a fight. Yes, he had plenty of spare missiles in the freighters that were with his fleet. But they were going to be needed in the weeks and months ahead. They still were not quite halfway towards the Karacknid homeworld and he was certain the opposition was only going to get stronger as they proceeded. “And if we launch several salvos of mark VI’s, how many would it take to reduce their strength so that we could switch over to mark IV’s to finish them?”

Anderson glanced down at his console for a couple of seconds. “Eight, at least.”

James shook his head, that was too many. Not when he already had such a numerical advantage. He needed to conserve his mark VI’s for more dire situations. “We cannot take them on our own, at least cost-effectively,” James said as he thought out loud. “But we need to keep them engaged until the eastern Karacknid fleet arrives. We’ll make hourly passes and strike them with one salvo each time. I want all our fire focused on their warships. Let’s reduce their numbers as much as possible.”

“What about the siege ships?” Ivanov asked. “We could use them. Maybe it would force the Karacknid fleet to come out from behind their defenses and fight us.”

“No,” James replied, he had already considered the possibility. “I want them kept a secret. With all the fighting that’s about to happen here, there is a good chance some Karacknid ships are going to escape. I don’t want news of them reaching the Karacknid homeworld. Let’s not give them a chance to come up with a counter before we get to use them properly.”

“Understood, we’ll set up our next attack run then,” Ivanov replied.

For eight hours James’ fleet crisscrossed back-and-forth through the inner system as they swept in to launch missile salvo after salvo at the Karacknid base. After nine salvos, one hundred and fifty Karacknid warships had been destroyed or badly damaged. Sixteen Allied ships were lost. Then James received the signal he had been waiting for. One of the frigates he had left at the shift passage his fleet had entered the system from carried out a prearranged maneuver. Ya’sia’s fleet had arrived. James let out a breath of relief. She had beaten the eastern Karacknid fleet. He still had no idea just how far away Jourm’s ships were, but at least his forces weren’t going to be outnumbered. “All right, let’s put an end to these probing attacks. Form us up as if we are going to launch a full strike. Let’s show the Karacknids we are serious.”

Before his ships could get close enough to the Karacknid base to threaten it once again, what James had been waiting for finally happened. Two hundred and thirty new contacts suddenly appeared on Drake’s gravimetric sensors. Rear Admiral Scott’s fleet had arrived. They were accelerating hard towards his position. Just as they would if they were being pursued by a large enemy fleet. “Pause our efforts to launch our next attack,” James ordered. The Karacknid garrison fleet would expect nothing less, given the sudden arrival of additional ships. For half an hour, everyone on Drake’s bridge waited and watched as Scott’s fleet did its best to get away from the shift passage. When they were barely out of missile range, two thousand five hundred new contacts appeared on Drake’s gravimetric sensors. The eastern Karacknid fleet had arrived. Having detected Scott and James’ fleet, they immediately began to charge into the system. James took a breath to prepare himself. “Begin slow launching our fighters,” he ordered as he caught Ivanov’s gaze. “Petrov, get me Rear Admiral Becket.”

“You’re confident about what you have to do?” He asked Becket as soon as the COM link was established.

“Don’t you worry about us, we’ll hold our own,” Becket assured him. “Go and deal with this eastern fleet. Once it’s out of the way, the fleet base will be ours for the taking.”

“Very well,” James said with a nod, he had wanted to make sure. “If you need help, call for it immediately.”

“I will,” Becket promised.

With a tap on his command chair, James ended the COM channel. “All right, execute hammer and anvil maneuver,” he ordered. As his request was sent across the fleet, one thousand three hundred ships began to decelerate. Together, their noses turned towards the incoming Karacknid fleet. Crucially, all of James’ carriers followed Drake’s maneuver. Once the ships were settled onto their course, James kept one eye on the Karacknid fleet and a second on the garrison fleet. From the Karacknids’ perspective, it no doubt looked like they had successfully trapped James’ forces. Now all the Karacknids had to do was crush him between their two fleets. And they have to be confident, James was sure as he stared at the two thousand five hundred warships racing towards his flagship. To his knowledge, no Karacknid fleet of such a size had been defeated outside of the frontline of his species’ war with them. It was quite possible the news of High Admiral Tanaka-lan’s retreat from Earth because of the Kulrean worldships’ intervention hadn’t even reached the fleet in front of him. And that assumes the Imperator would even allow it to become public knowledge. Or any of the defeats his fleets have suffered at our hands. James’ thoughts caused his confidence to grow even more.

For half an hour, the strategic situation remained unchanged. James had begun to think the Karacknid garrison fleet had decided to stay put until the battle between his ships and the eastern fleet was concluded. “The garrison fleet is moving,” Anderson called out, bringing an end to James’ hope. As his ships continued to race towards the eastern fleet, he could now do nothing but watch and see how Becket dealt with the garrison fleet. She didn’t have to engage it head on, but James needed her to prevent the garrison fleet from moving towards the eastern fleet. For twenty minutes or so as the garrison fleet broke orbit, Becket fell back before them. Then, when they were well out of range of the orbital battlestations defenses, she struck. Moving into attack range she fired off two quick missile salvos and then veered off to one side out of missile range. As soon as Becket’s first salvo passed them, every fighter and bomber in James’ fleet powered up its reactor and engine and raced after the missiles. Suddenly, two thousand fighters that had been hiding in stealth were racing in behind Becket’s twenty-eight thousand missiles.

“They are about to get one hell of a bloody nose,” Alvarez commented.

“Let’s hope it’s enough to discourage them from coming any further,” James said, not wanting to get too optimistic yet. His hope soon grew as Becket’s first salvo and then the fighters and bombers released their destructive forces into the Karacknid garrison fleet. The missile salvo destroyed thirty-three of their ships. The follow-up strike by the fighters took out three hundred more. All of a sudden, the garrison fleet had lost its numerical advantage. When Becket’s second salvo reached the Karacknid ships and detonated, another seventy-six were destroyed or crippled. After engaging both Karacknid salvos, Drake’s sensors told James Becket had lost sixty-two of her own. As soon as the last Karacknid missile detonated, Becket’s fleet stopped pulling away from the garrison fleet. Instead, they began to move towards it. James smiled. Becket was good at bluffing. She now had eleven hundred ships and the Karacknid garrison fleet just over a thousand. A battle between both forces would likely prove devastating for both sides. James nodded as soon as he saw the Karacknid fleet begin to decelerate. Wisely, they were pulling back to the protection of their battle stations. They can finish off Becket’s fleet after the eastern fleet destroys my ships, James thought as he imagined how the Karacknid commanders saw the strategic situation. At least, if things were as they seem, you could. “It is time,” James said as he returned his attention to the eastern Karacknid fleet. “Signal Ya’sia, tell her I want her fleet moving to attack along these coordinates,” he added as he sent coordinates to Petrov.

Moments later, pulses of gravimetric waves began to be sent out by Drake’s gravimetric generator. Using an advanced form of Morse code, it took thirty seconds for James’ orders to be relayed. As soon as they were, a new set of pulses were picked up originating from a point in the system that Drake’s sensors said were empty. Within the space of ten seconds however, two thousand five hundred ships suddenly appeared as they came out of stealth. James easily identified Triumphant as she turned towards the eastern Karacknid fleet and moved onto a pursuit course. The number of ships Ya’sia had also made him smile. It looked like at least one of Jourm’s advanced squadrons had been able to catch up with her. Now what are you going to do? James asked the commander of the eastern Karacknid fleet. It was now his fleet that found itself stuck between a hammer and anvil. Ya’sia’s fleet matched their numbers, and her ships were already maneuvering to cut off his line of retreat. He had no choice, he had to fight.

“We will fire two salvos of mark VI’s,” James informed his staff officers. “Coordinate our fire with Scott and Ya’sia. Inform Ya’sia she will have to engage the Karacknids until we can close to mark IV range.”

After being launched, the first salvo of long-range missiles took sixteen minutes to reach Scott’s ships. Her two hundred and thirty warships added their own mark VI’s. Together, the thirty-eight thousand missiles raced towards the Karacknids. From Ya’sia’s fleet, another fifty-seven thousand missiles were launched. Then her one thousand six hundred fighters raced off after the missiles. As soon as they were in range, the Karacknids fired their own missiles at Ya’sia’s fleet. Their number was impressive. But you are only going to get to fire two of them, James said to himself.

The battle played out in a surreal fashion for James. With the Karacknids engaging Ya’sia’s fleet, he heard and felt salvo after salvo be launched by Drake and yet not once did she have to open fire with her point defenses. The first two salvos from the Karacknid fleet did do significant damage to Ya’sia’s ships. Two hundred and thirty were destroyed or severely damaged. Yet the combined fire of James’ first salvo along with the follow-up fighter attack took four hundred Karacknid warships out of the fight. Thereafter, the Allied fleets’ numerical superiority meant that the Karacknids’ resistance was slowly but surely ground down. The second salvo that struck them took out a further one hundred and fifty ships. Then one hundred and eighty were destroyed by the third. Their numbers kept dwindling until there weren’t enough ships left in the Karacknid fleet to threaten Ya’sia’s fleet. As soon as Ya’sia’s ships destroyed every single missile from the latest salvo coming at them, the Karacknid ships turned and tried to charge into energy weapon range. Expertly, Ya’sia pulled her ships back. Two more salvos finished off the Karacknid fleet. “Make sure we send Ya’sia whatever help her damaged ships need,” James said once the fighting was over. He then tallied up the losses Ya’sia had suffered. Three hundred and ninety of her ships were missing or were trailing behind the fleet, badly damaged. They would all have to be scuttled, the fleet couldn’t afford to have damaged ships slowing them down. Ya’sia’s fighter wing had also lost at least two hundred of its strength. Despite the victory, James grimaced. Adding Ya’sia’s losses to Becket’s, and to what the fleets had already lost over the last months, he was already down eight percent of the initial strength he had left Scalatar with. And we haven’t got to their core worlds yet, James reminded himself. The battle isn’t over yet, he thought as he cut off any further temptation to become melancholy. Lifting his eyes to the holo plot, he settled his gaze on the Karacknid garrison fleet and the massive fleet base. They needed to destroy it before they could move on. “Set course to rendezvous with Vice Admiral Becket’s ships,” James ordered. “As soon as Ya’sia is ready, instruct her ships to form up with us. It’s time to reduce this Karacknid base to debris.”

Unsurprisingly, as James’ ships moved towards the Karacknid base, the garrison fleet did not move. Outnumbered two to one by James and Becket’s fleets alone, they now stood no chance of doing any serious damage to them. Their best play was still to hide behind their defenses. An hour after James’ ships entered high orbit, blockading the garrison fleet in place, Ya’sia’s fleet joined them. Just before James gave the order to attack though, a host of new contacts appeared on the gravimetric plot. “Admiral Jourm has arrived!” Alvarez said. “He made fantastic time.”

“Indeed, he did,” James agreed. “Request that his ships join us immediately. He may join our attack.” Jourm’s fleet had been operating furthest from Drake when James had learned of the eastern Karacknid fleet. Jourm had obviously pushed his ships hard to get there in the time that he did. He’ll be displeased that he missed the battle, James was certain.

Two hours later, the combined might of the Allied Fleet approached the Karacknid fleet base. When James gave the order, seven thousand ships hurled one hundred and seventy thousand missiles at the garrison fleet and the orbital battlestations. James kept all his fighters in their carriers, there was no need to risk them. Despite having so many battlestations and defense satellites, the first salvo proved devastating. Nearly half the garrison fleet and a good number of battle stations were taken out of the fight. One more full salvo wreaked havoc among the remaining defenders. Then a third salvo reduced every other orbital station to debris. “Get me General Johnston,” James said once there was no longer any sign of Karacknid resistance. It was time to see if the marine wanted to try landing some of his troops.

Chapter 24

Once we thought assaulting Karacknid worlds was challenging, then we met the Antarians.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Eisenhower

General Johnston activated the holo COM on his command chair as soon as the request came in from Drake. “Congratulations on another victory Admiral,” he said when Somerville’s face appeared in front of him. “You are making a habit of destroying Karacknid fleets of late. I can’t say it’s something I can complain about.”

Almost, Johnston thought he was going to get an eye roll out of his friend. “Ya’sia’s fleet did most of the fighting,” James said instead. “Have you had time to analyze the surface defenses? What are your thoughts on a reconnaissance landing?”

Johnston nodded. “I have.” Reaching down, he brought up a file and transmitted it to James. “All of their cities have weapon emplacements scattered around their outskirts. I imagine you wouldn’t be too worried about a few careful orbital strikes to take them out?” When James shook his head, Johnston continued. “I thought not. Then I think this small city here is an ideal target. There can’t be more than ten or twenty thousand Karacknids living in it. From our orbital scans, we have only spotted about a thousand Karacknid soldiers defending it. If we take out their weapon emplacements, we should be able to land enough troops to surround the city and launch an assault.”

“What are these other buildings on the outskirts? They look strange,” James asked.

“That’s in part why we have chosen his target, we think they are dwellings of another species,” Johnston explained. “Perhaps this planet was home to another species before the Karacknids conquered it after all. Or maybe they were transported here. Either way, they could be a very good source of intelligence.”

“It’s just as likely they may know nothing,” James replied. “If they’ve spent hundreds of years under Karacknid rule with their technological base wiped out, the Karacknids could seem like gods to them. They could find Karacknid technology and society unintelligible.”

“Quite possible,” Johnston said. “But there’s only one way to find out. If you’re willing to deploy all of your Corsair fighters to provide a high air patrol, I’m reasonably confident we can take the city with minimal losses. Then, if we don’t find anything of interest, there is a second, much larger city just fifty miles away. If we feel up to it, we could try taking it once we have a landing zone secured.”

“Very well,” James said. “If you are confident, then I will give the mission the go ahead. Keep me updated.”

“Of course, Admiral, if I need anything I’ll ask. Just make sure no large Karacknid formations try to move on us once we land. It looks like the terrain between the cities is full of ravines and a thick jungle. We’ll have to keep a close eye on the other cities as it would be easy to sneak a force out. But if we spot them, a few orbital strikes should dissuade any Karacknid armies from moving to contest our landing.”

James smiled. “The beauty of controlling the orbitals. It’s sure nice to be on this side of things for a change.”

Johnston returned James’ smile. “You can say that again. I’ll go and get my troops moving,” he added. “The less time the Karacknids have to prepare, the better.”

James nodded and then ended the COM channel. “All right,” Johnston said to his command staff, “you heard the Admiral. Operation Quickthrust is a go. Liaise with Wing Commander Hawthorn and get her Corsair fighters in position. Launch our atmospheric fighters and get our first wave of shuttles out of their hangers. Let’s get this assault underway.”

*

“Load up marines!” Lieutenant General Pershing shouted across Hastings’ main hanger bay as soon as the order came through. Instantly, he heard his command repeated up and down the massive hanger by Majors, Captains, and Sergeants. Hundreds of marines jumped up from where they had been milling around and ran to their shuttles. Across Hastings’ other hangers and throughout the fleet, Pershing knew the rest of his first assault would be doing the same. When he was satisfied everyone was on the move, he followed his own orders and ascended the access ramp to his command shuttle. As soon as he sat down, the holo display switched on. It was already displaying a detailed view of the Karacknid colony. Within seconds, four hundred shuttles appeared as they were launched from the troop ships at the heart of Admiral Somerville’s fleet. After igniting its engines, Pershing’s shuttle joined them along with even more. As his attack wave of shuttles formed up, fifty atmospheric fighters accompanied by one hundred Corsairs moved towards the Karacknid colony. They were on a direct course to the colony’s largest city. Behind them, two hundred shuttles closely followed.

Two hundred empty shuttles, Pershing knew. They were a ruse, designed to draw out the colony’s surface defenses. Sure enough, as he watched, a number of enemy contacts appeared. Karacknid atmospheric fighters were rushing towards their main city. At once, the marine atmospheric fighters dove through the planet’s atmosphere to engage. Corsairs also moved close enough to skim the atmosphere and launch their anti-fighter missiles.

“Eisenhower is signaling, we have permission to proceed,” Pershing’s COM officer said from where she sat opposite him.

“Send the order,” Pershing said as he pulled his eyes away from the atmospheric fighter battle. Now he focused his full attention on his own attack. Racing away from the Allied Fleet, he had three hundred assault shuttles. Escorting them were one hundred atmospheric fighters and another hundred Corsairs. As his force approached the colony’s atmosphere, white flashes began to zip past them. The Allied fleet was hurling tungsten spears at anything that looked like a military target within the vicinity of the city he was tasked with capturing. Soon the holo map updated to show miniature mushroom clouds rising from the city’s outskirts.

“Enemy fighters detected, twenty are just over the horizon,” a sensor officer reported. “It looks like they’re waiting for us to pass through the atmosphere to attack.”

Pershing nodded, they wanted to strike his shuttles right at the moment his sensors would be at their weakest. “Dispatch half our atmospheric fighters and all the Corsairs. Take them out.” At once, the fighters raced ahead of his shuttles. “I want ten fighters to strafe the city’s outer defenses,” he ordered next. As ten more blips moved ahead of his shuttles, Pershing leaned in towards the holo map. Now he was about to find out just what kind of defenses the Karacknid city had. As soon as his fighters descended through the atmosphere above the city, thirty missiles lifted off from the surface and rapidly accelerated towards them. Several laser cannons also opened up, hurling hundreds of beams towards the fighters. One was struck and blown apart. The rest accelerated hard away from the city, missiles pursuing them. Pershing didn’t have time to see if they would escape. His officers had already identified and locked onto all of the SAM launch sites and laser cannons. “Go!” He ordered as his main attack began.

The rest of his fighters and shuttles broke through the colony’s atmosphere. As they did, they fired their own missiles and energy weapons towards the Karacknid city. At the same time, another wave of SAM missiles and even more laser cannons opened fire. Thousands of countermeasures were released by his shuttles to throw off the SAMs as they rose. Counter fire from his force destroyed every ground target that fired any kind of weapon at his shuttles. Even so, on the holo display, several shuttles were blown apart by laser beams. Then missiles began to race into Pershing’s formation. Countermeasures and point defense fire destroyed most of them. Still, his shuttles took more losses.

In the thirty seconds it took for the shuttles to race towards the planet’s surface, the enemy fire quickly withered. Then Pershing was squashed down into his seat by the G forces as the shuttle fired off its landing thrusters. In the space of ten seconds, it lost all of its momentum. “Landing,” the shuttle pilot called out. His words were followed moments later by a rough thud that ran up through Pershing’s spine. Despite the discomfort, he had already unbuckled himself and was on the move. A shuttle sitting stationary on a planet’s surface was a prime target for enemy fire. With his command staff and the twenty other marines in the shuttle, Pershing raced out the rear access ramp. Immediately, his eyes scanned for the ridgeline that should be to his east. The multicolored jungle obscured most of it, but he could just make out a few jagged hill tops. The Karacknid city was just over them. “Spread out, secure the landing zone,” he began to order. “And get a platoon on that ridge, I want eyes on the enemy.”

As his command staff set up their Forward Operating Base, Pershing watched as the first wave of fifty shuttles took off. At once, they took up station above the landing zone to provide air cover as the next wave zoomed in. He nodded in approval when he saw that most of the marines from the first group of shuttles were already sprinting into the thick jungle. His force was landing in one of the few open spaces in the planet’s thick forests. Glancing down for the first time, Pershing took in the local fauna. He was standing in what seemed like tall elephant grass that came up to his waist. As he moved forward towards the FOB, he met more resistance than he was expecting. It’s a good thing we don’t have to charge through a field of this stuff, he thought. Then his mind went to the large clearings the Karacknids had around all their cities. The cities didn’t have walls or any physical barriers marking their limits, but the Karacknids had cleared at least half a mile of the jungle right around each city he had examined. Crossing that was going to be costly enough, he feared. It all depended on how many troops the Karacknids had in the city.

“Incoming!” A sensor officer called out. “Seven Karacknid fighters are eight miles out.”

Pershing swore. “Clear the LZ. Delay the next group of shuttles. Get those on the ground emptied ASAP.” With all the other marines around him, Pershing sprinted through the thick grass and into the jungle. He turned just in time to see several explosions half a mile off as defensive fire struck at the missiles the enemy fighters had fired. Two escaped. They came streaking in and obliterated a pair of shuttles sitting in the LZ. Pershing hoped the marines on board had managed to get out in time. “I want our air cover tightened immediately!” He bellowed as he stepped back out into the clearing and his staff officers followed him. “That’s not happening again, or I’m having someone’s head!”

For ten minutes, Pershing continued to oversee the landing of the rest of his first assault wave. As soon as the last shuttles took off and the last of his two thousand marines had their boots on the ground, he took half of his command staff and moved up towards the top of the ridgeline. Once there, he had to search for a gap in the jungle from where he could look down towards the Karacknid city. His HUD’s holo map told him several platoons had already descended the ridge and were creeping towards the city. Yet, there was no sign of them. Using his combat armor’s advanced sensors, he zoomed in on the city. What he saw made him frown. There were hardly any Karacknids in view. Here and there, several were moving about, clearly defending fortified positions. Yet, there were hardly any. “Have our advanced squads encountered any resistance yet?” He asked one of his Lieutenants.

“No, General,” the Lieutenant said with a shake of his head. “There’s been no Karacknid activity in the jungle yet. Our furthest squads are just one click from the clearing.”

“Tell them to get as close as they can, I want as clear a picture as we can get of the preparations the Karacknids are making,” Pershing ordered. Once again, he looked at the edge of the city. He had been expecting to see the Karacknids frantically fortifying the outskirts of their city. Every scan of the colony’s cities had indicated that the Karacknids had no outward-looking ground defenses. They had clearly never expected to face a ground invasion from an enemy.

Over the next half an hour, Pershing oversaw the landing of two more divisions of troops, including one Gramrian division. As the lizard-like warriors moved into the forest and as their natural camouflage adapted, they almost disappeared. Pershing smiled. It was almost a pity the Karacknid hadn’t tried to face his forces in the jungle.

Not wanting to be too far from the action, he ordered his staff officers to move the FOB over the ridgeline and down towards the city. When his three divisions were in place, Pershing took a moment to survey the battleground one final time. He had the small city half encircled. In theory, he was leaving the door open for the Karacknids to retreat if they wanted, yet if they actually tried, a few orbital strikes would decimate their numbers. “The time has come,” he said to his officers who were gathered around the holo map. “Send word to our divisional commanders, they may begin a general advance.”

With every shuttle, atmospheric fighter, marine combat armor, and even Gramrian warrior tied into the battle net, Pershing was able to watch whatever part of the fight he wished. At least until things got so confused that communication links began to break down. The first stage of the attack involved one hundred shuttles carrying out a low pass over the city. Launching hyper velocity missiles and laser beams, they struck every Karacknid position his forward scouts had identified. A handful of SAMs raced up to greet them, but most were destroyed. Only two found targets. The attacks were immediately followed by a precisely targeted orbital strike. One hundred tungsten spears smashed into the open ground between the edge of the jungle and the city. The strikes did two things. One, they threw up dust and debris more than half a kilometer into the air and two, they filled the open space with large craters. Both provided cover for the six thousand marines and Gramrian warriors who, after launching smoke and chaff grenades, charged into the dust clouds.

Sensing what was happening, Karacknid soldiers began to fire blindly into the dust clouds. Within seconds, contact began to be lost with marines and Gramrians. Yet at the same time, another hundred shuttles swept in from the right flank of Pershing’s forces. Not blinded by the dust and chaff, they released a hail of weapons fire into the areas the Karacknid soldiers were firing from. They destroyed fortifications and buildings as they tried to kill or bury the Karacknids.

From one of the shuttle’s optical sensors, Pershing saw the first Gramrian warriors emerge from the dust clouds. They had only ten meters of open space to cross before reaching the first Karacknid buildings. When they appeared, the Karacknid fire immediately intensified. Yet the Gramrians were moving so fast, they covered the distance to the buildings in the blink of an eye. Every one is as quick as a special forces marine, Pershing was reminded. A few short moments after the Gramrians appeared, Pershing’s two divisions of Marines charged into the city’s outskirts as well.

It took just seconds for the coordinated battle plan to break down into a mass of small engagements. Working their way into the city, platoons, squads and at times, even individual Marines and Gramrians found themselves fighting building by building and street by street. It took Pershing just a couple of minutes to realize that there were more Karacknid soldiers than he had initially guessed. Having pushed in no more than a block, he already had one hundred confirmed losses and three times as many casualties. Reaching out to the holo display, he selected the visual feed from a squad of special forces marines. They had pushed the furthest into the city. He watched as they cleared one building, killing two Karacknids who had been firing down from a window towards another squad of marines. Right away, Pershing knew something was strange. It took a few seconds to figure out. It was the windows the Karacknids had been firing from. They looked more like the slim slits he had seen built into ancient castles back on Earth than windows. Flicking through other visual feeds, every window he saw was the same. They’ve designed all their buildings to serve as fortifications. That wasn’t good.

When contact was lost with another squad of marines in the space of just three seconds, Pershing pulled up the recording of their visuals. He watched as they entered a building, shot a Karacknid who tried and failed to bring his rifle to bear on the Marines. Then as they charged up to the second floor, someone from the floor above had hurled a grenade at them. Diving for cover, none of the marines were injured. Yet as they came back up, eight Karacknids were already charging across the open area. Though they were unarmed, the Karacknids moved so quick, that the marines only managed to shoot three of them. The other five tore into the four marines with their claws and teeth, ripping combat armor and flesh apart. Pershing ground his teeth together. Special forces marines and Gramrian warriors had the tools to engage Karacknids in hand-to-hand combat, but ordinary marines did not.

They have to be civilians, he told himself as he replayed the initial few seconds of the attack. None of the Karacknids were armed. Zooming in, he also saw they had different markings than the one armed Karacknid the marines had killed on the floor below. “Pull up the map the computer has been making of the Karacknid city,” Pershing requested as his sense of danger spiked.

Quickly, a map of the sections of the city that his forces had secured appeared on the holo display. It was formed from coalescing every visual image captured by each soldier in the fight. It only took Pershing a few seconds of studying it to see what he had started to fear. The entire Karacknid city was one single fortification. All of the buildings were built in such a way so as to provide strong defensible positions and set up multiple ambush points against any force that tried to move towards its center. And there could be as many as fifty thousand Karacknid civilians in there, Pershing thought to himself. There was no way his force could take the city, not without suffering horrendous casualties. “Send orders to our divisional commanders at once. I want every unit to stop its advance. They are to hold position and defend what we have captured,” Pershing ordered. There was at least one advantage to the design of the Karacknid city, it would allow his forces to defend themselves relatively easily. Especially if they came under attack by unarmed Karacknids. “And get me a COM link with General Johnston.” As he waited, Pershing surveyed the aerial map of the Karacknid city. There was one massive building right in its center. It was his original objective. Whatever the building was, it was clearly important. Every Karacknid city had one. There’s no way we can surround and take it now, he thought as he gave up on his original battle plan.

Chapter 25

A species worshipping one of its own is a common thing to find among the stars. It rarely ends well however.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

“General, we can’t continue the offensive,” Pershing said as soon as he was connected with Johnston. “The Karacknid civilians, they are putting up a fight.”

“My staff have come to the same conclusion,” Johnston replied. “You’re right, it’s not worth our manpower.”

“There’s more,” Pershing said. “The Karacknid city itself, it’s designed like one giant fortified maze. The Karacknid civilians are unarmed, but they don’t need rifles when they have their claws. Their cities seem to be intentionally designed to allow them to get to close quarters with any attacking force.”

“What do you want to do General?” Johnston asked. “This was meant to be a reconnaissance mission, nothing more. We’ve already learned some valuable lessons. Should we prepare to evacuate your forces?”

Pershing shook his head. “Not yet. I think we can still take that central building. But a general frontal assault would be too costly. With some additional orbital support, I think our special forces marines and Gramrians could still make it there. And I’d like to dispatch a force to secure one of the shantytowns at the far side of the city.” Without knowing who lived in the two clusters of strange, unsophisticated looking buildings that adjoined the Karacknid city, the marines had decided to call them shantytowns. Just in case they did house alien slaves the Karacknids had brought to the colony, Pershing had planned his attack to avoid striking them. “We may still get valuable intel from whoever lives in them.”

Johnson took a moment to reply. “You can send units to the shantytowns, that’s no problem. Trying to push through to the cities central building. Even if you succeed, we’re going to take losses.”

“That can’t be avoided, but there may be useful intelligence to gather there as well,” Pershing said. “Here is what I was thinking.” It took just a minute to explain what he wanted to do.

“I have to get permission from Admiral Somerville for this,” Johnston said when he was done. “But given what we’ve already witnessed, I have no reservations. I’ll speak to him and get right back to you.”

A minute later, Pershing had authorization to put his new plan into motion. At once, he contacted his divisional commanders and began to explain what he intended to do. It took twenty minutes to rearrange his forces. In that time, the Karacknids launched a few probing counterattacks, but nothing serious. Pershing decided they knew just how defensible their own buildings were. Trying to push his forces out of the city would be impossible unless the Karacknids received reinforcements.

“Every unit is now in position, General,” one of Pershing’s staff officers informed him. “Drake and the other battleships are awaiting your go order.”

“Transmit it,” Pershing replied. Seconds later, he felt the ground under his feet begin to shake. Thirty tungsten spears were hurled down through the atmosphere from orbit by Allied warships. They struck one after another within the Karacknid city, creating a line of destruction that led right up to the city’s central building. Pershing had selected a route that would damage the least amount of buildings. Still, he was certain hundreds, if not thousands of Karacknid civilians had been killed. They’re not civilians, he reminded himself. They’re combatants, just as deadly as a Karacknid soldier with a rifle in his hands. Morally, he knew there was only a slither of a distinction. Yet, it seemed the entire populace of the city had joined the fight against his troops. If he wanted to press his attack, he’d have to kill them with plasma rifle bolts or orbital strikes. The latter would save him a lot of casualties.

For a couple of minutes, Pershing watched as special forces marines and Gramrian warriors poured into the channel of wrecked buildings. At full speed, they rushed along the route he had created for them. On either flank, platoons of normal Marines assaulted the nearest buildings, securing a block on either side to keep the path open. As soon as he was sure his tactic was working, Pershing looked up from the holo display. “I’m joining the attack,” he said to his command staff. “I want to take a look at this Karacknid building myself.” Already, too many of his people had died to secure it, he wanted to see what they were going to find.

Making his way out of the jungle, Pershing, surrounded by three squads of marines and his staff officers, crossed the clearing in front of the city. They had to circle around two craters. Once in the city, they carefully made their way through sections that marines had secured until they came to the route of damaged buildings. As he jogged towards his destination, Pershing used the HUD of his body armor to keep an eye on his advancing forces. “Hold your attack,” he ordered after opening a COM channel to the battalion commander who reached the courtyard in front of the central Karacknid building first. “I’m two minutes out. Move round and secure the entire courtyard. I want the building surrounded before we advance.”

When he got to the edge of the courtyard, a marine Sergeant led Pershing to a building the platoon commanders were using as their FOB. Stepping in, Pershing was greeted by a series of salutes. He quickly returned the gesture. “What is our status?”

“We have the building surrounded,” a Colonel reported. “We’ve got one hundred special forces marines and three hundred Gramrians ready to make their assault.”

Pershing nodded and moved over to a window. Through the crack, he was able to look out across the courtyard. He estimated there was about three hundred yards of open space towards the building. Glancing up, he reckoned it had to be twelve stories high. Its outer surface looked to be made of some kind of smooth stone. On Earth, he would have said it was marble, though it was a deep orange color. There appeared to be only one entrance into the entire building. It was a large opening, seemingly carved out of the stone itself. Around the opening, there were many large carvings of Karacknid soldiers armed with what looked like traditional handheld weapons. “It looks more like a temple than the central government building,” he said as he turned back to his officers. “Whatever Karacknids are in there are likely to fight to the death.”

“We are prepared for that,” the Colonel replied.

“So be it,” Pershing said with a nod. “Send the first wave in. I plan to join the second.” Though a couple of the officers glanced at one another, Pershing knew they wouldn’t object. They couldn’t, he was the senior officer.

Moving back over to the window, Pershing watched the first assault begin. It began as several hyper velocity missiles slammed into the building around its opening. Large chunks of stone fell from its outer wall, but they simply revealed more stone behind them. Pershing grimaced. They wouldn’t be blasting any additional entrances into the building themselves. Next came a wave of smoke and chaff grenades. They filled the open courtyard with a thick haze that would prevent sensors from detecting the attacking forces. Moments later, five hundred soldiers leapt from their positions and rushed the opening. No Karacknid fire came out. Grenades were hurled through the opening. Then the marines and Gramrians charged in. Sounds of weapons fire filled Pershing’s ears.

It wasn’t until a couple of minutes had passed that an officer approached him. “Our attack has secured the ground floor of the building General; we are sending the second wave in now. Colonel Chavez led the first wave. He says you’re going to want to come and see what they found for yourself.”

“All right, let’s go,” Pershing said as he waved to his command staff. Stepping out of the building, he saw marines and Gramrians were already moving across the courtyard. Glancing around him to make sure his escort was ready, Pershing broke into a sprint. In no time at all, he had crossed the courtyard and was stepping into the Karacknid building. He had to walk through a ten meter tunnel in the outer wall before he entered the building proper. All along the tunnel, its walls were scorched from weapons fire. Bodies of Karacknids, marines and Gramrians had been left where they fell. Though as Pershing passed, medics from the second wave began to collect the seriously injured or dead marines and Gramrians.

Thoughts of his fallen soldiers vanished from Pershing’s mind when he left the tunnel and stepped into a massive foyer. From its height, it seemed to go all the way to the top of the building. It was easily thirty meters wide as well. None of that was what caught Pershing’s attention. It was the massive statue of the Karacknid that was looming over him. His claws were extended, and it looked like he was about to pounce and slice him in two. Almost hypnotically, he was drawn towards the Karacknid’s eyes. They were unlike anything Pershing had seen before. Mentally, he figured they had to be some kind of crystal, yet he wasn’t thinking rationally. The red pulsating glow the eyes gave off were threatening to make him forget himself. To break their pull, he had to close his eyes and shake his head. Not looking directly at them again, he took in the rest of the statue. Whoever the Karacknid was, they were kitted out in the fanciest looking armor Pershing had seen a Karacknid wear. And judging from the size of their claws and muscles, they must be a formidable warrior, he was sure. Unless of course the statue was an exaggeration, which was entirely possible.

Moving his attention away from the statue, Pershing was surprised to see a group of aliens huddled between its feet. Standing beside them was a marine Colonel. As soon as the Colonel spotted Pershing, he waved him over. “General, come and speak to these people. We found them locked away in a room at the back of the shrine.”

“The shrine?” Pershing queried.

“Yes General,” the Colonel replied as he snapped to attention when Pershing approached. “Colonel Watson Sir. I’ve only had a chance to speak with these beings briefly, but they appear to be slaves of the Karacknids. They are in shock, I think. They never expected to see the Karacknids come under attack.”

Pershing nodded. “See to your men Colonel, get the rest of this place secured and gather as much intelligence as you can. I want every computer terminal in this place taken. I’ll speak to these aliens.”

“Understood General,” Watson replied as he flashed Pershing another salute and quickly turned away.

Pershing moved forward to address the aliens. As he did, he took them in. They were small. The tallest barely came up to his chest. They were wrapped in rags that covered them almost from head to toe. All he could make out were their feet and hands, all four of which were very hairy. From the shape of their heads, they looked to be similar to Humans; at least, they had two eyes that were looking out from slits in the rags wrapped around him. Between their eyes and around them, more hair was visible. The only other part of their body on display was a large hairless oval nose that peeked out between more layers of rags wrapped around their heads. It was hard not for Pershing to think of them as oversized rats. Certainly, their appearance didn’t put him at ease. Yet he was used to interacting with alien species, and certainly they weren’t as intimidating as the Gramrians. Holding up both his hands in a sign of peace, Pershing looked left and right at the group of about thirty aliens. He then retracted the helmet of his combat armor to show them his face. “Greetings, my name is General Mark Pershing. I commanded the forces that have captured this Shrine. We are enemies of the Karacknids. We have come here to make war upon them. We mean you no harm, however. We have encountered many species that the Karacknids have enslaved. Is that why you are here?”

The aliens stared at Pershing for several seconds. Then they looked around at each other. Eventually one alien, the smallest of them, began to shuffle forward from the midst of their group. The rest parted to let him out. “You are truly enemies of the Karacknids? This is not some kind of trick?”

The alien’s voice, squeaky and scratchy to Pershing’s ears, only reinforced his sense that they were rat-like. Nonetheless, the Kulrean translation technology built into his combat armor perfectly communicated what the alien said.

“We are,” Pershing said as he took half a step back and gestured towards the opening into the Shrine. “Those are dead Karacknids over there. I’m guessing you’ve seen others as you were brought from where you were being held. Would the Karacknids kill their own for such a ruse? What gain would there be in tricking you anyway? I suspect there is little more you could give them that they haven’t already taken.”

The speaker turned and looked back at his friends. When he turned around again, he seemed to straighten up his back, gaining at least a couple of centimeters. Then he lowered himself to the ground and lay on his belly. From that position, he began to speak. “General Mark Pershing. It is a great honor to meet you. Your logic is convincing. If this is no ruse, then you are truly enemies of the Karacknids. For centuries, we have lost all hope that any could resist them. You must be a great warrior. It is an honor to meet you. I am Zarth Kans Rasmas Gorack of the Killan Kinfolk. Please accept my apologies for doubting you.”

“Your apologies are accepted,” Pershing replied as Zarth got back to his feet. He gave the alien a slight bow in the Varanni fashion. “It is a pleasure to meet you. If you don’t mind, I have some questions for you. One of the reasons we have attacked the city was to gather information on the Karacknids. Anything you could share would be helpful.”

Again Zarth turned back to the other aliens before speaking. “I do not wish to disappoint you General,” he said. “But you must understand, the Karacknids have enslaved my species for over half a millennium. If we betray them now, there will be repercussions. They will kill all of us here, and likely our families in the city as well. Could you tell us then, what are your plans for the city and for us? Have you taken this planet from the Karacknids?”

“No,” Pershing admitted as he shook his head. “We have destroyed the Karacknid fleet in orbit. But we have only captured a part of this city, and we do not intend to stay for long.”

“Then maybe you can understand the risk we would be taking in aiding you. Even speaking to you now may result in our deaths,” Zarth replied.

“I understand,” Pershing said. “We know the Karacknids are quick to kill those they deem a threat. It is why we and our allies are fighting them. We hope to bring an end to their conquering of other species. Any help you could give me would help us achieve that goal.”

“Would it lead to the liberation of our homeworld and our species?” Zarth asked.

“I can make no promises,” Pershing answered honestly. “I do not know where your homeworld is, nor how many Karacknids are defending it. And even if we could liberate it, my species could make no guarantee that we could keep you safe. For that, we would need much more information from you about your people.”

“Perhaps we could share something of ourselves with you,” Zarth said as he spoke slowly. “But sharing information on the Karacknids is another matter.”

Okay, Pershing thought to himself, that’s a start at least. A number of questions had already come to him, and so he launched into them. “Can you tell me, what is your species called?”

“We call ourselves the Niceons, General, what about your species?” Zarth answered.

“Humans, and the larger aliens you have seen call themselves Gramrians.”

“They are ferocious warriors, we have seen what they have done to several Karacknids with our own eyes,” Zarth said.

“Indeed they are,” Pershing agreed. “Now, you said your species was conquered a long time ago. Exactly how long has it been? And if this is not your homeworld, where is it and how did you get here?”

“Six hundred and thirty-three years it has been since the Karacknids arrived in our system,” Zarth said. “Though it was most of my lifetime ago, I remember the shock and fear like it was yesterday. They slaughtered over half of our population and enslaved the rest. Within a decade, they had destroyed most of our culture and our technological capabilities.” Reaching a hairy hand up, Zarth rubbed his head. “What our species once was, now only remains here.”

Pershing’s mouth fell open. He had heard what Zarth said, but he was struggling to get his head around it. “Sorry,” he said interrupting the alien. “Are you saying you were alive six hundred years ago and witnessed the Karacknid’s invasion?”

“I was,” Zarth answered as his hands gestured up and down. “The memory of it still grieves all of us who were there.”

Despite having met so many aliens, and despite knowing that the Kulreans typically lived to almost two hundred, Pershing had never contemplated a species that could live three times longer than that. And you don’t even know how long Zarth lived before that, nor if he is considered young or old in his species! Pershing said to himself. Suddenly, the group of aliens in front of him looked very different. They could literally be a treasure trove of information. They had lived within the Karacknid Empire for over six hundred years and could have witnessed much of its expansion! Trying to contain his excitement, Pershing had to fight to remember what they were talking about. “Your homeworld, you were going to tell me how far it is from here?”

“I’m afraid we do not know the answer to that,” Zarth said. “We were taken from Holicen, that is the name of our planet, five hundred years ago. Since then, we have served here in this Shrine, carrying out menial tasks that the Karacknid deem beneath them. We know we spent nine weeks travelling on board a ship to get here, but we know not in what direction we would have to go to return home.”

Five hundred years, Pershing thought to himself. They have lived in the city and served in this shrine for five hundred years! His heart went out to the small aliens in front of him. “I am truly sorry that the Karacknids have done this to you and to your people. They are a scourge on the galaxy that must be stopped.”

“We thank you for your compassion,” Zarth said. “Tell us, do you think you could locate our homeworld?

“Nine weeks travel time,” Pershing said. “And if that was five hundred years ago, it means Holicen is very likely nearer the Karacknid core worlds. It may be that our fleet is heading in the direction of your homeworld, but without knowing exactly where it is, I cannot be sure.” As he spoke, another thought came to him. “How many of your people are in this city? And are there others in the other cities on this planet?”

“There are three thousand of us here in this city,” Zarth said. “Half of us were brought here and the other half have been born since. We do not know of any other Niceons on the planet. Have you met any?”

“No,” Pershing said, “but most of the other cities have small towns built on the outskirts that are clearly not of Karacknid design. They are not like yours, but they are different to the buildings Karacknids use. We thought they may be other species the Karacknids have brought here.”

“The homes we have built for ourselves are not ideal, but they are designed after the fashion of the houses we once lived in on Holicen,” Zarth said.

“Then you may be the only group of your species here, tell me,” Pershing said as he got to the question he wanted to ask. “If we could take you and your people off this planet and onto our ships. Would you share everything you know about the Karacknids then? We could not guarantee your safety as our fleet is a war fleet. We are going to battle, not to a safe planet. But we would be able to free you from the Karacknids and if you wanted, leave your people on another planet or even your homeworld if we happened to be passing close to it.”

This time, when Zarth turned around to the other Niceons, they all began to speak to each other at once. Arms gestured up and down and left and right frantically. For nearly a minute, the debate continued, but then as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Zarth turned around. “We would need to know more about just what kind of dangers we might face on board your ships. But we would agree to such a deal in principle. We would very much like to get off this planet and away from the Karacknids. Freedom is not a hope we have entertained for hundreds of years. You bring us great joy, even by offering us such a possibility.”

Pershing couldn’t help but smile. “My allies and I are here fighting for the freedom of our species; we would love nothing better than to offer it to you as well. However, I do not have the authority to make such a deal. Let me speak to my commander and make sure he would find this acceptable.”

Zarth bowed himself so low that his belly once again touched the floor. “Please, do whatever you need to do General.”

Turning away from the Niceons, Pershing requested a COM channel be opened with General Johnston and Admiral Somerville. As he waited, he couldn’t help but glance up at the giant statue’s eyes. They were now right above him and yet, they still seemed to be staring right at him just as they had when he had been at the other end of the foyer. He looked for just the second, just long enough to feel them pulling at his mind and then he quickly looked away again. Mentally, he made a note to send some marines to investigate them. Whatever trickery was going on, he wanted to know what it was.

“Go-ahead General,” Johnston’s familiar voice said moments later. “Admiral Somerville is listening as well.”

Quickly, Pershing explained who they had found in the Shrine. “I think they could have a wealth of information on the Karacknids. They’re scared though. They fear the Karacknids will kill them once we pull out. I’d like to bring them with us if we could. They say there are just a few thousand of them in the city. I’ve already sent forces to secure their town. We should be able to evacuate them. If we can, they’ve agreed to tell us everything they know.”

“Are you sure you can get them all out safely?” Admiral Somerville asked.

“I believe so Admiral, but I will make it clear to them that there will be risks involved,” Pershing replied.

“All right then, we should have space for them on our freighters. We’ve certainly shot off enough missiles over the last two months to have plenty of spare cargo space. Make sure they know that their accommodation will not be very comfortable. At least initially. We’ll try our best to make whatever adaptations we can for them. And explain to them what we are up to. Don’t tell them about our goal of reaching the Karacknid homeworld or capturing the Imperator. We don’t want word leaking to the Karacknids if they suddenly change their minds. But let them know that we are planning to strike deep into the Karacknid core worlds. If they understand the risk and still want to come, then taking them off this world in exchange for their knowledge is more than a fair trade.”

“Thank you Admiral, I will make sure they understand. I’ll speak to them now and get back to you as soon as possible,” Pershing said.

“We’ll be waiting,” Johnston replied.

When the COM channel ended, Pershing turned back to the Niceons. Carefully, he launched into explaining to them the risks involved in coming with the Allied fleet. When he was done, they all silently lowered themselves to their bellies. Pershing smiled, taking their actions as a sign that they accepted his terms.

*

IS Drake (twelve hours later).

As soon as Drake jumped into shift space, James stood from his command chair. He nodded to Alvarez and left the bridge. Stepping into the briefing room that was adjacent to his office, he saw his command staff were already gathered there. Taking his seat, he sipped the coffee Fox had left out for him, and then he nodded to Ivanov. “Let’s hear what we got.”

“Thank you Admiral,” Ivanov said. “Our technicians are still dissecting much of the computer files we managed to take from the Karacknid Shrine. It appears it was used as the city’s administrative building as well. Most of the information relates to the running of the city. It’s interesting of course, but of little strategic value. Much more important was what we learned from the assault itself and from the Niceons. I have transmitted General Pershing’s report to your datapad for you to consider in more detail. Essentially, it seems the Karacknids have designed all of their cities on this colony as the perfect battlefield for a defending force. With tight streets and many twists and turns, it provides numerous opportunities for attackers to be ambushed. With the fighting at such close quarters, it means even unarmed Karacknids are a serious threat. We lost four hundred and fifty Marines and Gramrian warriors, and suffered another six hundred casualties. If we had tried to take the city itself, Pershing estimates we could have lost half of the force we landed.”

“That’s not good at all,” James said with a grimace. “What was the population of the planet’s largest city?”

“Over eight hundred thousand,” Ivanov answered.

James shook his head. “If the Imperator lives in a city even half that size on the Karacknid homeworld, we might never be able to get to him.”

“Not with a conventional assault,” Ivanov agreed. “But Pershing’s solution allowed him to take the city’s Shrine.”

Yes, and how many Karacknid civilians did we kill in the process? James thought but didn’t say out loud. How many am I willing to kill to get to the Imperator? That was a question he didn’t want to know the answer to. “And the Niceons, what have we learned from them so far?”

“Rather a lot,” Ivanov said, she turned to Lieutenant Davenport. “Davenport has been liaising with our intelligence officers debriefing them.”

James nodded for Davenport to proceed. “We believe the Niceons species’ homeworld is somewhere closer to the core of the Karacknid empire. About fifteen hundred of their people were brought to the planet we just attacked. They tell us the Karacknids call it Naminor. That was five hundred years ago. Almost every one of them who was brought here is still alive today. A typical Niceon lives seven or eight hundred years.” Davenport paused as more than one of James’ staff officers verbalized their shock. “It certainly is surprising,” she agreed. “But it means they are a treasure trove of information. Though it is limited to the few areas they have experiences of. Perhaps the most interesting revelation they have made concerns this,” Davenport said as she activated the briefing room’s holo display. An image of a Karacknid appeared in front of them all. It was obviously a statue rather than the real thing. “This filled the Karacknid Shrine. The Niceons tell us it is of the Karacknid Imperator.”

James sat forward in his chair to study the image more closely. So that is what you look like, he said to himself as he stared at the Karacknid responsible for all the death and destruction his people had suffered. If the statue was true to real life, the Karacknid Imperator was an impressive specimen. But you are just one Karacknid, no more powerful than any of the hundreds of thousands we have already defeated in battle.

“The statue’s purpose was simple,” Davenport continued, unaware of her Admiral’s thoughts. “Every Karacknid from the city was expected to make a visit to the shrine each month and pay homage to their Imperator. If you look at the eyes of the statue, you will see that they glow a dark red. Accounts from the marines that secured the shrine say they had an almost hypnotic allure to them. We don’t know exactly what effect they have on Karacknids; but our analysts believe they are intended to endow reverence into the Karacknid population. General Pershing had technicians examine them, but they couldn’t figure out exactly what technology was being utilized, nor could they remove them from the statue in the time we had. Instead, Pershing ordered the statue’s head blown up as the marines evacuated.”

“I’m sure that’s not going to go down well when the Karacknids return to the shrine,” Anderson said with a chuckle.

“No,” Davenport agreed. “Perhaps most interestingly, the Niceons tell us that this is not the first statue that has been constructed in the shrine. In the five hundred years they have been on the planet, there has been six of them. Each one was of the Karacknid Imperator who ruled over their Empire at the time. Significantly, up until the most recent Imperator, none remained for longer than fifty years. Yet this statue has stood for nearly three hundred. They say as well that none of the other Imperators were revered as a god in the way this one is. Nor did their statues have eyes like this one does.”

“And why have things changed so dramatically?” James asked.

Davenport shook her head. “It is a mystery to the Niceons. They do not know. All they have said is that in their lifetimes, they’ve rarely known a Karacknid to live more than one hundred years and yet, this Imperator seems to have done so.”

“Maybe they have developed a prolong treatment like ours,” Anderson said. “But it is strange, why would they not make it available to all of their people?”

James had no idea. Something strange was definitely going on. Especially when the Imperator’s eyes were added into the mix. Are his eyes like that in person? James asked himself. If they weren’t, it was a smart way to instill fear and obedience into his citizens. Yet when people met him in person, they would be very disappointed. And if they are, does that mean he has genetically manipulated himself? James felt the Niceons’ revelations had left them with a lot more unanswered questions. He didn’t know why, but he felt getting to the bottom of them would be important. If he was going to try negotiating with the Karacknid Imperator, he needed to understand him. When a thought occurred to him, he turned from the statue to Davenport. “This Imperator,” James asked, “do the Niceons know his name?”

“They do,” Davenport said. “Taranaki.”

Taranaki, James thought to himself as Davenport continued her debriefing. He now had a name and a face for his chief enemy. We are coming for you, Taranaki, and we are going to put an end to your evil.

Chapter 26

Passing any Imperial law is a delicate balancing act. Getting all three Houses of government to agree is no small task. Often, it has led to fierce debate and stalemate. For centuries, progressives have studied the governmental structures of other species in the hope a better way could be found. No new suggestions brought forth from such work have managed to gain any traction. Slow and indecisive at times, the three houses of the Imperial government are still the fairest way to rule our growing Empire.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Emilie waited on Wayfarer’s bridge impatiently. As she reached up and rubbed her cheek, her fingers felt funny. Looking at them made her screw up her face at how wrinkled they were. The Kalassai city ship was now eight hours overdue. Emilie had spent every minute of those hours on Wayfarer’s bridge, looking for the city ship’s arrival. A part of her wanted to go back to the room Wal-sma had provided for her. Her body was growing increasingly uncomfortable in the Kalassai goo, and she longed to take a deep breath of air, even if she knew it would taste stale. Yet she needed the city ship to arrive. For more than a day now, the entire Kalassai fleet had been sitting on the edge of a Karacknid border world, waiting. Waiting when we should be advancing, Emilie couldn’t help but think as she stared at the depiction of the system formed from the Kalassai goo that dominated the center of the bridge. The Karacknids only had three hundred warships. The Kalassai could take them easily, and yet they were holding their attack. The delayed city ship was carrying out a plan they had set in motion weeks ago. It had been a good plan, but its timetable had clearly been thrown off. Emilie couldn’t help but feel the Kalassai needed to act, not delay. They are used to running and hiding, not taking direct action, she complained to herself. Almost, she opened her mouth to speak to Wal-sma and suggest the fleet move in and crush the small Karacknid squadron defending the border world. She thought better of it. She had already gone around and around the topic with the Kalassai Captain twice in the last three hours. A third time wasn’t going to change anything.

In the end, Emilie had to wait two more hours before something finally happened. When it did though, she had to admit she wasn’t disappointed. At first, one large contact and twenty smaller ones appeared on the star map of the system. They were identified right away as the city ship that had been sent ahead of the fleet and its escorts. Wal-sma turned to Emilie and waved a tentacle at her. “You see, they have arrived. Just wait.” The response of the Karacknid fleet in the system was instantaneous. Recognizing the massive ship for what it was, they broke orbit and turned onto a pursuit course. Just thirty minutes later, a whole host of new contacts appeared behind the city ship. Five hundred more Karacknid ships had just jumped into the system. They too charged after the city ship.

The acceleration rates coming from the Karacknid ships made Emilie’s eyes widen. “They are pushing their engines far beyond their normal limits,” she commented.

“Indeed they are,” Wal-sma replied. “Maybe now you are beginning to grasp just how much the Karacknids hate us. Benevolence has likely drawn in every Karacknid warship from several systems. Defeating them all will save us time in the days to come as we pass through this area of space.”

Though she didn’t say it out loud, Emilie reluctantly considered the idea that she might have been wrong. She became even more sure when, over the next two hours, the Karacknids continued to charge headlong after Benevolence. For her part, the Kalassai city ship was able to keep just ahead of the Karacknid ships. Just as importantly, her course was taking her directly towards the heart of the Kalassai fleet. Lying right on the edge of the Karacknid border system, the Kalassai ships were arranged in a large crescent formation. The Karacknids, so intent on their prey, chased Benevolence right into the center of the crescent.

When the Kalassai struck, they dispelled Emilie of any notion that they preferred to hide rather than fight. At a signal from Admiral Fug-sal, the senior Kalassai fleet commander, every one of the six thousand eight hundred Kalassai warships and city ships powered up their energy drives. Together, they all charged in towards the Karacknid fleet, enveloping it in a cloud of Kalassai ships. The feeling she got from the sudden attack brought Emilie’s mind back to the end of the Gathering. When roused, the Kalassai were vicious. When they opened fire with their power-draining munitions, they showed the Karacknids no mercy. Hundreds of thousands of the small, rock like weapons were hurled at the Karacknid ships. In the space of two minutes, every single one was struck hundreds of times. Explosions rippled up and down the Karacknid ships as munitions absorbed energy and caused systems failures. Then something happened Emilie had not been expecting. From the Kalassai city ships, thousands of energy beams reached out across the distance between the two fleets and struck the Karacknids. With their reactors and engines crippled, the Karacknids couldn’t dodge. Every one of them was blown apart.

“What was that?” Emilie spluttered as she spun around to Wal-sma.

Wal-sma waved her tentacles in a gesture Emilie knew communicated amusement. “That is how we finish Karacknid warships,” it explained. “Our energy absorbers cripple Karacknid ships and our phase cannons finish them off.”

“But the range of your phase cannons,” Emilie said as she tried to figure out just what kind of weapon their name indicated they were. “They can strike from a distance almost as far as our missiles can.”

“Of course they do, we know Karacknid ships are armed with deadly laser cannons. We would not want to bring our city ships into range of such weapons,” Wal-sma said, sounding like it was the obvious thing to do. “If we could, we would equip every one of our ships with such weapons, but the energy requirements can only be met by our city ships.”

Emilie swallowed hard as she stared at the Kalassai fleet with fresh eyes. Suddenly, she understood the Karacknid hatred for the Kalassai a little bit more. If they had the numbers, the Kalassai would have the means to destroy the entire Karacknid empire. No wonder the Karacknids destroyed their homeworld.

“Now,” Wal-sma said, unaware of Emilie’s thoughts. “It’s time for the fleet to advance. No doubt word has been sent to other Karacknid systems that one of our city ships was detected. But whatever other Karacknid fleets are nearby, they will have no idea just what is coming their way. If we can, we’d like to get to the first hidden shift passage before any other fleets try to intercept us.”

In front of Emilie, the map of the system changed to show a map of the sector of Karacknid space they were entering. The system they were in was one hundred light years east of the Valley, an area of Karacknid space Emilie had come to know well during her campaign there serving under Vice Admiral Becket. According to the star maps the Kalassai had shared with her several years ago that Becket had used to plan her attacks, there was only one shift passage that led from their current position into the Valley. Yet on the map she was looking at, that was not the case. There was a second shift passage. One that the Kalassai assured her the Karacknids knew nothing about. Beyond it, there were two more long shift passages that led right up and through the Valley towards the Karacknid core worlds. All three were part of a maze of shift passages the Kalassai had been using for centuries to avoid Karacknid ships. Even though she had been made aware of them weeks ago, Emilie still smiled when she saw them. “Yes, the sooner we get to the first of these, the more chance we have of evading any Karacknid attempt to intercept us.” And then we’ll be in the Valley and well on our way to catching up with my uncle, she thought as her smile widened.

*

Wayfarer (two weeks later).

Once the Kalassai fleet got moving, Emilie had been forced to dispel any lingering doubt that they understood the need for haste. Over the two weeks since the ambush of the Karacknid border fleets, the Kalassai fleet had rushed through five Karacknid systems. Two minor engagements had been fought by the leading squadrons of Kalassai ships that were clearing a safe path for the city ships. Both had involved skirmishes with Karacknid squadrons that had numbered less than a hundred warships.

As Wayfarer was travelling through shift space, Emilie had come onto the bridge. They were scheduled to reach the first hidden shift passage any moment, and she wanted to see how it had been hidden from the Karacknids. According to the Kalassai star maps, the shift passage was simply a fork in the current passage they were in. One side of the fork led towards the next Karacknid system while the other led through the dense cloud of dark matter that formed the eastern side of the Valley. When she had asked, Wal-sma had been coy in explaining to Emilie how the Karacknids hadn’t discovered the fork in the shift passage.

A sudden tremor that ran through Wayfarer’s bridge told Emilie they had just jumped out of shift space. “We are here?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow towards Wal-sma. The Kalassai Captain waved one of its tentacles in a positive gesture. Emilie frowned. There was no sign of another shift passage on Wayfarer’s display of local space.

“Activate our graviton sensors,” Wal-sma requested.

On the display in front of Emilie, a ripple-like pulse suddenly appeared emanating from Wayfarer. It rapidly spread out from the Kalassai ship at a speed far faster than that of light. In the space of sixty seconds, it covered one light week before it began to fade away. Though the pulse disappeared, a perfectly accurate map of the shift passage Wayfarer was in was left in its place. Right in front of Wayfarer’s nose, about two light days away, the beginning of an entirely new shift passage was visible. We have to fly through normal space to reach it, Emilie realized, but once we got there, we could jump back into shift space again. Shaking her head, she turned to Wal-sma. “You never told me about this. You can map out dark matter passages one light week away from any position. That’s amazing.”

“It is very useful,” Wal-sma agreed, its tentacles swishing to show its amusement. “And we are thankful the Karacknids have not developed such capabilities yet.”

Emilie was still shaking her head as Wayfarer and the rest of the Kalassai fleet, staying in normal space, began to advance out of the shift passage they were in and towards the mouth of the hidden passage. Even the Kulreans would likely be impressed, she thought herself. Though the Kulreans did have their tachyon pulse generators which allowed FTL communication. It was possible they also had a similar technology to what she had just seen the Kalassai demonstrate, and just hadn’t shared it with Humanity. In either case, the Kulreans and the Kalassai are more alike than I have given them credit for. At the very least, they both delight in impressing me with their technologies. Though she hated being caught off-guard, she wasn’t going to complain. Anything that gave them an edge over the Karacknids was more than welcome.

*

Wayfarer (nine days later).

When Wayfarer exited the hidden shift passage nine days later, she and the rest of the Kalassai fleet headed up a known shift passage to the next Karacknid system. Once there, Emilie was invited to attend the strategic briefing where they decided what to do next. In one of Wal-sma’s private offices, she and the Kalassai Captain faced images of the other leading commanders that had been formed from the Kalassai goo.

“Our scout’s report that there are only three hundred Karacknid ships defending the colony,” one Kalassai Captain said. “Six months ago, one of our ships detected over six hundred there.” It then waved a tentacle towards Emilie. “Your Emperor’s activities have no doubt drawn most of them away. It is something to be thankful for.”

As long as they aren’t currently fighting and destroying Allied warships, Emilie thought.

“With so few ships, we should be able to pass through the system unmolested,” another Kalassai said. “The Karacknid fleet will likely try to follow us, but they will not be able to threaten us.”

“But they will be able to spread the word of our presence,” Wal-sma countered. “We cannot simply try and pass them by. We must strike and destroy them. Even if three hundred enemy ships cannot threaten us now, before all of this is over, they may. We would regret allowing them to live if that time came.”

“I’m in agreement,” Admiral Fug-sal said. “And the supplies and fuel that are no doubt stored in the colonies orbital stations would aid any other fleet that attempts to pursue us. We will strike and destroy everything the Karacknids have built. In addition, if we can, I would like to prevent news of our presence here leaving the system. To that end, I believe we should hold the fleet here while we sneak several squadrons to cover each of the system’s shift passages. We’ll have a much easier time continuing to advance deeper into Karacknid space if we can keep our presence hidden for even a few days or a week or more.”

Emilie found herself nodding. The next hidden shift passage was more than two weeks journey away. Yet, if they could make it to it without raising the alarm, or even just make it halfway, they could then vanish again before the Karacknids could mount a serious response. And then we’ll be well on your way to catching up with my uncle, she hoped. “It is a good tactic Admiral,” she said, “provided your ships can evade Karacknid scouts.”

All of the images of the Kalassai around her and Wal-sma beside her motioned their tentacles in a similar fashion. “What?” Emilie asked, aware of their amusement but not understanding it.

“There is much you still have to learn about our ships,” Admiral Fug-sal replied. “In a like-for-like engagement, the Karacknids have advantages over us, that is true. But we have not survived this long in our conflict with them without having abilities of our own. It will take several hours, but we should be able to accomplish what I desire.”

“If it pleases you Admiral, I will command one of the squadrons,” Wal-sma requested.

Fug-sal gestured his tentacles in the affirmative. “I had already planned as such,” Fug-sal said.

An hour later, Emilie found herself amazed at the Kalassai once again. From first meeting them she had always known that their ships were grown rather than built. They were as alive as any tree back on Earth. Though far more sophisticated. Yet she didn’t realize just what kind of capabilities the Kalassai had designed into their living homes. Just before jumping into the system, Wayfarer and the fifty other ships Wal-sma had been given command of had spent half an hour altering their outer hulls. Their thick bark-like armor was replaced, or perhaps Emilie decided it was better described, was overgrown, by a translucent membrane. Wal-sma explained that the ships had to give up more than fifty percent of their armor to produce the membrane. Meaning if they got into a fight before being able to change back, they would be extremely vulnerable. Yet with the membrane in place, the ships were almost undetectable to Karacknid sensors. There were other drawbacks as well though, to stay hidden, the ships had to largely run on axillary power and the maximum velocity they could maintain was cut in half.

Still, when Wayfarer and her comrades jumped into the Karacknid system, Emilie was shocked by how easily they passed through the Karacknid patrols monitoring the shift passage. Wayfarer’s passive sensors easily detected the six frigates that were moving back-and-forth across the end of the shift passage. Even with their active sensors all blaring, there was no hint the Karacknids detected Wayfarer. It did take nine hours to cross the system and take a position at the mouth of one of the other shift passages leading away from the system. Once they were there though, the ships began the half hour process of retracting their membranes and regrowing their armor.

During that time, Wayfarer’s passive sensors carefully watched the end of the shift passage. Four Karacknid frigates were actively patrolling the area. Another two destroyers hiding in stealth had also been picked up. Wal-sma split its force into six equal parts, and tasked them with tackling each Karacknid ship. As soon as its squadron was ready, Wal-sma gave the order to attack. Emilie wasn’t surprised when each Karacknid ship was blown apart with ease. None of the missiles they launched survived long enough to threaten any of Wal-sma’s ships either.

“Captain May-gav’s squadron is engaging their targets now,” a sensor officer reported.

Emilie turned to the sensor map of the system. Two light hours away, eighty new contacts had just been picked up. They were missiles fired from ships patrolling the other shift passage. May-gav’s force had obviously opened fire, revealing themselves to the Karacknid scouts. Within seconds, Kalassai ships appeared as they began to maneuver allowing Wayfarer’s gravimetric sensors to pick them up. Then the Karacknid ships which had fired the missiles were detected. Five minutes later, and the skirmish was over. One Kalassai ship was destroyed, while all eight Karacknid scouts were destroyed.

Around her, Emilie felt a shockwave wash over the Kalassai on Wayfarer’s bridge when they saw one of their ships being hit by a Karacknid antimatter missile. One moment the ship was there, the next the antimatter had negated it out of existence. Judging by the size, Emilie guessed three hundred Kalassai had just been killed. All around her, the Kalassai were simply floating in place, none of their tentacles even twitched. Emilie had seen tens of thousands of her own people die. She had even lost many of her own crew when her ship Intrepid had been turned into a wreck. She understood full well the sense of loss the Kalassai were feeling. Yet she couldn’t help but feel that it was more. How would it feel if you thought there might be no chance of ever rebuilding the lost ship and replacing your lost population? She asked herself. She wasn’t sure.

One thing she did know though, was that the loss of some of their people sent the Kalassai into a rage. Less than a minute after the ship was destroyed, the full Kalassai fleet made its appearance. Jumping into the system, they immediately wiped out the Karacknid ships patrolling the shift passage Wal-sma and May-gav’s squadrons had sneaked past hours ago. Then without a moment’s hesitation, they charged the Karacknid colony. By the standards of Karacknid bases within the Valley, it was substantial. Emilie knew from Kalassai scout reports that it served as a supply hub for several garrisons. Yet as the Kalassai tore into its defensive fleet and battlestations, the base was made to look terribly fragile. Energy-absorbing munitions engulfed all of the Karacknid ships and stations. Though their defense fire destroyed tens of thousands of the munitions, many more kept getting through. For a full twenty minutes, the Kalassai fleet pelted the Karacknid base until every station and ship was disabled. Then the city ships moved in, and blew everything apart with their phase cannons.

Several Kalassai ships were destroyed by the defenders’ counterfire. Emilie counted nine before the battle was over. Each loss seemed to add to the anger Emilie felt all around her. Forty minutes after the colony was destroyed, Emilie watched as it was all released. Fifteen Karacknid warships had broken away from the colony’s defenders just before the Kalassai fleet had attacked. Clearly, they had been dispatched to try and break through Wal-sma’s squadron and get news of the massive Kalassai fleet out to the surrounding Karacknid systems. Without even so much as a flinch, Wal-sma ordered its squadron to charge right down the Karacknid warships’ throats. Closing almost to within the Karacknids’ energy weapon range, Wal-sma brought her ship so close that the Karacknids couldn’t dodge the hundreds and hundreds of munitions her ships were firing out. They were all destroyed without loss. Emilie almost felt like she was the most relieved of everyone on the bridge. She didn’t know what the Kalassai would do if they lost another ship and had no more Karacknids to take out their anger on.

There will be plenty more opportunities for them to vent, she told herself. And plenty more losses that will stir them up, she was just as sure. But they can certainly fight. I just hope their anger doesn’t overwhelm their rational thinking. That, she feared, would not be good.

Chapter 27

When his followers first claimed the title Prince for the rebel Bartholomew, it was met with derision on Earth and the other core worlds. Yet down through history, he has kept the title in all the historical accounts of the civil war. It has become a term of endearment.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 12th January 2486 AD, (two weeks later).

James felt a deep sense of relief as Drake’s engines powered up and his flagship led his fleet of two thousand warships into the first Karacknid core world. We have made it, he said to himself. A part of him had doubted his fleet would ever get as far as it had. Yes, they were still more than two months away from reaching the Karacknid homeworld, and that assumed they were able to travel straight there. Something James was certain the Karacknids would not allow him to do. Yet even reaching the Karacknid core worlds was a massive achievement. From now on, his fleet would be passing through systems that were exclusively the home of Karacknid colonists. The Kalassai intelligence on this part of the Karacknid Empire was less and less up to date. What James did know however was that pretty much every colony was heavily defended with orbital battlestations if not garrison fleets as well. And they’ve known we are coming for weeks now, he was certain. With Ya’sia’s and Jourm’s fleets spread out across two other systems, the Karacknid couldn’t know exactly where his ships were going to strike next, but even a completely incompetent enemy commander could track all the systems James’ fleets had hit over the last months, and figure out the general direction his incursion was headed. That meant the opposition James’ fleets would face was only going to strengthen. Already, two large Karacknid fleets were flanking his movements. One had been detected four weeks ago, while the second, just two. Each fleet had over two thousand warships. A week ago, James had doubled back with Ya’sia’s fleet to try and catch one of them out. But the Karacknid commander hadn’t been so easily fooled. As soon as his scouts had detected the approach of James’ ships, his fleet had stopped its advance. James had been forced to abandon the attempt to engage the Karacknid fleet. He couldn’t afford to waste days and even weeks trying to hunt one Karacknid fleet down when he was certain more were forming ahead of him. Thankfully at least, neither Karacknid fleet was close enough to each other to combine. One was to the south-west of Jourm’s fleet, while the other to the south-east of James’. It did mean that James, Ya’sia, and Jourm had to be very careful how they continued to maneuver their fleets. One wrong step, and either James or Jourm could find themselves caught out facing one of the Karacknid fleets unaided. If either Karacknid commander managed to achieve that, it would be disastrous for James’ ultimate aims. For even if the Allied Fleet’s attack was victorious, they would be a spent force. James needed all his strength for the opposition he expected to encounter ahead of his line of advance. Such thoughts tempered James’ relief. Every time he dwelt on the Karacknid fleets expected to be ahead of him, he couldn’t help but feel more and more hemmed in. He now had little doubt that by the time his fleet got to the Karacknid homeworld, there would be multiple Karacknid fleets pursuing him. If he couldn’t force the Karacknid Imperator into a peace, his fleet would be in serious trouble. But no more trouble than if we had stayed at Earth and faced Tanaka-lan, he reminded himself as he tried to throw off his sense of impending doom.

With an effort, James focused his attention on the task at hand. Thanks to Drake’s impressive sensors and Kulrean holo display, he was able to look at the Karacknid colony within the system, and see it in exquisite detail. It reminded him a lot of the Karacknid sector capital they had attacked over a month ago. Hundreds of Karacknid cities crisscrossed the planet’s surface. All appeared to be built to the same design as the city his marines had assaulted. In orbit, there were over a hundred battlestations. Crucially though, there were only two hundred warships. Scout reports James had received several days ago had told him as much. In part, James was surprised to see the number hadn’t risen. Given how vigorously the Karacknids had attempted to defend the sector capital he had attacked, he had been expecting more Karacknid ships to have arrived at the colony since his scouts had surveyed the system. They have to be holding back their forces, James was certain. Throwing small fleets into his path had allowed him to destroy hundreds of Karacknid warships over the last several months, bit by bit. Someone has clearly put an end to such tactics, he decided.

“Okay, let’s take this carefully,” James said as he looked away from the display and towards where his command staff sat. “Send scouting squadrons to cover most of the system and the other two shift passages. I don’t want any nasty surprises. Sooner or later, we’re going to encounter a Karacknid fleet ahead of us. Let’s not have it arrive whilst we are engaging this colony.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov said, she then glanced at Anderson and gestured for him to draw up the orders. “How will we proceed with our assault?”

James glanced at the Karacknid colony again before answering. With two thousand ships accompanying Drake, he could easily pummel the orbital battlestations into debris. Yet it would take five or six salvos to completely destroy them, the warships, and all of the orbital stations. “We will pass just within missile range,” he decided. “I want our first salvo to take their warships. Spread our fire across them all, crippled or destroyed, I don’t want any of the colony’s garrison able to join the two fleets flanking us. Then our second salvo will strike any orbital stations that look like they hold supplies the Karacknid fleet might need. We’re not going to waste any more missiles or time than we must to make sure this colony can’t be used by any fleet trying to pursue us.”

“I will transmit your wishes to our senior commanders,” Ivanov replied. “We’ll draw up attack plans and have them ready for you momentarily.”

James nodded to his Chief of Staff and then turned back to the holo display. Already, squadrons ranging in strength from six to thirty ships were breaking away from his main fleet. A large shell of recon drones was also spreading out across the system. After reviewing his staff’s plans with his senior commanders, James gave the order to proceed. With no additional Karacknid forces detected within the system, everything went according to plan. At least, as much as any battle James had ever fought did.

First, Hawthorn launched all of her Spitfire and Corsair fighters. They provided a screen in front of his fleet to engage the two missile salvos the Karacknids would be able to fire off. As James instructed, Hawthorn spread her fighters out across a large area of space. He didn’t want to tempt the Karacknids into detonating their missiles early and taking out some of Hawthorn’s forces. Then, at a high velocity, his fleet approached the Karacknid colony at an angle that would keep them in missile range just long enough to release two salvos. As his ships fired, the Karacknids did the same. Only six of James’ ships suffered any damage from the Karacknid antimatter missiles. Miraculously, none were destroyed outright. As each of James’ salvos outnumbered the Karacknids’ by several factors, they did not fare so well. Two thirds of their warships were destroyed or crippled. More than a hundred orbital stations were also obliterated. Content with the cost of the damage, James ordered his fleet to set course for the shift passage out of the system.

Two hours later, he was still on Drake’s bridge, watching the Karacknids try and recover from the damage they had suffered when two new contacts appeared racing into the system. They were coming from the third shift passage in the system, the one James’ ships were not headed towards. “Engine signatures are confirmed to be Imperial ships,” Lieutenant Davenport reported. “They are the frigates Ferret and Copernicus. They were attached to Admiral Shraw’s fleet.”

“Thank you,” James replied as he sat up in his command chair. Several weeks ago, he had detached Shraw’s Gramrian warships to form a third probing fleet to aid Jil’lal and Scott as they moved through Karacknid systems securing his line of advance. He had transferred several of his fastest frigates to Shraw’s command to be used to bring news back to him in case of an emergency.

As best he could, James tried to appear to be waiting patiently. The two frigates had presumably already transmitted their message towards Drake, yet it would take another twenty minutes to arrive. Idly, he pulled up the damage reports on the ships that had suffered proximity hits in the recent battle. He had already read through them, but he did so again more slowly.

“COM messages received from Ferret,” Lieutenant Petrov announced. “Sending it to your command chair Admiral.”

James pulled it up immediately. It took just thirty seconds to scan through Shraw’s report. He looked up and caught Alvarez and Ivanov’s eyes. “Put this new information up on our star map,” he requested.

Immediately, the holo display switched from showing the system they were in, to a map of local space and the estimated positions of Ya’sia’s and Jourm’s fleets. As well as the probing fleets they and James had ahead of their main formations were marked. The two flanking Karacknid fleets were also flashing. Then a new Karacknid fleet appeared. It was to the east of the current position of James’ fleet. It was just three systems away from where James sat, and five from the Karacknid fleet that was following him. Crucially, this new fleet had fifteen hundred ships. “If it moves to engage us, they could hold us in place long enough for the Karacknid fleet pursuing us to catch up,” James said as he analyzed the situation. “Or worse, if it moves to join forces with a larger fleet behind us, we could be outnumbered two to one.”

“And Shraw’s information is out of date,” Alvarez commented. “Whatever they’re trying, they’re likely already well underway doing it.”

“Do we need to combine our fleets again?” Ivanov asked. “With Ya’sia and Jourm with us, these two fleets combining won’t be nearly so much of a threat.”

“They wouldn’t,” James agreed, “but then the other Karacknid fleet flanking Jourm could easily combine with these two. And once the Karacknid hem us in, it would be much easier for them to draw in other forces as well. I don’t want to combine our forces until we have no other choice.”

“What are you thinking?” Alvarez asked.

James tapped his command chair, highlighting one of the systems between the new Karacknid fleet and the one to his rear. “The Karacknids rarely shy away from a battle. But they have been more cautious of late. This new fleet has to know about the fleet trailing us. If they move to combine, they will have to pass through here. We could strike them before they make it. Shraw and Jil’lal are close enough that they could both meet us there.”

The holo display changed again to show the route James’ fleet would have to take to get to the indicated system. “I’m not sure we would make it in time,” Anderson said as he continued to manipulate the display. “That Karacknid fleet could get there half a day ahead of us. We might arrive only to see them jump out and towards the flanking fleet.”

James nodded. “He doesn’t mean to take the whole fleet,” Alvarez said as he figured out what James was already thinking. “Drake and half of our fleet is Kulrean-built. We can make it there ahead of this new Karacknid fleet.”

“Exactly,” James said, “but we need to move fast. Very fast. Transmit our new course to all of the Kulrean-built ships. Inform Vice Admiral Becket she is assuming command of the rest of our fleet. She is to move her ships closer to Admiral Ya’sia in case either of them need support. Send word to Ya’sia and Jourm as well. They will need to delay their advance so as not to leave us behind. And make sure Jil’lal, Scott and Shraw get word immediately of what we are going to attempt. If they cannot meet us there, we could find ourselves in a spot of trouble.”

At once, the officers all around him got to work as they frantically drew up all the orders James wanted. For several more minutes, he expanded upon what he desired. Even as Drake turned her nose towards the shift passage the two frigates had appeared from, the orders were still being transmitted across the fleet to its various commanders. With his part done, James took a moment to glance at the star map again. He had plenty of scouts between his position and the new Karacknid fleet. If it did try to close with his ships, he’d get plenty of warning. If that was the case, he could simply pull back. But if his scouts didn’t detect them, then that would tell him they were not coming his way, but trying to combine with their comrades. We can’t let them combine, James said to himself, certain of what would happen if they did. Emboldened by his reinforcements, the Karacknid commander of the fleet to his rear would immediately seek a battle. To face it, James would have to combine all of his fleets, yet as soon as he did that, he would allow the fleet flanking Jourm to catch them off-guard as well. As his ships raced along their new course, James couldn’t help but feel that the risks of driving so far and fast into the Karacknid empire were starting to catch up with him.

*

IS Drake, 16th January 2486 AD (four days later).

“We’ve got them!” Anderson shouted excitedly as Drake jumped out of shift space and her sensors immediately detected a host of gravimetric sources. His outburst gave expression to the building tension that the last four days of travelling at such a high velocity had built up within the bridge. Within seconds, Anderson’s guess was proved correct. Twelve hundred Karacknid warships were identified passing through the system in front of them. Vitally, they were only about a third of the way into the system. Drake and her consorts could intercept them before they reached the shift passage they were heading towards!

Everyone on the bridge turned to look at James. He felt the question they were all silently asking. Admiral Shraw’s one hundred and eighty ships had joined his fleet. That gave him over thirteen hundred ships. With all of his fighters included in his force, he stood a good chance of being able to defeat the Karacknid fleet. Yet it would be a close-run thing. James didn’t need to ask any of his staff officers if there was any sign of Jil’lal or Scott. If Drake’s advanced sensors had detected them, they’d be on the holo display. They can’t be too far away, James said to himself. Both knew how critical it was for them to come to his aid. “Take us in,” he ordered. “Let the Karacknids know we are here.”

As his ships moved forward and announced their presence, James thought he had a fair idea how the Karacknid commander would respond. Sure enough, the Karacknid fleet slowed. It then launched hundreds of recon drones and dispatched more than a hundred light ships to get as close a look at his fleet as they could. James smiled. They know we have many more ships in our fleet. They are expecting some kind of trap. For an hour, James maneuvered his fleet against the Karacknid commander. He also dispatched his own squadrons to engage and fend off the Karacknid light ships. Yet he allowed several to get just close enough to confirm for sure that James had no additional ships hiding in stealth or any further behind him.

Within minutes of the Karacknid commander being able to see just how strong James’ fleet was, the behavior of his ships changed. Rather than cautiously trying to counter James’ maneuvers, the Karacknids set a direct intercept course for Drake. Ivanov turned to James. The concern on her face was unmistakable. James gave her a reassuring smile. “They will come,” he promised her. “They won’t let us down.”

Despite his confidence in his subordinates, James still had to avoid contact with the Karacknid fleet. At least, for the next hour and a half, he did his best to maneuver against the Karacknid commander. In a reverse of the previous hour, he did his best to keep the Karacknid fleet from gaining on him. He had one disadvantage though. Admiral Shraw’s Gramrian ships could not maintain the same velocities nor quick course changes his Kulrean-built ships could. Slowly but surely, the Karacknid fleet closed with him. When it was just fifteen minutes away from reaching missile range, it revealed one final surprise. Two hundred fighters launched from three carriers that had been hiding in the heart of the fleet. James swallowed hard at the sight of them. Two hundred wouldn’t be enough to stop his far larger fighter force from launching a strike against the enemy fleet. But they would blunt its attack significantly. Or, if the Karacknid chose to launch their fighters against his fleet with the first missile salvo, he’d have to hold a couple of hundred of his own Spitfires in reserve to bolster his Corsairs. He couldn’t risk the Karacknid fighters with their particle beams getting anywhere near his capital ships.

“Admiral?” Ivanov asked, an eyebrow raised.

“There’s no more running,” James said as he eyed the Karacknid fleet. His attempts to keep them at a distance had backed his fleet into a corner. The Karacknids had cut off his potential escape route back to the shift passage he had arrived from, and their superior speed meant it was now unavoidable that they would get into missile range. James had known it was coming more than an hour ago. The time to try to cut and run had long since passed. Momentarily, his mind was brought back to the final briefing he had had with his commanders in orbit around Scalatar. Both Scott and Jil’lal had promised him they would not let him down. You’re cutting it close, he thought towards them.

As if his thoughts summoned them into existence, four hundred and ninety new contacts instantly appeared on the gravimetric plot. They were exiting shift space from the same shift passage the Karacknid fleet had entered the system from. At once, they began to rapidly accelerate towards the Karacknid fleet.

Though James was as shocked and delighted as the officers around him, he kept his voice calm. “Signal Admiral Jil’lal and Rear Admiral Scott. Inform them to launch their fighters and attack with their mark VI missiles. Update them on when we will be firing our first salvo. They are to coordinate our fire with theirs as best they can.”

Over the next fifteen minutes, Drake’s bridge was a bedlam of activity as James’ staff officers prepared his fleet to engage the Karacknids whilst also organizing with Jil’lal and Scott. James couldn’t help but grimace when the news came in that his subordinates’ fleet could only add their fire to his second salvo. They are here, he assured himself. That is the main thing. The Karacknid fleet, rather than attempting and failing to flee, was continuing to close with his fleet. His fleet was going to take losses, but they now had the advantage in numbers over the Karacknids. They just had to make it count.

The battle began in earnest when the Karacknid fleet finally came into missile range. It released thirty-four thousand missiles towards James’ ships. When James gave the order, forty thousand missiles replied from his forces. Even though he had the advantage, James was sure the Karacknid commander didn’t care. With his fleet so deep within Karacknid territory, if the Karacknid commander lost two of his ships for every one of James’, it would still be a strategic victory. Before either fleet fired again, Jil’lal and Scott fired their long-range mark VI missiles. Their fighters were already accelerating hard towards the Karacknid fleet.

A deadly fighter duel erupted as the two hundred Karacknid fighters moved to intercept Hawthorn’s force. The Wing Commander wisely allowed her Corsairs and several squadrons of Spitfires to tangle with the Karacknids. She managed to extract the rest of her attack force and continue towards the enemy ships with only a handful of losses.

As the first Karacknid salvo still raced towards James’ ships, the Karacknid fleet fired a second volley, and then James’ ships did the same. James only had a minute or so to watch his second salvo race towards their targets before Drake’s Kulrean point defenses began to fire. They destroyed many Karacknid missiles, but even so, it hardly made a dent in the thirty thousand being tracked by the dreadnought’s sensors.

Though his fleet threw everything they had at the wave of destruction bearing down on them, it wasn’t enough. Antimatter missiles reached their targets and began to detonate. Knowing that the Kulrean defensive weapons would prioritize any missiles targeting Drake, James felt secure. His hands tightened into fists nonetheless, for ships were dying all around him.

“Twenty-six confirmed kills,” Davenport reported less than a minute later. “Half as many again have suffered severe proximity hits.”

“We’ve taken fifty-four of them out of the battle,” Anderson said, attempting to alleviate the sense of loss everyone felt.

“Prepare to receive the next enemy salvo,” James snapped as the Karacknid ships fired again. He then focused his full attention on the Karacknid fleet. It was about to be attacked from two separate angles and Wing Commander Hawthorns’ fighters were going to strike along with those from Jil’lal and Scott’s squadrons. A lot more than fifty enemy ships were about to be destroyed. Though his ships began to engage the second wave of Karacknid missiles, James watched his own missiles strike home. There was nothing more he could do for his ships as they fought to defend themselves, but he felt like he needed to will on his own missiles. Hundreds of explosions appeared on Drake’s sensors as the Karacknid fleet’s point defenses were overwhelmed. Knowing the additional danger they were in, the Karacknids immediately switched their point defense fire to the incoming fighters. More than sixty were destroyed before they could release their plasma missiles. Many of the plasma missiles were taken out as well. Not all though. More explosions erupted in the heart of the Karacknid fleet. Hawthorn’s strike had targeted their dreadnoughts and battleships.

Only when the last fighter made it to safety did James allow his shoulders to relax, albeit only slightly. Four hundred Karacknid ships had been reduced to battered wrecks. There was no doubt the Karacknid fleet would fight on, but its firepower had been severely reduced. Reluctantly, James turned his attention back to his own fleet. Glancing at Ivanov, he raised an eyebrow.

“Nineteen destroyed, thirty more badly damaged,” she reported. James kept his emotions off his face. It could have been much worse. Yet losing fifty ships still meant the loss of thousands of lives.

“The next salvo is coming in with a different flightpath,” Anderson reported. “I think they are focusing their fire on our capital ships.”

James nodded as he looked back to the holo display. The final full-strength salvos the Karacknid had fired before Hawthorn’s fighter strike was far more densely packed than the previous two. They’d be easier to hit with flak cannon rounds, but those that survived would have a better chance of overwhelming the central part of James’ formation. Immediately, James knew what the enemy commander was trying. Drake stood out like a sore thumb in his fleet. There were other Kulrean-built dreadnoughts, but none that had the point defensive fire his ship had. “Push out our flanking scout squadrons, they are to close with the missiles and engage as best they can,” he ordered. “They’re going for our dreadnoughts; we can’t lose a single one of them.” Not if we want to take the Karacknid homeworld, James thought but didn’t add.

As his scouting squadrons engaged the missiles, they were only able to get a few seconds of fire at them. Hundreds were blown apart, but thousands more continued. James found his fingers were tapping his command chair. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so safe anymore. When Drake’s sensors identified seven hundred missiles that seemed to be tracking his flagship alone, he had to forcibly stop his twitch lest he distract his officers.

A surge of defensive fire reached out from the Allied fleet to try and beat back the Karacknid missiles. Thousands were destroyed. When the second wave of flak cannon rounds detonated together, more than a thousand more vanished from Drake’s sensors. Yet three hundred were still tracking his flagship. The Kulrean energy weapons were destroying several every second. Drakes’ other defenses were almost as effective. Even so, the missiles were closing at 0.8c. When they were just ten seconds away, James swallowed hard. There were still one hundred and thirty tracking his flagship. He almost jumped when power on the bridge dimmed and then switched over to emergency lighting.

“What was that?” Alvarez demanded.

“I don’t know Captain,” one of the bridge officers replied immediately. “Power is being re-routed from secondary systems all across the ship.”

“The Kulrean energy weapons,” James said, as his mouth fell open. They had gone into overdrive. Suddenly, they were firing three blue energy triangles for every one they had fired before. For a second, James thought his ship was safe. Yet the Karacknid missiles still weren’t being destroyed quickly enough. Four seconds before they would strike, the straps of James’ command chair tightened pinning him in place. A fraction of a second later, his body suddenly felt very light as Drake’s inertial compensators revved up their power output. Before James could really register what was happening, he was crushed into his command chair. It felt like his bodyweight had quadrupled. His vision closed over, then it disappeared completely. Unconsciousness took him.

With a start, James realized he had blacked out. His eyes snapped open. He was immediately aware his restraints had loosened. Whipping his head around, he sought out a holo display showing the time. Just seconds had passed. “What happened?” He asked as he looked at his staff officers. They all looked just as confused as he felt. That was, all except for Ivanov. She was hunched over her command console.

“I can hardly believe it,” she said as she looked up. Instead of explaining any more, she gestured towards the main holo display. A representation of Drake dominated the image. In slow motion, thirty missiles were rushing towards it. Drake was firing her defensive weapons, but all of a sudden, the rate of fire from the Kulrean weapons quadrupled. Eighteen of the missiles were taken out in short order. As the rest closed to attack range, six more were hit by Drake’s normal point defenses. That still left twelve. Then the impossible happened. Drake’s engines flared and she rapidly moved away from the missiles. At the same time, she twisted and weaved, throwing off their targeting lock. As they tried to pursue, eight more were blown apart with the extra time the maneuver gave Drake’s point defenses. The final four closed close enough that James expected them to detonate. Yet they didn’t. At the last second, Drake was thrown into another evasive maneuver and dodged each one of them. James shook his head as he rubbed his eyes. The only thing that made him believe what he just saw was the fact that he was still alive.

“How is that possible?” Alvarez asked. “How come we weren’t all squished into pancakes by that maneuver?”

James had already stopped shaking his head. There was only one explanation. “Superintendent Hallock,” he said as he broke into a smile. He didn’t know if the Superintendent had received permission to make the extra modifications he had obviously kept a secret from James, or if they had been kept a secret from the rest of his fellow Superintendents as well. Either way, Drake clearly had more about her than anyone had realized. “They must have made more upgrades to our inertial dampers and engines than even our engineers have guessed,” he explained as he found most of Drake’s bridge officers looking at him. “We’ve all seen Kulrean worldships dodge Karacknid missiles despite their massive size. I guess Drake has similar capabilities as well.”

“Whatever just happened, it took a vast amount of energy,” Anderson said. “Pretty much every capacitor on the ship is drained. I don’t think we can fire another missile salvo with the rest of the fleet. Not unless we’re going to delay firing.”

James turned his attention to the Karacknid fleet. His third missile salvo had destroyed another one hundred ships. “Fire as soon as our fleet is ready,” he ordered. There was no need to wait for Drake’s missiles, the rest of his fleet put out more than enough to saturate the Karacknid fleets defenses.

For another thirty-five minutes, James oversaw the battle as his fleet and Jil’lal and Scott’s squadrons hammered the Karacknids with a constant rate of fire. The Karacknid commander did his best to pull his ships back out of the engagement and flee towards the nearest shift passage. Yet James never let his ships get out of missile range. Five more salvos reduced the Karacknid fleet to a little over six hundred warships. None of the salvos the Karacknids fired in return tried to target Drake again. They had learned that lesson. More Allied ships were destroyed, but as the Karacknid numbers were thinned further and further, their salvos became less and less threatening.

“New contacts!” Anderson announced. He had to shout above the din of Drake’s bridge. His words stopped every other conversation. Everyone’s head spun towards the gravimetric plot.

James smiled at his officer’s reaction. They were so engrossed in the battle in front of them that they had lost a degree of their situational awareness. His ships were more than three light hours away from the system’s mass shadow. There was no way an enemy fleet could jump right in on top of them. And with Drake’s sensors, sneaking up on her was all but impossible for a Karacknid warship. Still, he had to admit his heart skipped a beat at Anderson’s announcement. Though as he took in the new information on the gravimetric plot, he saw nothing more threatening than he expected. It was disappointing, nonetheless.

“Four hundred Karacknid warships. They’re moving towards the fleet we are attacking,” Anderson updated.

From the shift passage they had just arrived from, James knew there was only one explanation. “It’s an advanced squadron from the Karacknid fleet that has been flanking us these last weeks. They were moving to rendezvous with the fleet in front of us as well. The rest of their fleet can’t be far behind.”

Confirming his suspicions, the Karacknid fleet he was engaged with began to turn towards the new contacts. Their maneuver meant James could more easily keep them engaged. Yet if he wanted to do so, he’d have to move towards the shift passage the four hundred Karacknid ships had appeared from. And right into the arms of the much larger Karacknid fleet you were trying to meet, James thought towards the enemy commander. It was even possible an entire Karacknid fleet was already there, just waiting to carry out a micro jump into the system if he moved in that direction. “We are disengaging,” he said coming to a quick decision. “One more salvo and we are pulling back. Inform the fleet. I want every damaged ship that has a fair chance of keeping up with us dispatched towards our shift passage out of here immediately. The rest need to be abandoned and scuttled at once.”

When his ships fired their last missiles, James watched them crash into the Karacknid fleet. In order to rendezvous with his ships, Jil’lal and Scott had pulled back without firing once more. Even so, the missiles from his ships alone destroyed another eighty Karacknid warships. James had no doubt that many more of the Karacknid ships fleeing had suffered damage as well. He nodded, content with his efforts. What was left of the fleet his forces had just engaged would provide meagre reinforcements for the Karacknid flanking fleet. With luck, that meant they would continue to shadow his fleet rather than force an engagement. We’ve bought ourselves another week or maybe even two, he hoped. He didn’t have the confidence to dream any bigger than that.

As he expected, as soon as Jil’lal and Scott came into two-way communication range, they hailed Drake. Admiral Shraw joined the conversation as well. “We’re sorry we were late Admiral,” Scott said as soon as they were connected. She glanced at Jil’lal and then back to James. Though her eyes quickly dropped from his.

James held up a hand. “There’s no need for apologies. You owe me none. You came as fast as you could. That is exactly what I expected of you.”

“We encountered a small Karacknid scouting squadron. No more than one hundred and fifty ships,” Jil’lal explained. “But they blocked our path. We had to fight our way through them. It cost us a couple of hours or more.”

James smiled at the look of contrition on both of his friends’ faces. Though one was Human and the other Vestarian, their emotions were the same. “Snap out of it,” he said to them. “This was a victory. We smashed their fleet, and we are getting out of here largely intact. Once we join up with Vice Admiral Becket’s ships, the flanking Karacknid fleet will have to think twice about trying to take us on. We’ve bought ourselves some breathing room.”

Though both commanders nodded, James could see they weren’t about to let it go so easily. Fine, he thought to himself. Let it eat you up a little. He knew it would give them an edge in the coming weeks. They wouldn’t want to let him down again.

“It wasn’t all that bad, you know,” Shraw said as he grinned at Jil’lal and Scott, showing them his razor-sharp teeth. His tongue flicked in and out before he continued. “Your delay gave me a chance to get to know Admiral Somerville a little better. I’ll tell you one thing; he has nerves of steel. I believe that is your expression for it. On Scalatar, we would say he waits to pounce until the Gorak’s tusks are already tickling his belly. He allowed the Karacknid fleet to back us right into the mouth of a trap just before you both arrived. I must confess, I thought things were going to go far worse than they did for a few minutes there.”

James laughed at the sound of respect in Shraw’s voice. “I wouldn’t exactly say I walked into the trap willingly. We had little choice.”

“We could have run as soon as we saw the Karacknid fleet was here and Jil’lal and Scott weren’t,” Shraw pointed out.

“Touché,” James said as he dipped his head towards Shraw. The confused look on the alien’s face told James the Kulrean translation software hadn’t perfectly communicated what he had said. “Let us hope we don’t quite find ourselves in a similar situation again before all this is over,” he said as he smiled at Jil’lal and Scott. “Now, let us see to our ships before we jump out. We need to get back to Becket’s fleet as quickly as possible.” When all three admirals nodded, James cut the COM channel. He couldn’t help but glance at the holo display. There was a group of forty-five warships trailing behind his fleet. They had all been evacuated. Within minutes, they detonated as their reactors were overloaded. One hundred and sixty, James thought to himself. That was how many ships he had now lost. It was worth it to destroy upwards of nine hundred Karacknid warships. Yet it was another one hundred and sixty ships he wouldn’t be getting back.

Chapter 28

One of the unique challenges of the War of Doom was the need to integrate so many different warships into the Allied fleets. Often, this resulted in abilities of one of the other civilizations’ ships being compromised. Not always though. At times, the combination of unique technologies gave us a significant advantage.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Wayfarer (one week later).

Rather than growing more accustomed to spending time suspended in the goo that filled every square inch of Wayfarer but her small room, as the weeks passed, Emilie was becoming more and more irritated by it. The goo felt like it was constantly pressing in on her with greater pressure. It constricted her movements and was making her feel increasingly claustrophobic. It also worked its way into her nose and ears, despite her best efforts to the contrary. Perhaps the worst was trying to get it out of her hair, given the limited bathing capabilities the Kalassai were able to provide her. Despite all that however, Emilie still found herself spending many hours on Wayfarer’s bridge. It was the only place she could keep fully abreast of what was going on around the Kalassai fleet. Being there also made sure she was present any time the Kalassai senior leadership wished to speak with Wal-sma. Since Wayfarer had jumped into the system they were now in an hour ago, Emilie had been passing the time staring at the goo that had formed a representation of the various planetary bodies. There had been a small Karacknid mining outpost on a moon of one of the system’s gas giants. An advanced squadron of Kalassai warships had taken it out twelve hours ago. With no witnesses in the vicinity, the Kalassai fleet was quickly passing through.

“You’re still happy that we are making good time?” Wal-sma asked as it turned from whatever it had been doing.

Emilie smiled at the Kalassai Captain. She knew Wal-sma often drew her into conversations because the Kalassai thought her lonely. In truth, she was. “I believe so,” she answered. For weeks now she had been mentally tracking where she believed her uncle’s fleet would be. Without knowing if her uncle had been able to launch Phase Two of Operation Hail Mary on the exact date he had intended, she knew she could be off by a hundred light years or more. She also had no way of knowing exactly how things were going, nor if any battles or detours would be necessary. Yet she had worked out a best-case scenario. If her uncle was making that much progress, then the Kalassai fleet was still on course to be able to catch up with him. And if he’s delayed, then it will give us even more time, Emilie said to herself. “Even with the size of fleet he is likely to have under his command, the element of surprise will only get him so far into Karacknid space. If he hasn’t already, he’ll start to meet some serious opposition. That will slow things down. As long as we continue as we are, we should be in time to catch him before he reaches the Karacknid homeworld.”

Wal-sma waved a tentacle. “That is good, though if you were to say we were falling behind, it might give Admiral Fug-sal and the others some encouragement to pick up the pace even more.”

Emilie nodded to show her agreement. Though the Kalassai had been making good progress, they were still being overly cautious in her view. Wal-sma had come to agree as well. Over the past weeks, they had been taking every precaution to make sure that no witnesses of their fleet’s progress through the Upper Valley, and out into the more open sectors of the Karacknid Empire, survived. In the Upper Valley, that had been surprisingly easy. Compared to what the Kalassai had expected, the Upper Valley had been all but empty of ships. Of course, the reason why was clear. They had all headed west to try and catch up with her uncle’s fleet. Yet now that they were out of the Upper Valley and cutting a diagonal line relative to her uncle’s direction of advance, they were encountering more and more ships. In the last three weeks, they had engaged three Karacknid squadrons. None had been larger than three hundred ships, and so had been easily surrounded and dispatched. Even so, despite the Kalassai’s best efforts, there was no guarantee one or two ships hadn’t escaped. Nor was there a guarantee that a Karacknid freighter or scout ship hadn’t detected them and snuck away before being found itself. And even if they haven’t, sooner or later someone is going to notice the trail of destruction and missing ships we have left behind. Given that news of her uncle’s thrust into Karacknid space had clearly reached the sectors they were travelling through, even an idiot could put two and two together and figure there was a second fleet operating in the vicinity.

“You don’t want to change your answer then?” Wal-sma said.

Emilie smiled at the Kalassai Captain. “You are not encouraging me to lie to your superiors, are you?” She asked.

“Not lie,” Wal-sma replied. “Just re-evaluate your estimation on how much progress your uncle is likely to have made. I’m sure there are some additional factors you have not taken into consideration.”

Her friend’s words made Emilie chuckle. At least as much as she could around her breathing piece. “And if they want to examine my estimation and find it lacking? They will not trust any other valuations I give to them.”

“That would be an unfortunate result,” Wal-sma said. “Even Admiral Fug-sal has come to listen to your strategic advice much more than I thought.”

Emilie nodded to show her agreement. From the beginning of the Kalassai’s advance through Karacknid space, she had been trying to offer as much advice as she could. Initially, she had been largely rebuffed, but as she had been able to predict the Karacknid responses to various moves the Kalassai had made, the Kalassai senior commanders had begun to listen to her more and more. Though they knew a great deal about what they were about, they still lacked recent first-hand experience fighting the Karacknids. “What we really need is for a Karacknid scout ship to detect us and escape,” Emilie said. “I know, I know,” she hastily added as several other Kalassai officers looked around at her. “That will likely put us in a more dangerous situation. But if your senior commanders cannot pretend that we are still going undetected, then there will be no need for so many of the precautions we are taking. We have come to the point where speed will protect us as much as caution. The sooner we can rendezvous with my uncle, the safer we will be with our two fleets combined.”

The sudden blaring of alarms cut off whatever Wal-sma had been about to say in reply. On the representation of the star system they were in, thirty new contacts appeared. Emilie’s eyes widened at them. They were clearly Karacknid warships. They jumped out of a shift passage adjacent to the one the Kalassai fleet had exited an hour ago. They weren’t quite in missile range, but they were darned close! Sensing an eeriness had descended upon Wayfarer’s bridge, Emilie looked away from the image to find every Kalassai staring at her. Emilie shook her head. “That’s not my fault,” she said as she pointed at the image. “I can’t summon Karacknid warships out of thin air. They were on their way here hours before I said anything.” Though she knew the Kalassai understood that full well, her words had little impact.

“We’re getting orders from Admiral Fug-sal,” an officer reported. To Emilie’s relief, it drew most of the Kalassai’ attention away from her. “Our squadron and two others are to close with the Karacknid ships and destroy them if we can.”

“Acknowledge the order and get our ships on the move,” Wal-sma replied at once. “We only have twenty-five minutes before they will have their shift drives recharged and can jump out. There isn’t a second to spare.”

At once, Wayfarer and the one hundred and twenty ships Wal-sma commanded turned away from the large Kalassai fleet and fired their engines to full. Having to essentially reverse course, they had a lot of momentum to overcome. Thankfully, as Emilie watched, the Karacknid squadron continued on into the system themselves. They are probably stunned at what they’re looking at, she suspected. Or they know they’re not alone, a far more concerned voice said. “Captain,” Emilie said hastily as she spun around to Wal-sma. “What if that is just a scouting force for a much larger fleet? Or worse, what if they’re intentionally trying to draw some of your ships in?”

Wal-sma waved its tentacles in the negative. “There’s no way the Karacknids could know exactly where we are.”

“You’re speaking like Admiral Fug-sal now. We can’t possibly know that for sure,” Emilie countered.

Wal-sma stared at her for several seconds, then she waved a tentacle in a sign of concern. Spinning to her console, Emilie guessed she was trying to contact Fug-sal. Moments later, Wal-sma began to speak quickly conveying Emilie’s fears. Before anything could be done about it however, more alarms went off. Four hundred new contacts had suddenly begun to cruise into the system. The first ships were scouts! Emilie said to herself. Admiral Fug-sal began to give out new orders seconds later. Wal-sma’s squadron and the others that had been charging forward slowed while the rest of the entire Kalassai fleet began to reverse course. They were going to engage the Karacknids together. But are we seeing all the ships the Karacknids have? Emilie asked herself. At this point, she knew there was no point trying to convey her concern to Fug-sal. The Kalassai fleet was committed now. Tensing her body, Emilie prepared herself for the possibility that more Karacknid ships would appear. If she was a Karacknid commander and had a sizable fleet, she would do just what was happening. She would feed a part of her fleet in to lure more and more of the Kalassai into engagement range. As the Kalassai and Karacknid fleets charged closer and closer to one another, Emilie started to think her fears weren’t going to materialize. Then, when fifteen ships broke away from the Karacknid fleet and began to decelerate as they turned back towards the system’s mass shadow, she felt even more confident. The Karacknid commander, expecting his fleet to be destroyed, had clearly decided to dispatch some ships to flee and bring news of what he had discovered. You should be doing that with all of your ships, she thought towards the enemy commander. It was one thing she had come to learn about the Karacknids. It had always been true that they were willing to fight and die against very slim odds. Yet when the Kalassai were involved, it seemed the Karacknids’ bloodlust was elevated to even higher levels. Not once had she seen a Karacknid fleet decline to engage the Kalassai.

This time was no different. In the space of just fifteen minutes, both fleets charged into weapons range and unloaded everything they could at one another. The Karacknids were clearly intent on trying to get into energy weapon range whilst the Kalassai wanted to overwhelm the Karacknid fleet and still catch the small squadron that had been dispatched back to the system’s mass shadow. In the end, both sides were disappointed. The Karacknid fleet was overwhelmed by the massive weight of fire the Kalassai warships and then city ships put out before they could enter weapon’s range. The Kalassai suffered a number of losses, yet they were not able to catch up with the detached squadron. Every one of its fifteen ships jumped into shift space just two seconds before hundreds of Kalassai munitions would have crashed into them.

As the Kalassai fleet reversed course again and tried to rescue as many Kalassai as they could from ships that had been damaged, Emilie kept her eyes firmly fixed on the display of the system. She could feel the Kalassai around her, staring at her. It was only half an hour later when new orders came from Admiral Fug-sal that she turned to Wal-sma. Fug-sal was ordering the fleet to cross the system at a velocity significantly higher than they had been travelling at just several hours ago.

“I think you need to be very careful about what you wish for Commodore,” Wal-sma said, meeting Emilie’s eyes. “Very careful indeed,” it added before turning back to its console.

Emilie swallowed hard and nodded for the sake of the other Kalassai she knew were watching her.

*

Centurion, 25th January 2486 AD (nine days later).

“What are we looking at?” Scott asked her command staff as she stared at the holo display. She had fifty ships of her squadron sitting in stealth six light hours outside of the Karacknid system’s mass shadow. What she was seeing made little sense. The system had piqued her interest weeks ago as she had been studying the Kalassai intelligence on the sector of space she was in. Essentially, the Kalassai had nothing but a question mark in their file on the system. Not once had a Kalassai scout ship ever seen more than Scott was seeing now.

“It’s a standard Karacknid patrol pattern,” Scott’s tactical officer reported. “Though I’ve never seen so many ships assigned to one before.”

“Neither have I,” Scott commented. “Nor have I even heard of it.” She shook her head as she stared at the eight hundred Karacknid warships that were moving about, their active scanners filling the outer system with electromagnetic energy. What was just as strange was that Centurion’s sensors were detecting medium, heavy, and even some battlecruisers patrolling the system. They were carrying out a task normally assigned to frigates and destroyers. “I want a thin spread of stealth recon drones sent into the system. Avoid their patrols as best we can. I want to confirm what’s going on in the inner system.”

Though she knew it could end up being a waste of a precious couple of hours, Scott settled into her command chair to wait for the drones to pass through the shell of Karacknid patrolling ships. Something strange was going on in front of her, and the scientist in her needed to know what it was. Not just the scientist, she thought to herself. She had a feeling she was looking at something important. Yet she couldn’t figure it out. An hour and a half later, as her drones approached the one Karacknid colony in the system, Scott’s frown only deepened. Centurion hadn’t detected any active Karacknid ships within the inner system. Yet it didn’t mean there wasn’t a large fleet in orbit around the colony powered down. Certainly, given the number of patrolling ships in the outer system, she expected to find more than a thousand warships. Instead, the drones were detecting nothing. Not a single ship was being picked up.

“The colony itself is strange too,” Scott’s Chief of Staff reported. “We’re only detecting one city. It’s very small. Other than a few outlying villages, there appears to be no other settlements.”

The comment made Scott shake her head. “What on earth are we looking at?” She asked again.

“Look at this,” her tactical officer said as he zoomed in the current image to show a single orbital station. “It’s tiny.”

“And it must be ancient,” another officer said. “If it is even of Karacknid design.”

Scott had her own doubts. The station did look old. Easily centuries old. Yet it also looked primitive. Why would the Karacknid keep such a station operating? If they did build it once, why is it still here? She had no answers to her questions. Yet that in and of itself told her she had discovered something important. Still, she couldn’t put a finger on what had her fixated on the system.

“There is something else interesting,” Scott’s Chief of Staff said as the image snapped back to the Karacknid colony itself. “Look at that building in the center of the city. It’s way bigger than anything we’ve seen before. Even the largest Karacknid cities haven’t had central shrines that big.”

The image confirmed it for Scott. She had found something. Something she needed to inform Admiral Somerville about. But what do I tell him? She asked. In an effort to get a better sense of what she was looking at, she zoomed the image on the main holo display back out to show the entire system. Carefully, she reanalyzed everything. The largest Karacknid patrol she had ever seen was filling the outer system with sensor scans. Yet within, there was almost nothing. Just one small Karacknid colony with what had to be the largest Shrine they had yet come across. What am I missing? She mused as she rubbed her jaw. It took nearly a minute for it to hit her. “The system patrol, they are not focused on the shift passages that head West.”

“Rear Admiral?” Scott’s Chief of Staff asked, as she looked up confused.

“Think about it, word has to have reached the system of Admiral Somerville’s advance. It likely reached here weeks ago. And yet, look at their patrols. They’re keeping as close a watch on the Western shift passages as the Eastern ones. It’s as if they don’t care about our fleet.”

“Or that they care just as much about stopping others from coming from the other direction as us?” Scott’s Chief of Staff suggested.

But who? Scott asked herself. The Kalassai? She shook her head. It made no sense. From everything she knew about the Kalassai, they would avoid passing through a system they knew nothing about. But that only leaves one another option. Were the Karacknid ships meant to protect the system from other Karacknids? Why else would they have battlecruisers in their fleet? Suddenly, Scott found herself staring at the Karacknid colony with fresh eyes. Though it was still only a guess, something made her feel certain. There was something on that world that was being protected, even from other Karacknids. Something the Karacknid Imperator doesn’t want others to know? She asked, even as she pulled up a file on her command chair and began to type out a message to Admiral Somerville. He needed to know about what she had found immediately.

*

IS Drake, 31st January 2486 AD (six days later).

James sat in his office, tapping his desk with one hand. With the other, he held a datapad as he read through Admiral Jourm’s latest report. The Western Karacknid flanking fleet had tried to close with him. Leading Karacknid squadrons had skirmished with Jourm’s squadrons, and behind them the main Karacknid fleet had moved in. Just in time, Jourm had called back two squadrons and had managed to receive some reinforcements from Ya’sia. When the Karacknid fleet had arrived, he had amassed three thousand three hundred warships. The Karacknid fleet of two thousand five hundred had moved to engage. Yet after a brief skirmish which included a fighter attack by the Alliance fighters, the Karacknids had pulled back. James shook his head as he read Jourm’s report. It had been a close thing. If Ya’sia’s reinforcements hadn’t made it, the Karacknid commander might have tried to press the attack even with the losses he suffered at the hands of the Alliance fighters. And it has cost us a couple hundred fighters and nearly one hundred warships, he thought to himself. Disaster had been averted, but the losses were mounting. When James got to the final part of Jourm’s update, he grimaced. The Varanni Admiral estimated that the Karacknid attack had delayed his fleet by eight days. James was going to have to slow his advance and wait for Jourm and Ya’sia to catch up, lest he end up being isolated himself.

The COM unit on his office flashed. James tapped it. “Go ahead?”

“Sorry to interrupt you Admiral,” Ivanov said. “A scout has just arrived from Rear Admiral Scott. It has transmitted an update from her. It has been flagged for your immediate attention.”

James had to bite his tongue to keep himself from grumbling. If it was marked for his attention, it meant there were likely more problems. “Thank you,” he replied as he ended the COM channel, then opened the report. As he quickly scanned it, he was pleasantly surprised. He could tell Scott was intrigued by what she had found. And if I’ve learnt anything over the years, it is to trust her instincts, James said to himself. Pulling up a holo map, he estimated how long it would take to reach Scott’s position. He pushed his lips together as he thought the situation through. It would add a couple more days of delay to his progress. But as he had to wait on Jourm anyway, it wasn’t so bad. And Jourm could be delayed even longer than he thought. Tapping his COM unit again, he reconnected to Ivanov. “We’re going to be drawing up some new orders. Scott has a mission for us. We are going to take a part of our fleet to investigate something she has found. I’m going to want most of our fighters and a strong attachment of General Johnston’s troops. We’ll take our fastest ships again; I want to be there and back by the time Jourm catches up with us.”

“Understood Admiral, I’ll gather the rest of your staff officers and we’ll get to work,” Ivanov replied.

James ended the COM channel again. Then he pulled up the visuals Scott had sent of the Karacknid system. He nodded as he stared at them. It was strange. “Well, I guess we’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

Chapter 29

The importance of a species’ history cannot be overstated. History is who we are, it tells us from where we have come, and to where we are going. Without it, a people lose their soul. The work of a historian then is not just as the recorder of certain events and dates; it is the protection of the very heart of our civilization.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 8th February 2486 AD, (eight days later)

When Drake slipped out of shift space and her sensors peered into the Karacknid system, James saw first-hand what had grabbed Scott’s attention. The disposition of the Karacknid forces was unlike anything he had seen before. He understood why Scott had initially been confused. Except for the fact that it had already been pointed out to him, he would have wondered just what was going on. It was obvious, the patrolling Karacknid ships were clearly guarding the system from any intrusion, not just from a potential attack by his ships.

“Centurion is hailing us Admiral,” Lieutenant Petrov reported.

James glanced at the area around Drake on the holo display, Centurion and Scott’s other one hundred and fifty warships were less than a light second away. With Drake, he had eight hundred of his own warships as well. Combined, they should have enough to punch through the Karacknid patrols and see just what was so important that the Karacknids were protecting. “I’ll speak to Rear Admiral Scott immediately,” he said. A moment later, Scott’s face appeared on his command chair’s holo display. “Has there been any change since you arrived here?”

Scott shook her head. “None Admiral. All the Karacknid ships have just continued their patrol patterns. It’s been the quietest week we’ve had since Operation Hail Mary began.”

James smiled, “I hope you haven’t been getting too used to it.”

“Not at all,” Scott said as she returned his gesture. “We were all getting kind of bored, to be honest.”

“Good,” James said with a nod. “You have an attack plan drawn up already, I presume?”

“I do, though we didn’t know exactly how many ships you were bringing. It won’t take long to adapt however,” Scott explained.

“Have your staff liaise with mine and we will do that immediately,” James replied.

“At once Admiral,” Scott said. “May I ask, do you think your fleet was spotted on the way here?”

“I think that’s a safe bet. There are Karacknid scouts everywhere, and we didn’t exactly try to hide our approach. We were moving as fast as we could. Why do you ask?” James queried.

“It’s just this system, if it really is something important, then how do you think the Karacknid fleets in the vicinity will respond if they learn you were headed here?”

James brought a hand up to rub his chin. “A good question. A very good question. I guess it depends on just what we are likely to find on that Karacknid colony. If you’re right, and the Karacknid ships in the system are meant to keep out all other ships, even Karacknid ones, then maybe the nearby fleets would hesitate to approach. Or perhaps this is some sacred world to them, and it will draw them all in like moths to a candle.”

“In either case, it would be prudent to be as quick as possible. If we can be in and out within a day, even if additional fleets are rushing here, we could be far from here when they arrive.”

“Agreed,” James said with a nod. “That is all the more reason to look over our attack plan and put it into motion as soon as possible. Let’s get to that now.”

“Aye Admiral,” Scott said as she nodded as well.

Working together, it took James, Scott, and their command staff just half an hour to adapt the plan Scott had come up with. As soon as it was ready, James sent it to his other senior officers, briefed them on it, and then put his fleet into motion.

For half an hour, Scott and Rear Admiral Rivers each led a fleet of one hundred and fifty ships into the system in stealth. Then Drake powered up her reactors and engines, and led the rest of James’ forces straight towards the Karacknid colony. Picking up his ships on the gravimetric sensors, the Karacknids responded immediately. The nearest three hundred ships began to race towards a single point as they tried to rendezvous and combine into a defensive formation. All but six of the rest charged as fast as they could towards the point where battle was likely to be joined. The few that weren’t trying to intercept James’ ships set course for the several shift passages out of the system. If word hadn’t got out already about James’ intention to attack the colony, it was about to.

“Launch fighters,” James ordered. “They are to intercept enemy missiles, that is all.” Seconds after his command, the four hundred fighters he had with him began to launch from their carriers. For another thirty-five minutes, James’ ships continued towards the two hundred Karacknid warships that were now in one formation. Before either group entered missile range of one another though, Scott and Rivers revealed themselves. Coming out of stealth, each of their squadrons sprang into action. Scott was to Drake’s port side while Rivers’ ships were off the starboard. The angle each accelerated off on took them away from the Karacknid squadron. Instead, they were racing to put themselves between the two hundred Karacknid warships and the other smaller groups that were trying to join the fight. “Fire at will,” James ordered as he rolled his shoulders and settled into his command chair. Unless the Karacknids had some kind of surprise, the battle was already over.

Of course, as James expected, the Karacknids did not simply lie down and accept their fate. The three hundred ships trying to intercept him fired off three missile salvos. Yet with the aid of his fighters, his six hundred ships intercepted every single missile. The Karacknids weren’t so lucky. James’ first salvo decimated them, and his second destroyed everything that was left. Scott and Rivers were just as successful. They were able to engage most of the rest of the Karacknid patrolling ships in groups of ten or fifteen as they raced across the system from where they had originally been when James’ ships had first appeared. “Signal Admiral Scott, congratulate her on a plan well executed,” James said as soon as the way was clear to continue towards the Karacknid colony. “And inform General Johnston he may begin preparations for his landing.”

*

IS Eisenhower

General Johnston watched the Karacknid colony closely as Admiral Somerville’s fleet advanced towards it. More specifically, he was focused on the small Karacknid town and the massive building that the town surrounded. He estimated it was eighteen times larger than the shrine his troops had assaulted at the Karacknid sector capital. Initially, the sheer size of the building had been daunting. If it was heavily defended and designed like the Karacknid cities he had seen, then he feared it would take hours and thousands of lives to take. Yet as he watched the Karacknids preparations, he didn’t know what to make of them. As soon as the Karacknid warships had all been destroyed, it looked like the Karacknid town had been emptied. Recon drones that James had ordered into orbit were able to send back images of the town being abandoned. More than twelve thousand Karacknids were identified fleeing into the large Shrine. The rest of the Karacknid population, around four thousand, had then begun to prepare makeshift defenses. Like the other shrines Johnston had seen, there appeared to be only one way into the one on the Karacknid colony. Around it, in three consecutive layers, the Karacknids prepared what were essentially walls.

As he reviewed the most accurate images of the walls that had yet reached him, Johnston shook his head. They would provide some cover for the defenders, sure, but it would be very little. And the outer wall was far enough away from the Shrine that he reckoned he could strike it with tungsten spears without damaging the structural integrity of the building. And we can just blast the other walls with hyper velocity missiles. Heck, we could land a few battle tanks and drive right through them, Johnston said to himself. The Karacknids’ actions made no sense. At least, they made no sense if he was trying to figure out what an enemy ground commander was doing. If there was no experienced leader organizing the defense, that would explain things. Johnston shook his head again. Too easy, he thought. Something else has to be going on. It was far more likely the Karacknid commander was trying to lure him into a false sense of security. But for what purpose? The only strategy he could come up with was that the Karacknids were trying to lure his troops in. If they charged the makeshift walls and overran them easily, then his troops might charge into the Shrine overconfident. They would be far easier to ambush then, at least in theory.

Johnston screwed up his eyes as he watched a recording of the work on the walls. Even an attempt to lure his troops in didn’t really explain things. Unless there had been a large contingent of Karacknid troops already within the shrine when they had arrived, leaving four thousand outside the shrine was a significant proportion of the Karacknids’ strength. Why waste them in such a hopeless defense? I guess time will tell, Johnston thought, still unsure about what exactly the Karacknids were playing at. If they actually let us strike at their defenses from orbit, then we’ll know more.

As the next hour passed, Johnston continued to watch the Karacknids’ preparations while he prepared his forces with his command staff. He had just six thousand marines and two thousand Gramrian warriors with him, but given what he had seen, he reckoned that would be enough. When Eisenhower and the rest of Somerville’s ships settled into orbit, Johnston could hardly believe what he was looking at. Now in real time, he was able to look down upon the Karacknid defenders. There were more than two thousand Karacknids defending the outer wall, most of which he would have no hesitation bombarding. Tapping his COM unit, he requested to speak to Admiral Somerville.

“Something is not right here Admiral,” Johnston said when Somerville’s face appeared. “These guys are not acting like normal Karacknids. They’ve got half their army sitting out in the open, just waiting to be blasted. I don’t know what we found here, but it makes no sense.”

“What are you saying?” James asked. “You don’t want us to launch orbital strikes?”

“Not at all,” Johnston said with a smile. “If they want to make things easier for us, I’m not going to complain. But maybe you should try contacting them. I’d feel a lot better about taking them out if we were sure they actually wanted to fight us.”

“All right, have it your way, I’ll make the effort. We are launching our attack immediately though if they don’t respond. We can’t linger in this system too long.”

“I know,” Johnston replied before Somerville ended the COM channel. He turned to his staff officers. “Launch our atmospheric fighters. We’ll do a flyby of the Shrine after the orbital strikes go in.” That was one of the other things that was bothering him, Eisenhower’s sensors still weren’t picking up any large weapon emplacements around the shrine. Surely, the Karacknids had to have some SAM batteries?

“We’ve just got a message from Drake,” Johnston’s COM officer announced. “They are reporting no reply from the Karacknids. Drake’s tactical officer is requesting a firing pattern for orbital bombardment.”

Johnston checked the targeting data one final time and then nodded to his tactical officer. Seconds later, six tungsten spears were shot from Drake. Bursting through the atmosphere in a long trail of fire, they struck the planet’s surface. For a couple of seconds, Johnston could see the shockwaves spread out from the impact craters, but then everything was obscured by the large dust clouds hurled into the air. The six tungsten spears had been the smallest Drake carried. Even so, many of the buildings of the town were toppled by the blasts. “Send in our fighters,” Johnston ordered. “And launch our first attack wave. They are to hold station in orbit until I give the go order though. Inform Colonel Carruthers he can proceed with his mission.”

As the twelve atmospheric fighters Johnston had deployed formed up and headed down towards the colony, four shuttles left Eisenhower and made for the single station orbiting the planet. No offensive weapons had been detected on the station, but the shuttles moved in slowly, taking no chances. Two frigates also followed them to provide extra point defensive cover in case they needed it. When they entered standard Karacknid missile range of the station and no launches were detected, Johnston relaxed a little. He then switched his attention to his fighters. Entering the atmosphere one hundred kilometers away from the Karacknid shrine, they quickly descended to an altitude of just half a kilometer. Then they accelerated to full speed and zipped across the planet’s surface. They didn’t fly right over the shrine, but carried out a fake attack run, pulling up and away just inside the range Karacknid SAMs were typically launched. Like the orbital station, nothing happened. “Have them pass once more,” Johnston requested. He was still struggling to accept the Karacknids really had no weapons.

With his fighters reforming to try again, Johnston was able to switch back to Colonel Carruthers’ attack on the station. Two of the Colonel’s shuttles docked with the station while the other two provided cover. Within seconds of docking, visual representations of Carruthers’ marines began to move into the station. Johnson switched to watch the live feed from one of the marine Sergeants. When the Sergeant began to cautiously move through the station, Johnston was shocked. From the Sergeant’s movements, it seemed he was as well. The marines were not encountering any resistance.

“Colonel Carruthers has requested to speak with you General,” one of his COM officers reported.

Johnston hesitated just long enough to see his fighters zip past the Karacknid shrine a second time. This time they got closer, but there were still no SAM launches. There weren’t even any power spikes from targeting sensors or other weapons powering up. “Send in our first landing wave,” he ordered. Then he turned to the COM officer. “Put him through.”

“General, we haven’t encountered any resistance. I doubt that we will, either. We’ve already secured nearly half of the station,” Carruthers reported.

“Good work Colonel, secure all of it and then hold position. Admiral Somerville has a tech team he wants to bring on board to check things out.”

“Understood General, though I doubt they will be finding much. The station seems old, very old. I have to confess, it’s a little nerve-wracking. The place feels like it could fall apart at any moment.”

Johnston smiled at his officer. “You’ll just have to get used to it Colonel. It’s better than having to fight a platoon of Karacknid soldiers for it.”

“Yes General,” Carruthers replied.

Johnston gave him a final nod and then ended the COM channel. He switched his focus to his ground troops. Sixty shuttles were descending through the planet’s atmosphere. For a third time, his atmospheric fighters swooped in low over the Karacknid town. When no weapons fire reached up to greet them, the shuttles followed them in. Landing three miles from the town in a small depression, the sixteen hundred marines of the first wave were able to leave their shuttles and secure a perimeter unmolested. Ten minutes later, the second wave of shuttles landed, half of them carrying battle tanks and marine APC’s. Opening a COM channel to General Pershing, Johnston gave the commander of the full division that had now been deployed permission to proceed. As Pershing’s division advanced, a steady stream of shuttles began to land another marine division and a division of Gramrian soldiers. Content to let his staff officers handle the logistics, Johnston watched as Pershing’s troops moved into the outskirts of the Karacknid town. Still, they met no resistance. From the visual feeds and reports coming in, it was clear the entire town had been abandoned. It has not been built like the other Karacknid towns and cities we have seen. Defending it would have been much harder anyway, Johnston said himself, trying to find some explanation for the Karacknids’ strange behavior.

For a further ten minutes, Pershing’s troops secured about half of the town as they surrounded the entrance to the shrine. There was an open area of just over half a kilometer between the town’s borders and the shrine itself. The outer half of the area was now pocketed with six large craters where Drake’s tungsten spears had devastated the outer semi-circular wall the Karacknids had built. Another ten minutes passed as the two additional divisions that had been landed moved up to join Pershing’s forces. Then the marine General sent a message to Johnston to inform him that everything was ready to match their attack. With every one of his staff officers staring at him, Johnston hesitated for a moment. Though he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of one good reason why the Karacknids wouldn’t be resisting harder. If it was a trap, he’d just have to spring it and see what happened. “Proceed,” he ordered with a nod.

At once, six more tungsten spears were launched by Drake. They didn’t do any damage to the two inner walls, but they did strike the open area between Johnston’s troops and the shrine. Fresh clouds of debris and dust billowed up into the air. Into the dust, the marines and Gramrians fired chaff grenades, tank rounds, and hyper velocity missiles as they struck at the Karacknid’s second wall. Then the ground forces advanced. Within a minute, the second wall had been penetrated at several points. The Karacknid resistance was minimal. As the forces that had broken through fired fresh munitions at the final wall, they were met with more significant return fire. Still, as Johnston watched the mounting losses his forces were suffering, he couldn’t help but feel that they were getting off very lightly. Just three minutes after the attack was launched, the first special forces marines vaulted the inner wall. Johnston watched from one of their visual feeds as the marine spewed plasma bolts along the inner wall, cutting down multiple Karacknids. As more marines and Gramrians broke through the Karacknid defensive line, the battle turned into a rout. To Johnston’s shock, Karacknids abandoned their positions and began to flee towards the shrine’s single entrance. Almost all of them were easily cut down by his ground troops weapons’ fire.

Just as Johnston would have, Pershing used the Karacknid retreat to cover his own advance. Special forces marines and Gramrians raced across the final few hundred meters to the shrine’s entrance. Their leading squads actually reached the entrance just as the final few fleeing Karacknids did. The result was a bloodbath. Unable to shoot past their own fleeing soldiers, the Karacknids defending the opening found themselves face-to-face with marines and Gramrian warriors. In the space of less than twenty seconds, fifty Karacknids were killed and the long tunnel that led into the shrine’s first large chamber was secure.

What Johnston saw next made his mouth fall open. The first chamber of the shrine was massive. Far larger than the one his forces had entered at the Karacknid sector capital. There, there had been one large statue of the Karacknid Imperator. Now, he was looking at many of them. There were at least twenty, ten on each side of the long chamber. Each one looked across the chamber towards its counterpart as if they were guarding the path towards the inner parts of the shrine. As impressive as the statutes were, that wasn’t what had grabbed Johnston’s attention. Standing in the midst of the statutes, facing the force of marines and Gramrians, there was one unarmed Karacknid. He was hunched over and for a Karacknid, looked old and decrepit. Yet his hands were raised, palms outward as if he was ordering Pershing’s forces to halt. Focusing on his hands, Johnston realized that the Karacknid had no claws. In fact, as he looked closer, it was clear the Karacknid wasn’t even wearing any kind of battle armor. Then the Karacknid spoke. “Please kill no more of my people. We surrender. We want no more bloodshed.”

For several seconds, Johnston was frozen in place. His mind was struggling to process what he was seeing and hearing. Not once in six years of fighting and countless battles had a Karacknid surrendered. It had been so long since he had fought a foe where the idea was even a possibility that he had to shake himself to give the orders he needed. “Send word to General Pershing. He is to accept this Karacknid’s surrender. I don’t want any more fighting unless we’re fired upon until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Yes General,” one of his COM officers answered.

“We are getting hailed by Drake,” another reported. “Admiral Somerville wishes to speak with you.”

Of course he does, Johnston thought to himself as he stared at the image of the Karacknid holding its hands up in surrender. He is going to want to go and see this for himself, Johnston knew his friend. He understood. He felt exactly the same.

Chapter 30

War often makes for strange bedfellows.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

When James stepped off his shuttle onto the surface of the Karacknid colony, he was greeted by General Johnston and a squad of marines that James assumed were acting as his bodyguards. As James moved forward to shake Johnston’s hand, the twelve Imperial Guards that had followed him from Drake fanned out and took up defensive positions. “I guess it’s going to be pretty difficult for either of us to go anywhere unnoticed?” Johnson asked as he gestured at the marines and Imperial Guard that surrounded them.

James shrugged his shoulders. “I doubt there’s any way we are going to be able to get rid of them. Christine and Clare would be happy though. Shall we get going?”

“Of course,” Johnston said as he turned and looked towards the large Karacknid Shrine that dominated the town in front of them. “General Pershing tells me the Karacknid leader who surrendered calls himself a scribe. I guess that’s fitting for a Shrine. In any case, he is waiting for us. This way.” With a wave of his hand for James to follow, Johnston set off towards the Karacknid town. The marines and Imperial Guard moved ahead, keeping a constant vigil.

As they entered the town, James peered around, taking everything in. This was the first time he had set foot on a Karacknid world. Even if it was quite different from the others they had attacked; he was no less interested.

“It’s not terribly impressive,” Johnston commented as he saw James studying the buildings.

“No,” James agreed. “Though they look functional enough. They just lack the modern feel and tactical design of other Karacknid buildings. I guess that ties in well with this Scribe surrendering. Whoever lives in this town doesn’t appear to have the same warrior mindset of all the other Karacknids we have encountered. Their orbital station was the same. It lacked any offensive weapons and many of the design features modern Karacknid stations have.”

“Modern? So it was old?” Johnston asked.

James nodded. “The techs that are investigating it estimate it is over seven hundred years old. The computer hardware and software are centuries old, even by our standards.”

“What about this town?” Johnston followed up as he gestured at a nearby building. “What are the odds that it was built around the same time? Nothing is crumbling or falling apart, but it looks like it’s been here a long time all the same.”

“You may be right,” James said. They paused when they came to the inner edge of the town that faced the Karacknid Shrine. Multiple craters pocketed the open space in front of them. The remains of the three walls the Karacknids had built were also visible, though there was barely a ten-meter section that didn’t have a hole blasted into it. James surveyed the battle scene for a few moments, his eyes were quickly drawn to the shrine though. Standing at ground level, he guessed it was at least thirty stories high. He already knew there were nearly as many levels built underground. “It is impressive,” he had to admit. Even the Imperial Palace back on Earth did not compare in terms of size. Though the Palace was far more beautiful. The shrine, apart from a single entrance, looked like one giant rock that had been smoothed into the oval-shaped edifice that it was.

“I’m just glad they surrendered as soon as we breached it,” Johnston said. “The place is like a rabbit warren. If they had wanted to fight, they could have run rings round my troops for hours.”

“Then I guess we have the scribe to thank,” James replied as he started moving forward again.

When they came to the first of the Karacknids’ defensive walls, a path had been cleared through the rubble for them to step through. At the second and third ones though, they had to climb up over them. As they did, Johnston stopped and went over to examine a fallen soldier. When he stood, he was holding its weapon. “This certainly is not standard issue.” He then fiddled with it for a few seconds. “It’s a laser rifle, but it can’t have the same power of standard Karacknid weapons. If I had to guess, I’d say this is centuries old as well.” He then bent down over the Karacknid soldier. “And that’s not battle armor the Karacknid is clad in. I’d hesitate to call it armor at all.”

“This is no normal Karacknid world,” James said. “If we hadn’t seen what all the other Karacknid colonies were like, I’d say this is what a Karacknid civilian town and militia should feel like. Yet we know on their other worlds, every one of their citizens is trained to fight.”

Johnston nodded and then threw the weapon back on the ground. Knowing they were only going to get answers within the shrine, they both moved forward again. When they came to the tunnel that led into the shrine, James couldn’t help but feel a little claustrophobic walking down it. If it wasn’t for the marines and Gramrians visible at its far end, he would be fearful Karacknids could ambush them at any moment. When they got to the end of the tunnel, James recognized one of the marines. “General Pershing,” he said as he saluted the commander of the ground forces. “Congratulations on a successful mission. You have quite the find here.”

“Thank you Admiral, I’ll pass on your sentiments to my troops,” Pershing said. He half turned and gestured deeper into the large chamber. “The Head Scribe is waiting for us at the other end of the chamber. I took him to speak to his people to assure them that we would not harm anyone that did not resist our search of the building. I have already sent your technicians ahead with marine escorts. We have located several important looking data centers. Though it appears that the vast majority of the information held in this shrine is in written format. There are hundreds of massive rooms filled with scrolls upon scrolls.”

James shared a glance with Johnston. He still had no answers, but the riddle was getting curiouser and curiouser. “Let us go speak with this Head Scribe,” he said, gesturing for Pershing to lead the way. As they walked, his attention was grabbed by the first two massive statues that were looking at him from his left and right. At first glance, James thought they were of the same Karacknid, but upon closer inspection there were subtle differences. It was the same with the next pair and the next. James found himself shaking his head as they passed Karacknid after Karacknid. Each statue was over fifty meters high. The detailing on them was precise. Certainly, precise enough to make each Karacknid seem terribly imposing. Are they important Karacknid commanders, or some kind of aristocracy? James wondered. Or are they all Imperators, he thought when he got to the end of the long chamber and recognized the final statue on his right. It was of the Karacknid Imperator. Taranaki. Yet the Imperator’s eyes looked normal. There certainly wasn’t any kind of red alluring glow described by the marines that had entered the other shrine they had captured.

“Emperor Somerville, may I introduce to you High Scribe Fralin-yang,” Pershing said as he came to a halt.

Looking down from the statue of the Imperator, James couldn’t have been confronted with a greater contrast. Where the Imperator looked large and confident with bulging muscles and long, razor-sharp claws, the High Scribe had none of those things. Hunched over, one of his hands held a wooden walking stick while the other clung close to his chest. On the backs of his knuckles, James could see there were scars, presumably where the scribes’ claws had once been. Though his clothes weren’t particularly tight, it was still obvious the scribe lacked the muscular body that James was used to seeing on a Karacknid. If these were the kinds of Karacknids we were fighting against, the war would be over in a month, James concluded. Still, he didn’t underestimate the High Scribe. He had been involved in politics on Earth long enough to know that there are more ways than one for an opponent to be dangerous. “Thank you,” James said to Pershing with a nod. “And let me introduce myself to you, High Scribe Fralin-yang. I am Emperor Somerville of the Human species, I command the battlefleet that has captured this system. When you surrendered, you were surrendering to me. I have come here in person because I wish to speak with you. My war against your people is not one of conquest, nor one of taking prisoners or slaves. We fight to ensure the freedom of our species and our neighbors. Are you willing to converse with me?”

The scribe stared at James for what seemed like an eternity. When he spoke, it was barely above a whisper. “Emperor? That is the title you claim for yourself?”

“No,” James answered. “It is the title my people have given me. If it was not for your species’ attack on mine, I would want nothing to do with it.”

“And yet, you carry it well. I have not met many other aliens, but rare is it to meet ones willing to stand up to my people… To answer your question, yes, I will converse with you. If for no other reason, there are questions I wish answered. For one, how have you come to be here? How have you brought a fleet so deep into my species’ territory? And who exactly are your species, anyway?”

James smiled at the old Karacknid’s tone; despite being the defeated party, he made it sound like James was the one groveling for an audience. I guess in one sense I am, he admitted to himself. He wanted answers, too. “I will make you a deal, scribe, you answer one of my questions and I will answer one of yours.”

The scribe peeled back his lips to show his distinctly Karacknid teeth. “You are a strange species. But perhaps you are wiser than you look. That is a game no Karacknid warrior would engage in. Yet I am no warrior.”

James couldn’t help but chuckle. “You speak the truth. The last Karacknid I tried to speak to in person spat in my face. That, and many threats as to the particularly gruesome nature of my impending death was all the conversation we had.”

Fralin-yang didn’t seem to hear what James said. Instead, he slowly lowered himself to his knees and then sat on his bum. Folding his legs under him, he placed his staff across his knees. Only then did he look back up at James. With one hand, he waved towards the floor. “If we are to have a conversation, then you may make yourself comfortable. I promise, I will not spit on you, no matter how little I like your questions or answers.”

James shared another glance with Johnston. Whatever either of them had been expecting, this certainly wasn’t it. “All right,” he said as he sat down on the chamber’s floor for himself. “How old is this Shrine, and what is its purpose?”

The scribe showed James his teeth again. “That is two questions, Emperor. I’ll take your first. It was built over a millennia ago. One thousand one hundred and ninety-two years, to be exact. I am its twelfth Head Scribe. Now, you tell me, why have you desecrated such a holy site? Have you no concern for that which is sacred?”

James felt torn in two directions. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question and get angry at the same time. He did neither. Summoning his inner Christine, he betrayed no outward sign of his emotions. The scribe was trying to bait him. James knew that as a Captain or even young Admiral, it might very well have worked. Not any longer. “Your species has conquered and enslaved hundreds of civilizations. You have destroyed their temples, shrines, and holy sites. We gave you a chance to surrender, you did not take it. As far as I am concerned, you forfeited any right you might have to keep my troops and I from this building.”

The scribe looked down at the floor for several seconds, then he looked back up. “I suppose I must concede your point. Though I have not thought much upon it before. There have no doubt been countless scribes or holy men from other species that have felt the same indignation I do now. Yet it reminds me of an ancient saying among my people, one that few Karacknids today know of. It goes like this; ‘Two wrongs do not make a right.’”

James smiled. “We have the same saying. ‘Two wrongs do not make a right…’ That is true. But we did not come here seeking to make something right. I came here for information. Tell me, what is the purpose of this place?”

Fralin-yang lifted his hands and gestured towards the large statues. “Isn’t it obvious? This shrine is dedicated to the glory and the great achievements of the Karacknid people. Each statue you see marks our past Imperators and commemorates the conquests they accomplished on behalf of our people.” The scribe then gestured behind him. “Within our inner vaults are the records of all the great deeds our people have done.”

Knowing that each statue represented a Karacknid Imperator, James carefully counted each. “Twenty-three,” he said, “that is how many Imperators have led your people in conquest of their territory?”

“You can count, I will grant you that,” the scribe replied. “If I say anything more, I will be answering a question of yours when it is my turn.”

James bowed his head slightly towards the scribe, “Then please, take your turn.”

“Your species, you said you call yourselves Humans. Clearly, you have been at war with my own people for some time. When did this war begin, and how have you managed to bring a battlefleet so deep into my peoples’ territory?”

“That is quite the question,” James said as he shot the scribe a wry grin. “I’d say that it’s more like ten questions rolled into one. No matter, I will answer. Briefly, at least. Our war with your people began six years ago, when one of your fleets conquered one of our neighbors. In an effort to protect them, I and other neighbors of ours brought our fleets to try and persuade your people to retreat. They did not, there was a battle. We lost it, yet we learned much about your species then. Since that day, an alliance was formed to prevent your species from advancing any further. We have been fighting ever since.”

“And you are winning this war?” Fralin-yang asked.

Though James knew the scribe’s question was technically out of turn, he chose to answer it in the hope of receiving the same consideration in return. “I would not say that,” he answered slowly. “There have been many victories and losses. Yet our fleet has managed to advance this far into your territory. That should tell you something.”

“Indeed it does,” Fralin-yang said as he nodded his head in a humanlike gesture.

James was more than a little surprised. In his brief interactions with Tanaka-lan, he hadn’t seen him display any humanlike behaviors. As he paused to consider his next question, a number of things ran through his mind. He wanted to know about the Karacknid Imperator, yet Fralin-yang was fascinating in and of himself as well. Instead, he decided to pick up on something Fralin-yang had said. “Your answer about the purpose of this shrine intrigues me. You said it was built to commemorate the glory of the Karacknid people. Yet that is a phrase I have not once heard uttered from any of your warriors. The glory of your Imperator is what consumes the Karacknid soldiers I have met. Why is that?”

Fralin-yang’s eyes shot up and fixed themselves on James’. “Now I know you are lying to me, Human,” the scribe said in a tone James was far more familiar with dealing with. “If it wasn’t for your fleet’s presence in orbit, I would doubt everything you have said about your war with my people. The victories, anyway. But this goes too far.”

Almost, James flinched back from the anger he saw in Fralin-yang’s face. Instead, he opened his hands with his palms open towards the scribe. “What would I gain from lying? I don’t understand your response. I asked a simple question.”

“You can feign ignorance. Perhaps it is genuine. Yet you insult my species’ very purpose. We do not exist for the glory of the Imperator; our Imperators exist to bring greatness to the Karacknid people and their clans.”

James sat up a little straighter. He couldn’t help but glance at Johnston. Though he couldn’t put his finger on it precisely, he sensed there was something very significant in Fralin-yang’s words. “I meant no insult by my words,” he said slowly to Fralin-yang. “I detest your species and everything it has done, that is true. But my question was genuine. I am not seeking to goad you. When my scouts first detected the system, it was obvious the warships patrolling it were doing so in a way that would prevent any ships, even other Karacknid ships, from entering the system. How long have you been here? How much news do you get from the rest of your empire? I am surprised that you have not heard of my species if you are meant to record the great events of your people. There have been many great battles in the last six years.”

Fralin-yang drew himself up to sit as tall as he could. “I am the High Scribe of the Karacknid people. It is my purpose to record the great achievements of our people. If I have not received news of the war my people fight with your species, then it is because that war is of no significance.”

“Then you know nothing of High Admiral Tanaka-lan and his invasion into my species’ systems?” James asked.

Fralin-yang’s eyes widened. “How do you know that name? Tanaka-lan is currently fighting a war against the Grezium.”

“Perhaps at one time he was,” James responded. “But no longer. His entire battlefleet joined the war against my species three years ago. His fleet managed to advance right to my homeworld and was only turned back thanks to the intervention of some of our allies. I have spoken to him in person myself. It was Tanaka-lan. I fear that someone has kept you in the dark, scribe. There is much going on in the galaxy that you seem to know little about.” When the scribe didn’t immediately respond, James pulled out a portable holo display from his tunic. Their back-and-forth had already turned into a more natural conversation despite the scribe’s anger. He didn’t want to lose the thread they were following. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to show you something and ask you about it.” Fralin-yang nodded, but said nothing more. “This is not the first Shrine we have captured. We landed ground troops at one of your sector capitals. In the shrine there, there was only one statue. Slaves that we freed shared with us how your current Imperator, Taranaki, has reigned far longer than any other Imperator. The statue of him was also very unique. Even different than the one you have here.” With a tap of a button, James projected the statue of Taranaki with the piercing red eyes. “The slaves we freed did not understand, but perhaps you could enlighten me as to why Taranaki’s eyes glow.”

Fralin-yang jumped to his feet. He moved far quicker than James had thought possible. Before James could react, Johnston dragged him back and then put himself between James and Fralin-yang. Peeking over Johnston’s shoulders, James saw there was nothing to fear. Fralin-yang was staring at the holo image. He looked frozen in place. “What is the matter, scribe?” James asked as he stepped around Johnston, tapping the marine’s armored shoulder to let him know it was all right.

Fralin-yang looked from the image to James, and then returned his eyes to the image. “You could not know. It is not possible,” he whispered.

“Could not know what?” James pressed.

“I need to consult my records,” Fralin-yang said as he spun around and started to walk deeper into the shrine. “We can continue our discussions once I have done so.”

James raised a hand to stop Fralin-yang, but the scribe was already marching off far faster than his frail body should have allowed him to. Not knowing what to say, James glanced at Johnston. The marine General shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned to General Pershing. “Send some marines after him, make sure they keep an eye on him. He is not to destroy any of the records we might be interested in.”

“Yes General,” Pershing replied.

“My aide, Durazn-on will answer any questions you have in the meantime,” Fralin-yang called out loudly just before he entered an alcove and disappeared from sight.

Another Karacknid appeared from the same alcove. He looked far younger and sprightlier. At a slower pace than Fralin-yang had left, he approached James and Johnston. He bowed his head about a centimeter and then sat on the floor. “If the High Scribe orders me to speak with you, then I will comply.” Though he mainly looked at James as he spoke, he kept stealing glances at the holo image of Taranaki.

James didn’t know how to react. Frustration coursed through James’ veins. His fleet couldn’t afford to dillydally in an enemy system, and he had no desire to speak to a subordinate. Yet he sensed he was onto something important with Fralin-yang. Certainly, something was not adding up. And I want to know what it is, he said to himself. So what choice do I have? If he tried to force Fralin-yang to speak to him, the scribe would close up and say nothing. Fighting back a sigh, James began to ask the aide some of the more mundane questions he had wanted to know the answer to. Over the next fifteen minutes, he was able to confirm that all the previous Karacknid Imperators had reigned for more normal lifespans. He also learned that the scribes who lived on Crakigoan, that was the name of the Karacknid colony, were all declawed. It was meant to be a sign that they would not partake in the politics and fighting between the Karacknid clans. As the keeper of their species’ great exploits, they were meant to remain neutral. Having never heard of the Karacknid species being split into clans, James had a number of follow-up questions. Most of them didn’t seem to make sense. According to the admittedly limited intelligence Humanity had gathered about the Karacknids, there was no infighting or competition. All were devoted to serving the Imperator. When James pointed that out, Durazn-on got angry, and so James did not press the matter.

As soon as footsteps were heard echoing through the Imperator Chamber, as Durazn-on had called it, they both turned round to see Fralin-yang slowly approaching. He was holding a large scroll under one arm whilst the other used his walking stick to aid him. At once, the scribe’s aide got up and moved back towards the alcove he had appeared from. A marine followed him after a gesture from Pershing.

When Fralin-yang returned to the spot where he had sat down before, he did so again. He then took a long look at the holo image of Taranaki and gestured at it with his walking stick. “You may turn that off. I have seen enough.”

James did as he was asked. Then he folded his arms. “I’m not used to being kept waiting. Not in the middle of a war. What is it that you had to go and investigate so suddenly?”

“I think I now believe you Human,” Fralin-yang said, ignoring James’ question. “What you have said about your war with my species, even about our soldiers’ dedication to the Imperator’s glory. I fear you may be telling the truth. At least, I’m willing to entertain it as a possibility.” Setting down his walking stick, Fralin-yang took the scroll he had been holding and began to unfurl it. “This is a record of experiments that one of our first Imperators requested to be undertaken. It was in response to technologies we learned from a species that we conquered. One of the first we defeated and absorbed into our Empire. I read of it in passing many years ago and have not thought of it since. Yet your image brought it to my mind. I have now familiarized myself with it more fully. The research was abandoned when it became apparent how dangerous it would be for our species. The aliens we conquered manipulated the very code that made them who they were. Our research showed that we could do the same. Yet our experiments failed, time after time. There were always unintended drawbacks, drawbacks that could have led to the extinction of our species.”

James nodded. “I believe you’re talking about genetic manipulation. My species have been aware of such technologies for centuries. We too experimented with it to our detriment. We use it today in a limited capacity, but that is very limited indeed.”

“Well, I now fear that Imperator Taranaki has resurrected the project.” As he spoke, Fralin-yang unfurled another part of the scroll. James froze when he saw it was a drawing of a Karacknid, a Karacknid whose eyes glowed. “This was one of the experiments. Another was granting extended lifespans to our people. When he first became Imperator, Taranaki visited this shrine. He said he wanted to spend time meditating on the great achievements of his predecessors. Now I believe he was after this.” Setting the scroll down, Fralin-yang looked James squarely in the face. “I’m sure you can tell by my condition that I am old. In fact, I am very old for my people. I have lived one hundred and sixty-eight years. Yes, that means I, of all our people, should have seen it. Yet I thought if I have been granted such a long lifespan, perhaps the Imperator had too.” Fralin-yang shook his head. “I now see that was foolish. Taranaki has lived more than two hundred years. That cannot be natural. He has done what our people long ago forbade. And worse, if you are speaking the truth, he has reshaped the very fabric of Karacknid society. If our soldiers fight for his glory and not that of our people and their clans, then he has turned our culture on its head. And if he has not informed us about his war with your species, then he is no longer honoring the traditions of our past.”

Despite all the atrocities James had seen the Karacknids commit, despite his desire to crush them in order to secure the freedom and safety of his people, he couldn’t help but feel for the anguish that was clear in Fralin-yang’s voice. That didn’t stop him saying what he knew he needed to next. “I’m afraid it is worse than that, scribe. You may not believe this either, but from what we have learned of the prisoners we have captured and the slaves we have freed, Taranaki has not just turned your people to pursuing his glory. They now worship him as a god. That is the level of devotion they have for him. Your entire species serves him as fervently as any of the species you have enslaved.”

Fralin-yang’s hands clenched the scroll he was holding, crumpling it. He was once again staring straight at James. “You have brought great shame upon my people this day. If this is true, this is something I should have been made aware of a century ago. That it takes one of our greatest enemies to bring this to me speaks of how deep Taranaki’s treachery runs. He has had a century to twist everything our culture once was to his ways. This cannot be allowed to continue. He must be stopped. He must be challenged in trava-klan and replaced as Imperator.”

“Trava-klan?” James repeated as accurately as he could. “What is that?”

“It is how one Imperator replaces another,” Fralin-yang answered. “When one or more of the clans feel the Imperator is failing the Karacknid people, they may put forward a challenger. It is a fight to the death. The winner assumes the position of Imperator. This way, our species ensures only our strongest warriors lead us as we conquer our enemies.”

James stared at the scribe as his mind tried to process what he was hearing. He too wanted to see the Imperator dead. Yet he had never imagined it being in some kind of duel. Still, if what Fralin-yang is saying about the current Imperator is true, it would send shockwaves through the Karacknid empire, James said himself. Taranaki could lose all the support he has. The cohesion of the Empire could crumble, and we could win the war without firing another shot. He could even be killed and replaced by someone more willing to negotiate. Though James wasn’t quite sure how likely that was, even the transition of power to a new Imperator could buy his people the time they needed to build up their forces to defend themselves properly. From the beginning of planning Operation Hail Mary, James had always feared that even if they made it to the Karacknid homeworld, it would prove very difficult to force the Imperator or the Karacknid people to agree to peace. Even if he threatened the Imperator with death, or their homeworld with orbital bombardment, that might still not be enough. Yet here, sitting in front of him, as old and decrepit as he was, Fralin-yang presented another way. Perhaps the best way, James thought as he was still struggling to take in all the ramifications of what the scribe had revealed. “I plan to take my fleet to your homeworld,” James said as he decided to level with Fralin-yang. “There, I intend to confront Taranaki and force him to agree peace terms with my species and our allies. That is why my fleet is here, we intend to advance right to the center of your Empire. If you’re willing, I will take you with me. We are not friends, nor allies. Our goals are very different. Yet perhaps, we have a common foe. I will not lie to you, the information you have shared with me would greatly benefit my people if it was made public on your homeworld. My motives are for my species, I care little about yours. I’m sure you feel the same. But perhaps our paths lie in the same direction?”

Fralin-yang looked down at the scroll he had crumpled. Then he lifted his walking stick and examined it silently for what had to be more than a minute. When he looked up, James saw a fire in his eyes that he hadn’t seen in even the most hostile Karacknid. “I have many things I would need to gather and aides I need to bring with me. But if you give me your word you will get me safe passage to Gayla’s surface when you arrive there, then I will travel with you.” He gestured towards the statues and the large chamber they were in. “There’s nothing more I can do here now. Taranaki has destroyed the very reason for why this shrine exists. If I can, I will see it restored before my death.”

“Then it would be my pleasure to welcome you on board my flagship and provide passage for you and whoever you wish to bring with you.” Though he kept his face straight, the whole situation felt beyond surreal. Not in his lifetime had he ever expected to be inviting a Karacknid onto his ship. He still had no idea where any of this would lead, but in his mind, he couldn’t help but picture a fracturing Karacknid empire. It was easy to recall countless historical examples of what happened to large empires when its god-king died or was deposed. They always fell apart, he said to himself. And the parts turn on one another. Suddenly, for the first time since he had learned of the Karacknids, he could see a way of actually defeating them. If the Karacknid Empire broke apart into a hundred small fiefdoms, then they could be defeated one by one, even as they fought amongst themselves. Before his imagination got away from him, another thought brought him back to reality. We still have to get there, he reminded himself. And with enough ships to be able to force the issue. Fralin-yang wanted to be taken to his homeworld’s surface. The reason why was obvious enough, the Karacknid people would not believe a word he had to say if he was saying it from Drake’s bridge. But what will it cost us to get him there? James asked. His dream of a fractured Karacknid empire faltered somewhat.

Chapter 31

Even a war hardened veteran can be surprised by the twists and turns fate takes him upon. As students, you need to learn it is not the appearance of these turns that make a great commander, it is how one responds to them.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Before James could say anything else to the scribe, his COM unit began to vibrate vigorously. It was a setting only Ivanov and Alvarez were able to activate. Reaching for it with one hand, James held his other up to Fralin-yang. “Excuse me one moment.” Turning from Fralin-yang, Johnston and Pershing, James took a couple of steps further into the chamber. “What is it?” He asked as soon as he activated the COM unit.

Ivanov was the one who replied. “Multiple ships have just entered the system Admiral. We have already detected over three hundred, and the number is still rising. They are coming straight for us. Wait…” Ivanov added hastily, cutting off James’ reply. Knowing not to pressure, James waited for several seconds. “More gravimetric signatures have been detected Admiral. They are coming in from the eastern shift passage. The first ships we detected came from the northern one.”

“Get the fleet ready to break orbit,” James ordered. “Given what we’ve just learned from this shrine’s High Scribe, I’d say we have stirred up a hornets’ nest by coming to the system. Prepare our ships to receive our ground forces back as well. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. I fear more warships will be coming.”

“Acknowledged Admiral,” Ivanov replied.

James ended the COM channel and turned back to Johnston and Pershing. He gestured them over. “Karacknid ships have just entered the system,” he said quietly. “I’m sure they are desperate to protect this planet. Maybe even prevent us from making contact with Fralin-yang. If they find out he wants to leave with us now, they will do whatever they can to stop us. We need to get your troops back to their ships asap. I don’t have enough forces in orbit to prevent us from being surrounded and trapped if we don’t move now.”

“We’ll see to it,” Johnston said. He tilted his head towards the High Scribe. “What about him?”

“I’ll speak to him,” James said. “Just get your people out of here.” With a nod from Johnston and Pershing, both marines turned and began to bellow orders. James moved over to Fralin-yang.

“I assume that means you have detected more of my peoples’ warships entering the system?” The scribe asked.

James nodded. “Does that change anything?”

Fralin-yang waved his hand in a gesture James didn’t understand. “No. In fact it may force my hand. Those ships will detect your fleet is in orbit. They’ll also detect your shuttles taking off from the surface. There will be no hiding from the Imperator that you landed here. If he really has done the things I fear he has, then he will do whatever it takes to keep them covered up. Those ships could have orders to bombard the Shrine. But even if they don’t, Taranaki will want me eliminated sooner or later. Going with you is the only choice I have. I do have a favor to ask however.”

“You can certainly ask,” James said.

“I am not blind to your motives. You see me as a means to overthrow Taranaki and perhaps gain the peace you wish. I too want Taranaki removed from power if he has committed the crimes I fear. Yet the glory of the Karacknid people is the very reason for my existence. Even if you were to gain a temporary peace, the future conquest of your species would still bring great fame to my species. I am no strategist, but I’m sure the peace would only be in your species’ favor. I’m willing to let you use me for this end, but I know I am more valuable to you than you are to me. This is my favor then, bring me and all of my people with you to our homeworld. I am responsible for their safety, and I cannot protect them here. Not now after what I have learned.”

James was taken aback. He had been preparing to argue with Fralin-yang. As far as he was concerned, it seemed like the High Scribe needed James as much as James might need him. Without James’ fleet, the scribe would likely be kept a prisoner on Crakigoan for the rest of his life. The sheer audacity of what Fralin-yang was asking blew the arguments from James’ mind. During the entire war, barely more than a handful of Karacknid prisoners had been captured. Ivanov had estimated there were over twenty thousand Karacknid living on Crakigoan. There’s no way we could fit them all onto our ships, James said to himself. And even if we could, could we trust them? It would take hundreds, if not thousands of marines to guard them. And they would massively eat into our supplies. But can we afford to go to the Karacknid homeworld without him? James asked as he held Fralin-yang’s eyes. The revelations the scribe had made opened up an entirely new pathway for gaining his allies the respite they needed to have a chance of surviving. “Just how many of your people are we talking about?” James found himself asking.

“Twenty-two thousand. There or thereabouts,” Fralin-yang answered. “We do not have definitive numbers on how many we lost fighting your soldiers… If it is any consolation to you, they are all declawed like me. We would pose no threat to your people on your ships.”

James glanced at the scars on Fralin-yang’s hands again. If they were truly all declawed, it did put his mind at ease a little. Yet he was sure even a declawed Karacknid could pose a threat if he wanted to. “Let me speak to my people,” James said as he fished his COM unit out of his tunic again and half turned from Fralin-yang. “Lieutenant Petrov,” he requested as he connected with Drake. “Patch me through to Lieutenant Davenport.”

“I’m here Admiral,” Davenport responded. “Is there something I can help you with? I’m aiding Ivanov in getting the fleet prepped for departure.”

“She’ll have to ask someone else to help,” James said to his operations officer. “I have something else for you. First, just how much spare cargo capacity do we have in our freighters and warships?”

“Hold on Admiral,” Davenport said, her voice trailing off as she turned away from her COM unit. “Okay, I’ve got the figure. As of two days ago, we have three hundred and twenty thousand cubic meters of free cargo space. Most of that is shared across ten freighters. The rest is largely coming from our warships. Of course, across Vice Admiral Becket and Admirals Ya’sia and Jorum’s ships, we would have a lot more. We have eaten through a significant amount of our food supplies.”

“And just how much of that space could be turned into temporary living quarters?” James followed up.

“Eh, I’m not entirely sure Admiral. That is not a question I could answer right away. I’d have to send information requests to each of the freighter captains.”

“Give me your best guess Lieutenant, could we bring twenty thousand Karacknids up from the surface and find somewhere for them?”

“Karacknids?” Davenport blurted out.

If time wasn’t of the essence, James would have smiled at her shock. “You heard me Lieutenant. I’m waiting for an answer.”

“Right, of course Sir.” Again, Davenport’s voice trailed off. A few seconds later, it came back stronger. “If I had to guess, and this is only a guess, I’d say it might just be doable. But it would take a lot of work.”

“Thank you Lieutenant, you may contact those freighter Captains now. Tell them to begin whatever refit work they need to. Make sure every engineer in our fleet is available to help them. Now, transfer me to Commander Anderson if you would,” James requested.

“Yes Admiral?” Anderson’s voice said instantly.

“I want the latest sensor data on the Karacknid ships entering the system sent to my datapad,” James requested.

“It’s already on its way,” Anderson replied.

Pulling his datapad from a pocket, James activated a small holo display. The representations of his fleet, the planet Crakigoan and the Karacknid ships on the edge of the system were pretty small, but it was enough for him to get a sense of the situation. Nodding to himself, he turned back to Fralin-yang. “Okay, I think it is doable. Speed is going to be everything. I am going to need you to get all of your people out of the Shrine and into the open ground between here and your town. My shuttles can take you from there. It’s going to be cramped, probably very cramped to begin with. We won’t initially have the space for all of your people. But we should be able to find it.”

“Thank you Admiral, and on behalf of my people, thank you,” Fralin-yang said as he gave James the closest thing to a bow James had yet seen from a Karacknid.

James held up a finger. “But let me say two things. One, if your people try to attack any of my soldiers or my ships’ personnel, I cannot guarantee their safety. Nearly everyone in my fleet has suffered loss at the hands of your people. Taking some of you on board our ships will be hard enough. If my people are provoked, it may not go well for yours.” When Fralin-yang nodded, James continued. “And two, time really is in short supply. We can hold off the Karacknid ships currently coming into the system, but if more arrive, we may have to pull out immediately. There may not be time to take all of your people.”

Fralin-yang was slower to respond to James’ second point. “If you take some of my people and leave the rest behind, you will be sealing their fate.”

“I do not know your people, nor do I owe them anything. As you pointed out, you are still my enemy. I will not risk my people to save yours. But we will do everything we can to get them out while it is still safe to do so.”

Fralin-yang nodded again. “I suppose I cannot ask any more than this from you.”

“Alright then,” James said as he clapped his hands together. “Let’s get to work. You need to speak to your people at once. If there are any that don’t wish to leave, they should remain in the Shrine out of the way until we are gone.” James waited a few seconds as Fralin-yang turned and quickly shuffled off. Then he activated his COM unit again. “Ivanov, I hope you have the fleet ready. For I have another task for you.” Before she replied, James added Johnston to the channel. “Listen, both of you, there’s no time to explain my reasoning, we just need to get this done. Fralin-yang is not the only one coming with us. All of his people, at least as many as want to. That could be as many as twenty-two thousand. Lieutenant Davenport assures me we should have the space for them. We just have to get them up to our fleet. I need both of your staff working on this immediately. Once we have our ground troops loaded up, we can use the marine shuttles to ferry up Karacknids. But we need to get started before then. I want every shuttle in our fleet down here on the ground in front of the shrine loading up Karacknids. We can sort where they’re going as they are being transported up to space.”

For several seconds, there was no response from either Ivanov or Johnston. James could almost hear the questions running through their minds. They took his words to heart though. Ivanov was the first to speak. “That is a tall order Admiral. But we will see to it immediately.”

“I’ll speak to Pershing,” Johnston added. “He can leave several platoons of Marines on the surface to start to organize the Karacknids into groups to board the shuttles.”

“Thank you,” James replied. “We can discuss the merits or lack thereof of my decision later. I’ll be coming up to Drake as soon as Fralin-yang returns.”

*

Twenty minutes later, James stepped onto Drake’s bridge. He nodded to Alvarez and Ivanov as he made his way to his command chair. “Is our guest settled in?” Alvarez asked.

“Not quite yet,” James answered, half distracted as he studied the holo display. “I’ve left him with Lieutenant Davidson. She is taking him to the auxiliary bridge. He wants to watch his people be ferried up from the surface.” James glanced at Alvarez just long enough to see his eyes widen. “Don’t worry, he’s a scribe. I doubt he’s ever set foot on the bridge of a warship before. He is not going to be learning all of our secrets.” Alvarez nodded, but James could see he wasn’t convinced. He pushed his Flag Captain’s concerns out of his mind. His priority was getting his fleet out of the system in one piece. “They haven’t slowed their approach or altered course at all?” He asked as he nodded towards the two groups of Karacknid ships. Each squadron was angling straight towards his position. As they were coming from two different shift passages, they wouldn’t reach James’ ships at the same time. Their projected paths on the display suggested the smaller group of two hundred ships would reach Crakigoan first. The second squadron of three hundred would arrive half an hour after them.

“Neither squadron has carried out any maneuver since they first began moving towards us,” Ivanov answered. “There’s plenty of communications being sent back and forth between them, but there has been no sign they intend to coordinate their attacks.”

“That’s troubling,” James said. “This planet and the scribe’s shrine are a very sacred site to the Karacknids. It may also be a very sensitive site for their Imperator. Either they have orders to engage us without delay. In which case we can comfortably engage each squadron as it approaches. Or, they know there are additional warships coming in behind them and they’re simply trying to delay us so we cannot escape… The question is, which is it?” Looking away from the holo display, James glanced at Alvarez and then his senior command staff.

“We haven’t exactly hidden our approach to this system,” Ivanov said. “Yes, we sped here as fast as we could. But Karacknid scouts would have detected us moving this way more than a week ago. If they have rushed ships here, there could certainly be more on the way. More that would arrive over the next several hours or at least days.”

“My fears exactly,” James said with a nod. He switched his focus to Crakigoan. The space between his fleet and the planet’s atmosphere was awash with shuttles. Easily more than six hundred were moving towards the planet. Less than a quarter of that number were on their way back. James was sure they were all full of marines. Getting General Johnston’s force off the planet was their first priority. Soon though, Karacknids would start to be transported up. “How long do we estimate it will take to get them all on board our ships?”

“Three hours Admiral,” Lieutenant Davenport answered. “That’s assuming we can get them out of the shrine and organized into boarding parties for the shuttles. The marines General Pershing has left behind to carry that out are making good progress so far. But less than a thousand have come out of the shrine at the moment. We also won’t have all the Karacknids where they’re going to end up, but we will be able to break orbit by then and sort out more permanent living quarters later.”

James took a deep breath as he watched shuttles descending through Crakigoan’s atmosphere. Three hours was a long time. “We can’t stay here,” James said as he made a decision. “Not if there are more Karacknid ships on the way. We need to head out and engage these squadrons now so they cannot tie us up later. How many of our warships would need to remain in orbit to assist with ferrying up the Karacknids?”

“About one hundred,” Davenport answered after a moment’s delay. “We need the space they have to put the Karacknids somewhere we have functioning life support.”

James nodded, that still left him enough ships to close with the Karacknids. “Send orders for them to remain behind. The rest of the fleet will break orbit. Set course for the closest Karacknid squadron. Let’s move to intercept them and see what they do.”

As his ships moved out, James watched the Karacknid squadrons closely. Neither deviated so much as a degree from their trajectories. Something is definitely up, he thought to himself. The Karacknids were brave warriors, but there was absolutely no tactical reason for the two squadrons not to combine together. That meant something else was motivating them. “Prepare to engage the first squadron,” James ordered an hour after his ships broke orbit. “As soon as we fire our first salvo, I want to begin to decelerate. Let’s not encourage them to try and get into energy weapon range.”

“Shall we launch our fighters to cover us?” Ivanov asked.

James shook his head. “There should be no need. We’ll keep them in reserve. Those Karacknid squadrons don’t know how many fighters we have; we may as well keep them in the dark unless we have to use them.”

“Admiral,” Lieutenant Petrov said as she looked up from her COM station. “High Scribe Fralin-yang is outside the bridge. He is requesting permission to join you.”

James sensed both Ivanov and Alvarez look up from their command chairs at him. He didn’t have to meet their gaze to sense their concern. James had to admit, it was a little suspicious himself. Yet what could one old Karacknid scribe accomplish? Even if he attacked James in the midst of the fighting, it would make no difference to the battle’s outcome. “He may enter.” Turning away from the holo display, James faced the main hatch that led onto the bridge. A couple of seconds later, its door slid open and Fralin-yang stepped in. He was being escorted by two marine Sergeants. As Fralin-yang approached, James gestured for the marines to stay back.

“I feel I must congratulate you, Emperor, your ship is certainly impressive,” Fralin-yang paused as he looked up at the holo display and the nearest Karacknid squadron. “Though that is not a pleasant thing to admit. I fear things are not going to go well for my compatriots.”

James followed Fralin-yang’s gaze. “They are not,” he said. “For some reason, both squadrons of your peoples’ ships intend to attack me separately instead of combining their strength. Do you wish to take a seat?” James asked as he gestured towards a flight seat near his command chair.

“Even I, an inexperienced scribe, can see that that is not a winning strategy,” Fralin-yang said as he moved towards the offered seat. “You believe that has something to do with my presence?”

“It may well do. Though my people have only started to take your people off Crakigoan in the last forty-five minutes. The Karacknids began their attack runs before that. They cannot know you are on board my flagship. It’s more likely they have orders from a more senior commander that they are to stop any attempt to attack your Shrine at all costs. No sane commander in the position of those two squadrons would be doing what they were doing unless they had orders they could not ignore.”

“Which means either the Imperator, or some other High Admiral does not wish you to make contact with me,” Fralin-yang speculated.

“Or at least they fear what we might find if we searched your Shrine,” James said. “Given our past interactions with your people, I doubt even a Karacknid High Admiral would expect us to come to an agreement that didn’t end in us killing one another.”

Fralin-yang actually smiled, showing his sharp teeth. “No, I suppose no sane Karacknid would expect that.”

The gesture was no doubt meant to put James at ease. Yet the image of Fralin-yang’s teeth reminded James that even without claws, a Karacknid was still a very dangerous prospect. “May I ask, why did you want to join us here? Do you wish to speak with the commanders of the squadrons and try and encourage them not to fight?”

“No,” Fralin-yang replied. “There would be no point. I will admit, I am curious to see the capabilities of your ships. Not that I will take any pleasure in the defeat of a fleet of my species. Yet if I am to entrust myself and my people to you, it would be good to get an idea of how safe we are going to be.”

“Very well,” James said. “Just make sure you strap yourself in and don’t get up out of that seat unless I give you permission to. If you do otherwise, my marines may interpret that as a sign of aggression.”

“You don’t have to worry about me Emperor, I have no delusions that I could save my species’ fleet out there. If they desire a glorious death, I am not going to take that from them.”

James took one final glance at Fralin-yang and then refocused on the nearest Karacknid squadron. It was just five minutes away from entering missile range. “Begin our deceleration now,” he ordered, changing his mind slightly. He wanted to make sure he had destroyed the first before the second squadron reached missile range. When the Karacknid ships reached missile range, they opened fire. James’ ships did the same seconds later. Over the course of twenty minutes, four more missile salvos were exchanged. Thirteen ships were lost from James’ fleet. One hundred and sixty of the two hundred Karacknid warships were taken out. The rest, James allowed to continue on their course towards Crakigoan. At least half of them were damaged. They would pose no threat to the warships he still had stationed there. As soon as it was clear that the first Karacknid squadron would pass out of missile range of his ships without being able to fire another salvo, James switched his attention to the second squadron. They were only fifteen minutes away from being able to engage his decelerating ships.

As James was watching them, they suddenly began to decelerate themselves. Moments later, alarms went off on Drake’s bridge. Hundreds of new contacts were appearing on the gravimetric plot. Another Karacknid fleet had just jumped into the system! James rapidly reassessed the situation. The ships had just appeared from a shift passage closer to his position. In the space of just ten seconds, eight hundred ships appeared. They were all rushing towards his position. Now they don’t want to engage, James thought as the second Karacknid squadron tried to arrest its momentum. They had lured him away from Crakigoan. There was no need for them to fight, at least not yet. James was sure that if he immediately set course for the shift passage he had entered the system from, they would close to try and slow him down. Reaching down to his command chair, he took control of the bridge’s main holo display. He zoomed out to take a wider look at the system. He also pulled up Lieutenant Davenport’s progress update on taking Fralin-yang’s people off of Crakigoan. There were still another two hours or more before the last Karacknids would be off planet. This new Karacknid fleet will be able to trap our ships at Crakigoan before then, James was certain. He glanced at Fralin-yang. He could run now, but he’d be abandoning two thirds of the scribe’s people. From the look on the Karacknids’ face, James doubted if he would be too cooperative after that. He had no choice then, he had to buy some time. “We are going to have to dance with these newcomers,” James said to his command staff. “We have to delay them and prevent them from combining their forces.” He didn’t have to point out that if the new Karacknid fleet and the squadron just outside of missile range of his ships combined, they would outnumber James’ fleet. “Lay in a pursuit course for the Karacknid squadron. Let’s drive them away from the new Karacknid fleet. Then we’re going to try one of Tanaka-lan’s tricks. Perhaps these Karacknid commanders haven’t heard of it yet.”

As his ships stopped decelerating and turned their noses to face the Karacknid squadron that minutes ago had been charging them, James studied the system’s sixth planet. It didn’t have a planetary ring, but it did have four moons. Two of them seemed to be well suited for his purposes. “Davenport, run some simulations on how we might best utilize these two moons,” he said as he highlighted the sixth planet and two of its moons. Leaving his operations officer to plan out the maneuver, James patiently watched as the Karacknid squadron scrambled to stay out of missile range of his ships. They had a slight momentum advantage on him. Yet as his fleet was made up entirely of Kulrean-built ships, for once he had the acceleration advantage. “Inform Wing Commander Hawthorn she is to prepare her fighters for a strike. We’re going to hit this squadron with one salvo of mark VI missiles and then turn to engage the Karacknid fleet. I want to rough them up a little to discourage them from following.”

“Acknowledged Admiral, we will prepare the attack now,” Ivanov responded.

For half an hour, James was content to let his ships slowly gain on the Karacknids. The direction they had to flee was pushing them back towards the shift passage they had entered the system from. It was also moving them away from the newly arrived Karacknid fleet. Though the Karacknid fleet was accelerating as fast as it could to catch up. “Prepare to reverse course,” James said when he judged he had driven the Karacknid squadron far enough away from Crakigoan. “Now!” he ordered moments later. As soon as his fleet completed its maneuver, he turned to Ivanov. “Launch our fighters. Fire our salvo as soon as they are formed up.” Turning back to the Karacknid squadron, James waited to see how long it would take them to react. It wasn’t instantaneous, but it wasn’t sloppy either. Within thirty seconds, the Karacknid ships were reversing course themselves. Of course they had to be somewhat cautious. If James turned his ships back to pursue them again, he had a fair chance of gaining more ground on them.

As he watched the Karacknid squadron, James also saw two hundred fighters launch from the carriers within his fleet and form up between Drake and the Karacknid squadron. Then they raced towards their targets. When they had covered half the distance, fourteen thousand missiles were hurled from the missile tubes of James’ ships. The range was just over twice what mark IV missiles could attack from. A nice surprise for you, James thought towards the commander of the Karacknid squadron. The missiles caught up to Hawthorn’s force and struck forty seconds before her fighters were able to attack. Though the laser beam warheads on the mark VI’s weren’t as powerful as the grazer warheads on the mark IV’s, they still caused a lot of damage. Fifty-three Karacknid ships disappeared from the squadron. As many again fell out of formation suffering damage. As best they could, the Karacknid squadron tried to reshuffle its formation to face Hawthorn’s fighters. They didn’t get close to completing their maneuvers in time. Spitfire fighters and Lancaster bombers twisted and weaved their way through the Karacknid defensive fire and then released their plasma missiles. Sixty of them slammed into the enemy squadron. At least forty more ships were blown apart. The Karacknid force had lost nearly a third of its strength.

“Recall Hawthorn’s fighters,” James ordered. “I want them refueled and rearmed at once. Set course for the Karacknid fleet.” As James hoped, when his ships changed course once again, the Karacknid squadron was slow to respond. It took them fifteen minutes to sort out their formation and turn onto a heading that matched the one his fleet was now on. To the commander of the Karacknid fleet, it would look like James had just bought himself enough time to close with the newest Karacknid force and engage them without having to worry about the Karacknid squadron hitting his rear. For another forty minutes, James sat patiently in his command chair as his force and the Karacknid fleet closed with one another. Then he caught the eye of his navigation officer. “All right Lieutenant Salamanca, it’s time to show us what you can do.”

“Yes Sir,” Salamanca said enthusiastically. He shot Ivanov a grin and turned back to his console. Seconds later, Drake and the rest of James’ ships began to alter their heading. Within a minute their noses were all pointed towards the system’s sixth planet. When the Karacknid fleet altered their own heading onto a course that would follow his ships’ attempt to slingshot around the rocky world, James smiled. For the next hour, the pursuit continued essentially unchanged. James’ maneuver did allow the Karacknid fleet and squadron to combine with one another but they combined well behind Drake’s stern. With his acceleration advantage, they were unable to close with his ships. Of course, James knew that Karacknid warships could handle higher g-forces than his own. At least they could handle higher forces than non Kulrean-built ships, and James had no desire to put his ships to the test. No doubt the Karacknid commander was intending to slingshot around the system’s sixth planet even tighter than his ships would to gain an advantage. It was quite possible the Karacknid fleet could come out of the maneuver with enough momentum to force his fleet to fight. “Do you have the firing sequences planned out?” James asked Davenport.

“Yes Admiral, we have surveyed both moons thoroughly with recon drones. Everything is ready.”

“Then don’t wait for my command, fire as soon as we reach the optimal point,” James replied.

The time came fifteen minutes later when his ships allowed the gravity of the system’s sixth planet to grab them. Still accelerating hard, they orbited around two thirds of the planet and then were spat back out. Just as they were, thirty missiles were launched by Drake. Though Drake didn’t have the antimatter missiles Tanaka-lan had access to, the grazer beams from the mark IV’s largely had the same impact. Firing one after the other, the missiles burned a deep hole into each planetary moon. Then the final ten missiles, five for each moon, flew right up the holes. They detonated together. For the briefest of seconds, nothing happened. Then both moons shattered as explosive forces crumpled their surfaces and hurled debris outward in every direction.

“Launch our fighters,” James ordered, not looking away from the holo display. If the Karacknid commander was wise, he would pull his ships out of their attempted slingshot. There were billions of pieces of shattered rock filling the sixth planet’s orbitals. There was no way his ships could fly through such a maelstrom without suffering damage. And if they tried, James intended to strike at them with Hawthorn’s fighters. No doubt the Karacknid formation would be in disarray as they passed through the debris. They’d be sitting ducks for Hawthorn’s plasma missiles. When the Karacknids didn’t alter course, James sat forward in his command chair. Karacknids were foolhardy and brave to a fault. But surely, even they wouldn’t take such risks. James glanced at Fralin-yang.

“I presume trying to fly through so many shattered moon fragments would be dangerous,” the scribe asked.

James nodded. “It would.”

“And whatever ships survive, you plan to attack. That much is obvious, even to me. Which means that whatever orders they are following, they are all but death warrants for that fleet.”

“Maybe not,” Alvarez said, his voice rising. “Look.” Ships were pulling away from the Karacknid fleet. Altering their acceleration profiles, they were trying to avoid the debris. “They know it means certain death!”

After the first few ships broke away, more and more joined them. In the space of ten seconds, nine tenths of the Karacknid fleet had abandoned their attempted slingshot. Yet a small core of ships remained. They were centered around three Karacknid dreadnoughts. “The fleet commander,” Fralin-yang commented. “The rest of his fleet has disobeyed his orders.” James remained silent. He had never seen Karacknid warships refusing to fight before. Even if it meant their deaths. “It is one thing to die at the hands of an enemy weapon, another entirely to collide with a chunk or rock,” Fralin-yang explained. “There’s no honor in that.”

“Then why isn’t the Karacknid commander pulling up?” Ivanov asked. From the concern in her voice, it seemed like any reservation she had about Fralin-yang had been forgotten in the moment.

“Your guess may be as good as mine, officer,” Fralin-yang said. “Loyalty to whoever gives the command? Fear? No doubt the captains of those ships who have pulled up are facing the same questions. If it is the Imperator who has given the command for those ships to hunt you, or me, down at any cost, they will all pay with their lives later, even if they have survived today.”

No one else spoke as everyone on the bridge watched the fifty-three Karacknid ships that didn’t pull up try to slingshot around the planet. As soon as they got into range, they opened up with all of their point defenses as they tried to blast a path through the debris. Antimatter missiles were also fired ahead of the ships’ course to blast holes in the moon chunks. For several seconds, James thought the Karacknid ships might actually make it through. But then one destroyer disappeared in a blinding flash. Its loss threw off the coordinated defensive fire. A heavy cruiser was struck and began to spin wildly away from its comrades. As soon as it left the path that was being cleared, many more moon fragments pummeled it until it too exploded. Pandemonium broke out. The Karacknid ships suddenly had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions. That further broke up their formation and defensive fire. For about forty seconds, explosion after explosion rocked the Karacknid ships as they were pummeled by debris. Only twelve made it out. Two of them were dreadnoughts. Both had deep gashes along their sides and every other Karacknid ship was streaming atmosphere and wreckage behind it.

“Shall I give the order for Hawthorn to attack?” Ivanov asked.

James considered it for a moment and then shook his head. “No, recall her fighters.” Around him James sensed several heads turn: no doubt full of questions.

“You are a cruel commander,” Fralin-yang said, catching what some of James’ officers clearly hadn’t.

James looked at the scribe and smiled. “As you said yourself, our two peoples are enemies. We may have an understanding, but those ships out there and the other fleets of your species would think nothing of bombarding every one of my species’ colonies out of existence. Cruel is not a factor in my thinking. Only victory.”

“I will admit one thing,” Fralin-yang said. “I would love to see the communications between that fleet’s commander and all the Captains who didn’t follow him. Not to mention what the more senior Karacknid commanders will say. Mutinies are not unheard of in my species’ history, you may be surprised to hear. But they are extremely rare and never end well.”

“Then I hope my small mercy will end up causing more damage to that fleet than Hawthorn’s fighters could,” James said as much for the benefit of his officers as Fralin-yang. He turned his attention back to Crakigoan. His freighters and the one hundred warships he had left with them were already breaking orbit. “Set course to rendezvous with the rest of our fleet. It’s time we got out of here.”

Chapter 32

The holographic entertainment chamber was a very welcome addition to all Imperial Fleet ships when the Senate finally approved the spending bill. It has greatly eased the burden on the crews of Imperial Fleet warships during long voyages. Yet any academy graduates who have not had access to the technology before should be warned, allow it to pull you away from your continued studies and you may remain a Sub Lieutenant for the rest of your days.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Wayfarer, (1 week later).

If Emilie had been tempted to think the majority of the Kalassai’s journey through the Karacknid empire had been boring, that was no longer the case. For months, she and Wayfarer had seen little action. In part, that was because the Kalassai were so good at sneaking past Karacknid fleets and systems. The three secret shift passages they had used had helped as well. It was also down to the fact that Wayfarer had stuck with the Kalassai city ships for most of the journey. Given how precious they were to the Kalassai, every effort was being made to keep them out of harm’s way.

With the Kalassai fleet entering the core Karacknid worlds now, Wayfarer’s role had changed. Now she and another sixty ships that Wal-sma had been given command of were one of several squadrons that were scouting ahead of the Kalassai fleet. The Karacknids now knew a Kalassai fleet was within their space. With the Kalassai fleet throwing caution to the wind and moving quickly towards the Karacknid homeworld, it was vital that the systems ahead of their line of advance were scouted out and any dangers revealed. That was why Emilie found herself on Wayfarer’s bridge staring at the collection of destroyed orbital stations. As she and Wal-sma studied the image, it zoomed in as Wayfarer’s sensors focused on one of the stations. Wal-sma turned to Emilie. “Well Commodore, what do you think?”

“It was us,” Emilie confirmed, with the zoomed in image she had no doubt. “Those are scorch marks from a plasma missile. Our fighters destroyed these stations.”

“Then we have found them,” Wal-sma said, the relief in its voice obvious even to Emilie. “Can you tell how recent this was?”

Emilie shook her head. “Not by sight. We’d have to get much closer and take samples. Your scientists would be much better equipped to answer that question. Yet it can’t have been too long ago. There are no Karacknid warships in this system, nor even any effort being made to salvage the stations.”

“Unless the Karacknids are so concerned about your Emperor’s fleet that they do not have the time or resources to spare for such a small colony,” Wal-sma suggested.

“Fair point,” Emilie replied as she eyed the Karacknid colony below the stations. Several cities had been detected by Wayfarer’s sensors. None were particularly large though. It seemed most were situated in the vicinity of four rich veins of valstronium. It was clear the Karacknids attraction to the planet was for its minerals, not its inviting climate.

“What do you suggest we do now then?” Wal-sma asked.

Emilie turned from the image of the Karacknid colony to a smaller image that showed a star map of local space. Highlighted in red were several small shift passages that only the Kalassai knew about. She frowned, none of them were particularly helpful. Instead, she pointed to one of the normal shift passages. “If my uncle’s fleet, or at least a part of it was in the system, they most likely left through this shift passage. That would keep them heading towards the Karacknids’ inner colonies. We should send word back to your fleet whilst we proceed. If they were here recently, we may yet encounter one of their rear-guard squadrons. If we can meet one of them, we can get word to my uncle. Once he hears of your ships, he will no doubt wait and allow us to catch up.”

Wal-sma didn’t respond as it considered Emilie’s words. Then it waved a tentacle towards her. “Your course of action makes the most sense. There’s no point trying to collect any samples from those stations. If we have a chance to catch your uncle, we must take it.”

Emilie nodded as her excitement grew. Discovering the damaged stations was both good and bad. Knowing that her uncle’s ships had been here meant he was actually doing it. That Operation Hail Mary hadn’t failed yet. It also meant they were close. Less encouraging though, it indicated the Kalassai fleet was behind her uncle’s. Unless they could contact elements from the Allied fleet, the Kalassai would struggle to catch up. At least, they would struggle if they couldn’t determine the exact route her uncle was taking. If they could get that information, there was a good chance they could take a hidden shift passage that might allow them to get closer to her uncle’s ships or even get ahead of them.

Alarms from several consoles around Emilie stopped her excitement cold. She had come to learn what they meant. New contacts. And not just any contacts, Karacknid ships. “Put them on the main display,” Wal-sma instantly demanded.

Seconds later, Emilie was looking at one hundred Karacknid ships as they fanned out from the shift passage they had just arrived from. Their pattern of movement and the fact that they were all frigates and destroyers told her they were a scouting force for a much larger fleet. “Send a ship back to Admiral Fug-sal at once,” Wal-sma ordered. “News must reach it of this development. Then prepare our ships to fallback. They will have detected us already, but we must get as much distance between us as we can. They will begin to hunt us as soon as the rest of their fleet arrives.”

As Wal-sma’s officers got to work, Emilie watched and waited. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later and more contacts began to appear. It didn’t stop rising until they reached three thousand. She swallowed hard. It was by far the largest Karacknid force they had yet encountered. Glancing at Wal-sma, she couldn’t help but wonder how the Kalassai was feeling. Destroying small Karacknid forces was one thing, but coming up against such a large number of ships had to make all the Kalassai nervous. It had been more than half a millennia since they had faced such a powerful Karacknid fleet.

As the Karacknid fleet moved into the system and then set themselves onto a course towards the same shift passage Wal-sma’s ships were fleeing towards, Emilie moved closer to the Kalassai Captain. “Maybe we shouldn’t run too far,” she said just louder than a whisper. When Wal-sma waved a tentacle in a gesture Emilie knew meant to continue, she elaborated. “We have the advantage here. We know where this Karacknid fleet is. If we jump out too soon, we may lose contact with them. Then Fug-sal will not have the most up to date information. The Imperial Fleet’s standard operating protocol would suggest we keep contact with the Karacknid fleet for as long as we can safely do so. If we jump out early, the Karacknid fleet could decide to alter course and head somewhere else. Fug-sal could end up with a fleet on his flank or rear instead of right in front of us where we know it is now.”

Wal-sma turned from Emilie to look at the Karacknid fleet. It flexed its tentacles back and forth several times, showing indecision. “It is not natural for me to sit in front of an enemy fleet,” it said when it turned back. “But there is wisdom in your words.” Wal-sma spoke louder for all the bridge officers to hear. “Once we get to the shift passage, we will not immediately jump out. We will remain in position and monitor the progress of the Karacknid fleet. We will send regular ships to Fug-sal with updates. It may be that Fug-sal wants to strike this enemy fleet before it can join up with any other Karacknid forces.”

Emilie found herself nodding at Wal-sma’s words. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Three thousand Karacknid ships was the largest enemy force she had seen since the second battle of Earth. Yet they were in the Karacknids’ core colonies now. There could be two or three other similarly sized fleets nearby, all moving to combine. That is a chilling thought, she said to herself.

An hour later, Emilie thought her fears were about to become reality. Fifty new contacts had appeared. They jumped out of the very shift passage she had recommended Wal-sma take her ships to. For forty minutes or so, Emilie was worried that they were an advance scouting squadron for another Karacknid fleet. Yet no additional Karacknid ships appeared. Then she started to grow concerned for another reason. If Karacknid ships had come from the system she had thought her uncle’s fleet might have headed towards, it meant there were Karacknid forces between the Kalassai fleet and her uncle’s. With Wal-sma’s scouting mission put on hold, there was no way to know just how many.

A sudden flurry of tentacle waving from the Kalassai all around her pulled Emilie’s attention back to the display of the Karacknid fleet. Her eyes widened. “They’re pulling back,” she said out loud, hardly believing her own words. “Why?” Before anyone else could answer, she figured it out. “Those new ships that jumped into the system. If they sent a message to that Karacknid fleet, when would it have reached them?”

“Less than one minute ago,” one of Wal-sma’s officers answered.

Wal-sma turned to Emilie. “You think they received orders to move somewhere else?”

Emilie nodded. “Orders they are going to obey when they have a Kalassai squadron in their sights.” Emilie stood. “We need to follow them!” Her hands tightened into fists. “If a Karacknid fleet doesn’t want to engage your ships, then there is only one other target they’re going after. My uncle’s fleet! And if this Karacknid fleet is behind my uncle’s position, there’s bound to be another Karacknid fleet ahead of him protecting their homeworld. He could find himself surrounded. We need to help him!”

*

IS Drake, 22nd February 2486 AD, (one week later).

“We are entering the endgame,” James said to his staff officers. They were all in his briefing room, staring at a star map of the Karacknid core worlds. Within the last day, scouts had come in from Rear Admiral Scott’s and from one of Admiral Ya’sia’s scouting squadrons. Two new Karacknid fleets had been detected. Both were ahead of his line of advance blocking any movement towards the Karacknid homeworld. Both had more than three thousand ships.

“They are covering our two main routes towards their homeworld,” Anderson commented. “If we wanted to go around them, it would add three or four more weeks.”

“And by then, they will have gathered more ships and an even larger fleet will await us,” Ivanov added.

“You’re both right,” James said. “There is no avoiding what is in front of us. We must engage and destroy at least one of these fleets.” If they will allow us, he thought, but didn’t add. Alongside the reports of those two fleets, for the past six days, a constant stream of skirmishes had been occurring between his scouts and Karacknid ones. “I believe we are finally meeting a real organized defense. These two fleets blocking our path and the increased Karacknid scouting activity indicates one mind is behind the Karacknids’ actions. By now, our true target cannot be hard to guess.”

“It looks like the Karacknids are forming a frontline just ahead of their homeworld,” Davenport said as she manipulated the star map. The two systems where the Karacknid fleets had been spotted flashed, but so did several others where skirmishes had taken place. They formed a rough semi-circular line directly in front of the Allied fleet. “None of our scouts have penetrated beyond this point.”

“They want us walking into the unknown,” James reflected.

“What do you want to do Admiral?” Ivanov asked. “We could try and push Rear Admiral Scott’s squadron through one of the systems to get a better look at what other preparations the Karacknids are making.”

James shook his head. “That would take too long. If the Karacknids know our true target, they will be pulling ships towards their homeworld from every system within a couple of hundred light years. We need to defeat one of those fleets, and quickly.” James couldn’t help but glance at a system behind his fleet. The eastern Karacknid flanking fleet was still there. His scouts had detected it racing towards Crakigoan. Arriving too late, it had then resumed following James’ main fleet. For several weeks, they had stayed two systems behind his position, content to shadow his movements. Yet he knew the time was coming when they would try and push forward. If they caught him when he was trying to attack one of the two new Karacknid fleets, he could be in trouble. Or they could move in and cut off Jourm or Ya’sia from us. “It is time to combine our forces for the final time,” James decided. “I want orders sent to Ya’sia, Jourm, and all our scouting squadrons bar Scott and Jil’lal. They are to rendezvous with us here.” James pointed at a system seven days’ travel from Drake’s current location. “We will form up and immediately push towards the eastern of the two new fleets we have detected. As soon as we fight our way through that system, we will have to rapidly advance straight to the Karacknid’s homeworld. If this is a frontline they have set up, they will likely have reserve forces already in position. Taking out this Karacknid fleet will likely only be the first in a string of quick battles we will have to fight. This is what we have been conserving our strength for, people. There’s no time to spare, let’s get our fleet elements moving.”

*

IS Drake, 28th February 2486 AD, (six days later).

When Drake jumped into the system James had selected for his fleets to rendezvous at, a pleasant surprise was waiting for him. Admiral Ya’sia’s fleet of two thousand four hundred warships was already waiting for him. As soon as he got into range, he had Petrov hail Triumphant. “Well met Admiral,” he said to the Crian with a smile. “Your fleet has made very good time indeed.”

“When my scouts first reported on the two new Karacknid fleets, I called back my scouting squadrons and headed here. I assumed you would want to strike the fleet nearest your position,” Ya’sia explained. She then flashed James a smile. “You are predictable in at least one way Admiral; you are a man of action.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” James asked.

Ya’sia nodded. “Jourm is four or five days away at least. We could wait for him to join us to strike, or we could attack now. With our two fleets, we would outnumber them by at least a thousand ships.”

“Assuming they haven’t received any reinforcements,” James cautioned, yet he already knew what he wanted to do. Leaving the initiative in the Karacknids’ hands was never going to be a winning strategy. They had made it as far as they had by moving fast and attacking vulnerable Karacknid fleets. He nodded to Ya’sia. “All right then, we will take our fleets forward immediately. At the very least, we will take a closer look at this Karacknid fleet. If we can convince them to engage with us, all the better. We’ll send word for Jourm to follow us as quickly as he can.”

Ya’sia smiled again. “This may be the last Karacknid fleet we need to engage before we get to whatever forces they have defending their homeworld itself. I am never eager for battle, but it is time we got to their homeworld to see this thing through, one way or another.”

“Agreed,” James said, determination filling his voice.

“My ships will fall into formation with yours then Admiral,” Ya’sia responded.

When Ya’sia ended the COM channel, James nodded to Ivanov. She had been listening to their conversation, there was no need for him to elaborate on what orders he wanted sent out. Then he brought up a star map and focused on the system the Karacknid fleet had been detected in. His scouting of the area was being constantly degraded as the Karacknids sought to engage every one of his ships they could. Still, there was no indication they had moved. And if they have come towards us, then we’ll just get to fight them all the sooner. The system he believed they were still in was six days away. We’ll know before the week is out, he thought to himself.

*

Dedication, 5th March 2486 AD, (five days later).

When Dedication jumped into the rendezvous system, Admiral Jourm wasn’t surprised to find it empty. Messenger ships from Admiral Somerville had reached him days ago updating him on Somerville’s plan to strike quickly at one of the Karacknid fleets blocking their line of advance. A part of him hoped the Karacknid fleet would fall back when they detected Somerville’s ships. Jourm didn’t want to miss the big battle when it came. He understood exactly what Somerville was doing though. The time of avoiding Karacknid fleets and only striking when the Allies had a significant numerical advantage was quickly coming to an end. Once his ships joined Somerville’s, he knew they would be pushing on towards the Karacknid homeworld. They would have no choice but to engage with whatever enemy forces they encountered then, no matter their size or strength. “Take us to the next shift passage,” Jourm ordered his staff officers, “maximum acceleration.”

For two hours, his fleet rapidly advanced into the system as they headed towards a shift passage on its far side. Just as Jourm was about to retire to his quarters, alarms began to blare. He was instantly alert. New contacts were being detected by Dedication’s gravimetric sensors. Jourm had to control his breathing. Over fifteen hundred Karacknid warships were moving into the system. They were moving to block the shift passage his fleet was headed towards.

Within a minute, Dedication had recognized some of the ships. They were from the other new Karacknid fleet that had been detected, the one Somerville was not moving to attack. A sense of coldness started at the tip of Jourm’s tail and moved up his body. He could see it now. The reason for why the Karacknids had significantly upped their attempts to engage Allied scouts; They have been trying to blind us. Blind us to their plan! There was nothing larger than a medium cruiser in the Karacknid fleet. Clearly, only the fastest ships had been dispatched to try and prevent Jourm from joining up with Somerville and Ya’sia. Which means we can destroy them if we wish, Jourm knew. They are willing to sacrifice fifteen hundred of their light ships. There was only one explanation for that, they intended to win a greater victory elsewhere. It’s a trap! Jourm feared. Somerville and Ya’sia were being lured into a trap! “I want a squadron of destroyers dispatched forward immediately,” Jourm ordered. “They are to bring word of this Karacknid fleet to Admiral Somerville at all costs.” Somerville would know what the presence of the Karacknid ships meant.

Within thirty seconds, six destroyers broke away from Jourm’s fleet. When their course was displayed on Dedication’s holo display, Jourm felt a small sense of relief. They would reach the shift passage before any Karacknids could intercept them. He then turned his attention back to the Karacknid fleet. He had no choice. There was nothing more he could do for Somerville in the short term. He had to engage the Karacknid fleet, destroy it, and hopefully continue towards Somerville to lend what aid he could. For an hour, he worked with his staff officers to prepare his fleet for the battle. They ran through several potential tactics, finally settling on one that would allow them to engage the Karacknid fleet quickly and then make a dash for the shift passage. As much as Jourm would like to completely finish off the vulnerable Karacknid ships, heading towards Somerville’s position was more important. If Somerville was ambushed, there was a chance he could pull his ships out before they were threatened. He would need backup then. Or worse, Jourm knew, if the Karacknids successfully engaged Somerville and Ya’sia’s fleets, the survivors would need his protection.

Two hours before both fleets would meet each other, more alarms went off on Dedication’s bridge. Jourm’s tail went limp. He had been wrong. It wasn’t just Somerville’s fleet that a trap had been laid for. The Karacknid eastern flanking fleet had arrived. Somehow, they had made up several days on Somerville’s fleet. Somerville’s messages had indicated that he suspected a single Karacknid commander was now coordinating the defense of their core worlds. The evidence was now right in front of Jourm. Two thousand five hundred new warships were also moving to cut him off from reaching his shift passage. Their appearance had been timed almost perfectly. The new ships would be able to engage his fleet just twenty minutes after he began his fight with the fifteen hundred ships he was already closing with. When Jourm looked down from the holo display, he found all of Dedication’s bridge officer staring at him. He took a moment to meet all their eyes. “There’s no way we can get ourselves out of this,” he told them plainly. “Not unless we want to turn around and retreat? If we did that, we’d be leaving Somerville’s and Ya’sia’s fleets to their fate. What say you?”

At first, no one responded. Then Dedication’s Captain raised himself from his command chair. “Dedication is not abandoning our allies Admiral.” Other officers joined him and repeated the sentiment.

Jourm bowed deeply to his Flag Captain. “Then let us see how we can give the best account of ourselves. If we cannot aid Somerville and Ya’sia in any other way, we will at least prevent these two fleets from threatening them any further.”

Ten minutes later,  Jourm’s fleet suddenly shot forward. They had taken the safeties off their reactors and engines. Just thirty seconds later, one light cruiser detonated, it’s reactor melting down and sending a cascade of energy through its capacitors. The explosion crippled a nearby frigate. Jourm felt their loss, but he kept it from his face. He knew this was a tactic Somerville had used in the past. Losses were inevitable. It took the Karacknids a few minutes to respond. When they did, Jourm saw what he had been expecting. The only way the eastern flanking fleet could now intercept his ships was if they dispatched their light ships. Fifteen hundred of them sped ahead of their heavier consorts. Now Jourm just had three thousand enemy ships to deal with.

Over the course of an hour, sixty-seven ships were destroyed, crippled, or had to fall out of formation due to engine failures as Jourm’s fleet continued to push them beyond their limit. “Slow us to normal speed,” Jourm ordered as soon as his ships got to the point where the capital ships of the eastern flanking fleet could no longer catch them, even if they put their engines into overdrive. “Now, let’s hit them with everything we’ve got!”

In response to his order, the two thousand two hundred ships of his fleet turned and aimed their missile tubes towards the first Karacknid fleet. Less than a minute later, they opened fire. “Dispatch our final destroyer squadron,” Jourm said once the missiles were clear. He wanted to make sure Somerville would know just what was about to happen. Another Vice Admiral Gupta, Jourm thought as he imagined how Somerville would take the news. He hadn’t known Gupta well, but Ya’sia had told him all about how she had sacrificed herself to allow the Allied Fleet trapped at Jaranna to escape. Now he understood just how Somerville’s friend had felt.

For half an hour, Jourm’s ships tore into the Karacknid light ships. A fighter attack accompanying his third missile salvo destroyed three hundred of them. The Karacknids gave almost as good as they got, however. Jourm lost three hundred ships. There were still six hundred Karacknid left when the ships of the eastern flanking fleet reached missile range. Facing salvos from two directions, Jourm knew his point defenses would be severely compromised. He therefore gave the order he had briefed his officers on before the first missile had been fired. Turning together as one, his ships charged the eastern flanking Karacknid fleet. The high closing velocity of the Karacknid ships meant they couldn’t reverse course in time. Jourm’s ships fought off two salvos from the Karacknid ships before reaching energy weapon range. His remaining one thousand seven hundred ships filled space between the two fleets with high-powered laser beams. Dedication shook as she was hit several times. Yet the Kulrean-built warship held together long enough to fire a second volley from her twenty heavy laser beams. Jourm watched as they blew apart three Karacknid heavy cruisers. Miraculously, his flagship even survived long enough to fire a third volley. By the time the explosions ceased amongst the Karacknid ships, none were left. Dedication’s advanced sensors were able to tell him he still had four hundred ships. They were heavily damaged, however. A glance at the holo display told him the ships from the first fleet he had engaged were closing in for the kill. With six hundred left, they now outnumbered him.

For a full hour, both fleets resumed exchanging missile salvos. The strength of each combatant was whittled away until they barely had three hundred ships between them. Despite her damage, Dedication kept her position at the center of Jourm’s formation of sixty ships. Her Kulrean point defenses were doing their best to protect her and her consorts. Yet when the next Karacknid salvo crashed home, twenty-seven ships were destroyed. Six more were so badly damaged they fell out of formation. That is it, Jourm thought to himself. One more salvo and his fleet would be done for. Five minutes later, he could do nothing but watch as fifty antimatter missiles dodged every point defensive weapon fired at them and began to explode among his fleet. Two targeted Dedication. Though Jourm had read Somerville’s report on his flagship’s evasive maneuvers, he was still surprised when his restraints tightened, emergency power came on and he was suddenly assaulted by g-forces that almost made him blackout. He didn’t complain though, Dedication dodged both missiles. The rest of his fleet was not so lucky. On the holo display, only six Varanni Alliance warships were left. Jourm turned to the Karacknid fleet. His latest missile salvo had destroyed another twenty ships. They were now down to less than one hundred. Jourm closed his eyes. Two thousand of my ships for three thousand of theirs. That’s a fair trade, isn’t it? Though he knew he had fought well, he couldn’t help but feel a failure. Somerville had needed his ships to take the Karacknid homeworld. Now they would never come. Opening his eyes again, Jourm watched the final Karacknid missile salvo come in on Dedication. There was no way his flagship could dodge more than a thousand missiles. He kept his eyes open right until the end, watching death approach. When the first anti-matter missile struck his dreadnought, it punched through six decks before exploding. Feeling the impact, Jourm’s final thought was of his family back on Varanni Prime. They were in Somerville’s hands now. Then the antimatter warhead detonated. It’s matter-negating particles ate out nearly a third of the dreadnought’s innards, including her bridge.

Chapter 33

It has become unusual in the last three hundred years for an Emperor or Empress to lead the Imperial Fleet from the frontline of any conflict. That does not mean, however, that they have not served in our armed forces. Tradition has now made it all but essential for the heirs to have military command experience.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, (one day later).

“Rapier and Bull have just jumped back,” Anderson reported. “The Karacknid fleet is still in position.”

“Jump us in,” James ordered. Moments later, Drake and his fleet jumped into shift space. It took just two minutes to reach the Karacknid system. For several minutes, James’ fleet remained stationary as they established connections with one another and scanned nearby space. Then, with a nod from James, they powered up their reactors and engines and turned onto an intercept course for the Karacknid fleet. James watched closely to see how the Karacknid commander would respond. His fleet was currently in orbit around a medium sized Karacknid colony. It had fifty orbital battle stations. They would help in any engagement, but with his four thousand seven hundred warships, James had the Karacknid fleet significantly outnumbered. The smart thing to do would be to run, he knew. But if the Karacknid commander was tasked with defending the system as part of a frontline that had been set up to stop his advance, then his orders may not allow him to retreat. That’s what James was hoping, anyway. “I want a full spread of recon drones,” he ordered when the Karacknid fleet made no immediate move. “Let’s make sure we have every square inch of this system scanned for any surprises.”

“The Karacknid fleet is powering up its engines,” Lieutenant Davenport announced just over ten minutes later.

James leaned forward in his command chair. The Karacknid ships were moving away from their colony, yet they weren’t turning onto a heading towards one of the shift passages that would allow them to escape. “They are wanting to get some maneuvering room,” he guessed.

“They don’t want to fight over their colony,” Alvarez said. “That’s understandable.”

“But it does mean they want to fight,” James responded as he tried to figure out just where the Karacknid fleet was going. If the Karacknid commander felt he had to fight James’ ships, he would try to find the best way to do so. Or he is trying to lure us deeper into the system, James thought as he narrowed his eyes. The Karacknid fleet was making it obvious it wanted to fight in an open space battle. Yet it was moving deeper into the system to get that room. Doing so was cutting its chances of being able to run considerably.

“If they have sent for reinforcements, they could be trying to buy time for them to arrive,” Ivanov suggested.

“Especially so if their scouts detected our approach,” Alvarez added.

James nodded; he had dispatched Rear Admiral Scott forward with more than three hundred ships to clear the three systems they had passed through over the last six days of Karacknid ships. Yet it was still possible one or two Karacknid scouts had spotted his fleet and managed to escape before being hunted down. That meant news of his approach might have left the system a day or two ago. If the Karacknids had reinforcements nearby, they might be on their way soon, if they weren’t already.

“What do you think Admiral?” Ivanov asked.

James stared at the two shift passages that led from the system towards the Karacknid homeworld. They were on the far side of the system relative to where his ships were now. One provided a shorter route, but both were viable options for him to use to continue his advance. They were also where any additional enemy ships would come from. “If they do have reinforcements, they’ll jump in a long way from us. We should have time to pull back. We will continue our pursuit. If we can strike at this fleet quickly, we may be able to destroy them and then face whatever reinforcements might appear. If the Karacknid fleet keeps trying to run from us, we will switch targets and take out the colony’s orbitals. Perhaps that will persuade them to join battle.”

For two hours, James remained in his command chair as his ships pushed deeper into the system. He spent most of the time discussing strategies with Ya’sia and Becket. The longer the Karacknid fleet kept maneuvering to delay an engagement, the more nervous James got. He could detect the same feelings in both of his subordinates’ voices. Yet all three of them knew they needed to bring this Karacknid fleet to battle. They had no other choice.

“The Karacknid fleet is altering course again,” Davenport reported, for at least the tenth time. “It looks like they are turning towards us.” James cut off what he was saying to Ya’sia to look up to the main holo display. The Karacknid fleet was turning onto a course that would allow his ships to close the distance much quicker than they had been.

“Do they finally have the maneuvering space they want?” Alvarez asked. “It’s about time.”

“Admiral,” Anderson said. “Several scouts have just jumped into the system behind us. They are carrying out a prearranged maneuver. It’s the signal to tell us they have important information.”

James watched the Karacknid fleet for several more seconds before turning to Anderson. “How long until whatever communication they have sent will reaches us?”

“Two minutes,” Anderson replied.

James frowned. He didn’t know what important information the scouts were bringing him. Yet it made little sense that they carried out the maneuver. He’d get their news in two minutes, anyway. Unless their Captains think two minutes are going to be important? There was no other explanation. Quickly, James pulled up information on the leading ship’s Captain. It was an officer he had served with back at the start of the war. He reacted at once. “Put the fleet into full reverse!”

No one questioned his command. Instead, James’ staff officers frantically began to transmit his orders. Within seconds, Drake’s nose began to turn away from the Karacknid fleet. So too did every other ship in James’ command. Pointing their engines towards the Karacknids they had been chasing, they began a deceleration burn.

“We have the message from Scimitar,” Petrov reported when the two minutes had passed.

This better be good, James thought as it was transmitted to his command chair. Around him, everyone’s head was bowed as they began to read. James only scanned through the first few lines when he felt his heart rate slow and blood drain from his face. Scimitar had been one of the ships tasked with watching the second Karacknid fleet that had been recently discovered. Five days ago, a part of the fleet had been detected advancing towards Admiral Jourm’s fleet. Scimitar had rushed to inform him of the development. On her way, she had encountered another scout ship, one that had also detected the eastern flanking fleet rapidly advancing as well. James looked up at Ivanov. He felt sick. His mind recalled the conversation he had had with Ya’sia when their fleets had rendezvoused. She had rightly predicted he would want to rapidly advance and engage the Karacknid fleet still being displayed on Drake’s holo display. If she could predict it, then so could the Karacknids, James realized. They had the last several months of engagements to learn his tendencies. Knowing he would push forward quickly, the Karacknids had ordered their other fleets to close in and cut off Jourm. He will have already been cornered, James realized. For all he knew, Jourm’s ships could be fighting for their very lives as he stared at Ivanov. The look on her face told him she was thinking the very same thing.

Another thought occurred to James… if the Karacknids had correctly predicted he would advance to engage the Karacknid fleet nearest his position, then they had been expecting him. He turned from Ivanov to the holo display. He didn’t look to the Karacknid fleet, not even to the shift passages he had been expecting any reinforcements to come from. Instead, he turned to the one other shift passage that led out of the system. It headed to the east, where his scouts hadn’t detected any Karacknid activity. At least, they hadn’t before the Karacknids had increased their own counter scouting operations. If his fears were right, James knew they would be confirmed within moments. With his fleet reversing course, the Karacknids had to spring their trap. His fears were realized just seconds later. As alarms went off around him, James ignored them. He was focused entirely on the count of enemy ships Drake’s computer was adding to as it analyzed each new contact. It didn’t stop climbing until it passed five thousand. James couldn’t fight the sinking feeling that began to overwhelm him. Jourm’s ships were going to be cut off from coming to his aid. They could even find themselves forced to fight a superior enemy. At the same time, his fleet was now facing eight thousand enemy warships. And we are not even at the Karacknid homeworld yet, he thought desperately as the five thousand Karacknid ships split into two formations. They were moving to envelop his fleet. James didn’t have to look back to the initial Karacknid fleet to know that it would be moving to complete the surround. It was the Karacknids’ favored tactic. We will be able to destroy one of them, he was confident. But in doing so, his fleet would be decimated. They would have no strength left to take the Karacknid homeworld. Operation Hail Mary had failed. And no word will ever get back to Earth. Christine will never know what happened to us. The Karacknids will come and take Earth and they will all be killed or enslaved. James cursed himself. He had been a fool! He had known a competent Karacknid commander had taken over coordinating all the Karacknid fleets. He should have suspected a trap! He had grown so used to being able to move quicker than the Karacknids to outmaneuver them, that he had thought he could do it again. In reality, he was the one who had been outmaneuvered. And it’s going to cost all of us our lives, he thought as he closed his eyes. His sinking feeling was getting deeper and deeper. Then his mind went to Jonathan. He had failed his son. Any chance of him having a free future was evaporating before his eyes.

One thought stopped James’s emotions cold. What will he think of me? For a moment, James wavered on the cusp of despair. Then his hands tightened into fists. He clenched his teeth together and opened his eyes. His son might never hear of what was going to happen in the next several hours. Whether he did or not though, James did not want his last hours to be spent wallowing in depression and self-pity. If this was to be his final battle, then he would fight it with everything he had. That was how he wanted Jonathan to remember him.

Turning to Lieutenant Petrov, James found his COM officer was already staring at him. Her face had gone white. “Open a COM channel to all of my Admirals and Captains,” James requested.

Petrov stared at him for a couple of seconds and then shook her head slightly. “At once, Admiral,” she said hastily. Then she nodded to him when the channel was open.

“Commanders,” James said and then paused. “There’s no way to sugar-coat this. We have been out maneuvered. Operation Hail Mary hangs in the balance, if it has not already failed. Yet we are not defeated. Before us stands eight thousand Karacknid warships. Eight thousand warships that if they leave this system will eventually find their way to our homeworlds and our families. Capturing the Karacknid Imperator and forcing peace is no longer our priority. Killing these enemy ships in front of us is. That is how we must fight now. Every ship we destroy is one less that will come against our families. If we must die today, let us make the Karacknids pay a price they will not long forget. Are we agreed?”

No one replied. James swallowed the lump in his throat. He began to fear he had lost the confidence of his captains. If they were blaming him for being faced with certain death, his fleet could lose all cohesion.

“Admiral look,” Anderson said as he waved at the holo display. It had switched from displaying the Karacknid fleets to his own ships. One heavy cruiser was carrying out a strange maneuver. She was rotating back-and-forth, waggling her missile ports towards Drake. James recognized it instantly. It was an ancient Royal Space Navy sign of acknowledging an order. Viper, James thought as his love for Becket swelled up within him. Suddenly, other ships began to carry out the same maneuver. Centurion, Scott’s flagship, was the second. Then hundreds more did the same and within seconds, every Imperial warship was acknowledging James’ words. From there, it quickly spread to the Vestarian warships and then to every other Allied ship. James sat back in his command chair, a weight he hadn’t noticed lifting from his shoulders. All right then, he thought as he returned his gaze to the Karacknid fleet. You wanted a fight, well, you are going to get one.

“Copy Viper’s maneuver,” James ordered. “Then put us onto an intercept course for Karacknid fleet alpha. They are the ones who lured us into the system, we are going to make them regret it.”

Turning their noses end over end once again, Drake and James’ ships reorientated themselves to face the initial Karacknid fleet. Then they went to maximum acceleration. The two new Karacknid fleets, now designated beta and theta, altered their courses to continue to try and envelop James’ ships. Karacknid fleet alpha slowed its advance as it tried to delay engaging the allies until it could fight with backup. When the course of each fleet was projected on the holo display, James smiled. His fleet’s superior momentum and acceleration rates meant they would get to engage alpha for twenty-four minutes before the other Karacknid fleets could join the fray. With a full fighter strike, he would be able to wreak havoc amongst alpha’s capital ships. If he could hurt them enough, then he could turn and face one of the other Karacknid fleets. We will gut both of them, he promised himself. And then if they let us, we’ll move to energy weapon range of the third. None of them are getting out of here unscathed.

The blaring of more alarms cut James’ planning short. He, like everyone else on the bridge, looked up to the holo display, fearing the appearance of more Karacknid ships. No new contacts were there, however. Then James realized the alarms weren’t coming from any of Drake’s tactical consoles. They were coming from the COM console. “Lieutenant Petrov?” He said as he turned to the COM officer. She was bent over her console tapping on it furiously. She didn’t look up until the alarms were silenced. “Eehh, I’m not sure Admiral. The fleet is being hit by some exotic particle wave. Wait! The computer is recognizing the waves’ harmonic frequencies. It contains a message.” Turning away from James, Petrov’s hand danced across her console. She kept them updated. “It’s a COM message for sure… The computer is decoding it now.” Then Petrov gasped. Her fingers stopped. Slowly, she turned to James. “It says it’s from Commodore Somerville. It has her codes embedded into it. There is a visual file the computer is analyzing.”

Suddenly, hope soared within James. Not a day had gone by where he hadn’t wondered where his niece was and feared what had happened to her. Having not heard from her or the Kulrean worldship Nebula in over a year, he had long ago discounted her mission from his strategic thinking. Yet if she was sending him a message, it could only mean one thing! She had to be nearby. Help could be close at hand! Before James could say anything or Petrov could play the recording, more alarms began to blare all around Drake’s bridge. This time, they were from the tactical console. James’ eyes widened as hundreds, and then thousands of new contacts appeared just beyond the edge of the system. For a second, he thought some of the ships had to be Kulrean worldships, they were so massive. But then, Drake’s sensors were able to get a better fix on them. They were close in size, but not quite as large. Almost as amazing, they were already moving at a very high speed. They were using their engines to alter their heading which was giving away their location to Drake’s gravimetric sensors, but the ships already had significant momentum. They were already travelling at Drake’s top speed. With such a velocity, there was no way his ships could escape from them. Yet these are not Karacknid, James said to himself. Drake’s sensors were struggling to identify them, but there was only one answer James could come up with. They had to be Kalassai ships. “Do you have Emilie’s message ready?” He said as he turned back to Petra.

His COM Lieutenant nodded, tapped her console and then gestured towards the main holo display. The image of the new contacts disappeared to be replaced by the face of James’ niece. “Admiral Somerville,” she said formally, though the smile she flashed gave off a very different vibe. “I’m sorry for not sending this message sooner, but we couldn’t risk giving away our position. I’m on board Wayfarer. I found the Kalassai. There’s no time to explain everything. We are part of an advanced scouting squadron for the Kalassai’s main fleet. They have come to war. By the time this reaches you, their main fleet should have reached the system. It turns out the Kalassai didn’t share all the shift passages they know about with us. We made contact with one of your scouts several days ago. We learnt of your plan to attack the Karacknid fleet in this system. Our scouts already detected additional Karacknid ships moving here. We came as fast as we could. It seems we are just in time.” Emilie paused again as she gave James another smile. “You take the original fleet you came here to deal with. We’ll take the Karacknid fleet closest to us. If the third fleet is foolish enough to stick around, we can finish it together. Good luck Admiral and just wait until you see what the Kalassai can do.” Smiling for the third time, Emilie blinked off the holo display.

James sat still. He was stunned. His emotions were all over the place. He had just been preparing to fight the Karacknids, knowing victory was all but impossible. Now everything had changed. Six thousand, he said to himself as he stared at the image of the Kalassai fleet that had returned to the holo display. The Kalassai had six thousand ships with them. With them, the Allied force now outnumbered the Karacknids. He had no idea how powerful the Kalassai ships were, but given what his niece had just said, he knew he wasn’t going to be disappointed. If we can defeat these fleets quickly, then we can reverse course and come to Jourm’s aid, James hoped. That brought a renewed focus to his mind. “You heard her, everyone. Send this message to all of our ships. Make sure everyone knows our new situation. Let’s prepare to do what we came here to do; we are going to destroy alpha fleet.”

As Petrov set about transmitting Emilie’s message, James watched as Anderson updated the holo display with all of the new tactical information. He had no idea how the Kalassai had done it, but their high velocity meant they would actually catch and be able to engage beta fleet before it caught up to James’ ships. That meant James would now have forty minutes to engage alpha fleet unmolested. And that’s assuming gamma fleet doesn’t turn tail and run, James thought. Given the odds, it would be the smart thing to do.

“It looks like beta and gamma are trying to combine again,” Anderson reported. “And alpha is turning.”

James watched as the Karacknids responded to the sudden change in the tactical situation. Alpha fleet was making a run for the nearest shift passage. To do so, however, they would have to arrest their momentum that was bringing them closer to his ships and then cross half the system. As the Karacknids’ projected course updated, it showed James wouldn’t be able to force the Karacknids into a missile duel. If he wanted to engage them, he’d have to give chase and harry them with his forward missile tubes. “Prepare for a stern chase,” he snapped. On the holo display, the Kalassai fleet began to break apart. James smiled. The Kalassai were moving most of their smaller ships forward to interpose them between beta and gamma. You won’t be joining forces today, he thought towards the enemy commander. The Kalassai had guts, he had to give them that. After everything Emilie had shared about them, he had expected them to be very cautious fighters.

To James’ surprise, forty minutes later, when the Kalassai’s four thousand smaller ships got to a point between beta and gamma, they opened fire. The Kalassai ships were still nine or ten times outside of missile range of the Karacknids. It was some advantage. He leaned forward in his command chair to get a better look at their weapons. According to Drake’s sensors, they appeared to be nothing more than inert chunks of rock. They didn’t even maneuver under their own power. The Kalassai had another surprise in store, though. Just thirty seconds after the first massive barrage of ordnance was fired, another was released. Another followed after it. James turned around to Ivanov and Alvarez. Both had eyes as wide as his. Without being able to carry out evasive maneuvers, the Karacknids would easily be able to engage the Kalassai projectiles with their point defenses. Given how long it would take the ordnance to reach beta and gamma fleets, they would even be able to carry out evasive maneuvers with their ships to dodge most of the fire. But that will slow them down, James realized. The Kalassai weren’t trying to destroy the Karacknids at such a range, they were simply delaying the two fleets from combining until their larger ships arrived. Those must be their city ships, James remembered as he recalled Emilie describing the one she had visited. He had no idea how powerful they were, but he knew he was about to find out.

First though, he was able to watch as the two Karacknid fleets tried to deal with each successive wave of Kalassai fire. Initially, they did very well. For fifteen minutes or more, they dodged or shot down everything fired at them. The Kalassai were spending so much ordnance that James feared they would run out of munitions before they could do any real damage. Then one Karacknid ship suddenly disappeared from the holo plot. There was no explosion, the ship simply stopped emitting any form of electromagnetic radiation. Thirty seconds later, and four more ships disappeared, three from beta and one from gamma. In response to their success, the Kalassai actually increased their rate of fire. They went from firing one salvo every thirty seconds to one every ten. More and more Karacknid ships kept disappearing from Drake’s sensors. Then the Karacknids finally came into missile range. Gamma was able to fire first. Before its missiles reached the Kalassai though, beta fired as well, coordinating its first salvo with gamma’s second.

James started to grow concerned for the Kalassai light ships. They were about to face missiles fired from almost five thousand Karacknid warships. More than three hundred Karacknids had been taken out of the fight, but that still left the Kalassai outnumbered. Clearly understanding their situation, the Kalassai light ships turned and began to move towards gamma fleet. They also switched their fire; their munitions were now targeted at the Karacknid missiles. A second wave of their rock-like weapons also appeared on Drake’s sensors. James had almost forgotten about the city ships. They and the fifteen hundred additional Kalassai light ships were able to open up on the missile salvo from gamma fleet. Caught in a crossfire, the missiles failed to dodge all of the weapons fire. Hundreds, and then thousands of them were blown apart. When the missiles came closer to the Kalassai light ships, Drake’s sensors were able to detect that they opened up with different weapons. Smaller munitions travelling at much higher velocities started to engage the missiles. Far more were taken out. Still, some Karacknid missiles got through. James counted at least twenty Kalassai ships that were blown apart.

In response, the Kalassai returned to firing their anti-ship munitions at gamma fleet. More Karacknid ships started to disappear. It’s not enough though, James feared. The weight of fire from both Kalassai fleets was whittling away at gamma’s numbers. But as the second combined salvo from beta and gamma crashed into the Kalassai light ships, nearly a hundred where destroyed. They’re going to lose half their fleet at this rate. Seemingly undeterred by James’ worry, both Kalassai fleets moved to join up with one another again whilst they also closed with gamma. When they came close enough that their smaller point defenses could coordinate with one another, the Karacknid missile salvos’ effectiveness was reduced. Still, the losses the Kalassai where suffering were mounting.

Suddenly, the holo display began to flash. Massive energy spikes were being detected from the Kalassai city ships. For a second, James thought that several of them had been blown apart. But he was wrong. All of them were showing massive increases in energy readings. Then the readings ceased. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Karacknid ships in gamma fleet blew apart.

“What was that!” Alvarez demanded.

“Some kind of energy weapon,” Anderson said. “Our sensors can’t make more sense of it than that at this range.”

“They’re doing it again,” Ivanov called out. “Look.”

Sure enough, on the holo display, there were more energy spikes being detected from the Kalassai city ships. Seconds after they disappeared, another two hundred or more Karacknid warships were blown apart. Gamma fleet’s ships began to carry out wild evasive maneuvers. They lost all cohesion. With all the Kalassai smaller ships still firing their own weapons, the Karacknid ships were torn apart. In the space of just ten minutes, the city ships fired four volleys of whatever weapons they were using. Hundreds of thousands of the Kalassai’s other munitions rained down on gamma fleet as well. What had once been a fleet of two thousand five hundred ships was reduced to less than five hundred. When the last dreadnought was destroyed, the Karacknid ships broke and turned their noses away from the Kalassai city ships. James shook his head in amazement as they fled. He had never seen a Karacknid fleet run from an enemy before. “No wonder they hate them,” he found himself saying out loud. The Kalassai city ships weren’t quite as impressive as the Kulrean worldships, but they were darned close.

“Beta is running as well!” Anderson said, his voice full of shock. “There are turning, look at them, they are turning!”

James could see it just as well as Anderson. Having witnessed the destruction of their sister fleet, the ships of the Karacknid beta fleet had decided they didn’t want to share the same fate. A pity, James thought to himself. With the momentum of the Kalassai ships moving them away from beta, they would get away. But they will have quite the story to tell. Whichever Karacknid commander had planned the ambush on his ships was going to be very disappointed when he found out what had happened. And how are they going to prepare for us now? James smiled as he considered his own question. The Kalassai city ships were deadly. If he could add his fleet to the Kalassai’s and use the point defenses of his ships to protect the city ships, they could close with any Karacknid fleet and blast away at their dreadnoughts and battleships with almost impunity. First things first, he said to himself as he turned back to alpha fleet. Throughout the battle between the Kalassai and beta and gamma, his ships had been closing on alpha fleet. “Signal the Kalassai and ask them if they require any assistance,” James said to Petrov. Then he raised his voice slightly, “The Kalassai have just shown us what they can do, let’s show them our own capabilities. Fire as soon as we get into range.”

Ten minutes later, forty-two thousand missiles were released from the forward missile tubes of James’ fleet. The Karacknids already had two salvos on their way towards Drake. Yet James’s force outnumbered the Karacknid by nearly fifty percent. With Hawthorn’s Spitfire and Corsair fighters also several light seconds ahead of James’ fleet running interference, the Karacknid missiles posed little threat. Over a stern chase that lasted two and half hours, only thirty missiles got through the Allied point defensive fire. Twenty ships were destroyed, and another seven crippled. It was a small price to pay for the damage done to the Karacknids. Nearly eight hundred of their ships were destroyed by the twenty-one missile salvos the Allies fired. That was only the beginning though. When the Karacknid fleet was just one light minute out from the system’s mass shadow, James turned all the Imperial ships in his fleet. He then fired three salvos of his precious mark VI missiles from them. The rest of his fleet continued the chase as they kept firing their standard missiles, coordinating them with the mark VI’s. As each enlarged missile salvo blasted through the Karacknids’ defenses, another four hundred ships were destroyed. Then, following in the final salvo, Hawthorn’s entire force of two thousand fighters struck at the Karacknids with their plasma missiles. Hundreds of explosions erupted in the midst of the Karacknid fleet as their capital ships were gutted.

The enemy force that managed to stumble across the system’s mass shadow numbered less than a thousand ships. Those that could jumped into shift space and disappeared. More than a hundred were left behind, too damaged to make the jump. Follow-up salvos from James’ ships finished them off as well.

When all was said and done, James sat back in his command chair and let out a long slow breath. His whole body ached. He hadn’t realized how tense he had been. The initial surprise and sense of failure from the Karacknids’ ambush had tensed up his whole body. It’s over now, he said to himself. Miraculously, they had survived. And we have the Kalassai to thank for that, he thought after giving orders for his fleet to turn and rendezvous with their new allies. And now we need to find Jourm, James was sure. For as well as things had gone for his fleet, he was certain Jourm’s ships would not be faring so well.

Chapter 34

The battle of the Golam System is perhaps the most studied battle in the history of the Empire. The reasons are twofold; it was the largest battle ever fought by the Imperial Fleet, and it marked the turning of the tide in the Second Antarian War. Every student should be familiar with how the battle played out. If for no other reason, fighting it in the simulators is always a part of the final academy exam. But beware, if you simply copy Admiral Farshad’s tactics, you will be failed. With the benefit of hindsight and practice, you are expected to win.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake

As soon as Drake came into two-way communication range of the Kalassai fleet, Petrov looked up from her COM station. “We’re being hailed Admiral. It’s Commodore Somerville.”

When James nodded, an image of Emilie appeared in front of him. Despite the seriousness of their situation, James had to fight not to laugh. She looked comical. With her breathing apparatus covering her mouth, her hair disheveled as it floated above her head and her clothes all looking moist and sticky, she looked anything but a serious naval officer. It didn’t seem to faze her. Instead, she was beaming. “Uncle, eh I mean, Admiral Somerville. It sure is good to see you. It has been a long time!”

“It sure has,” James said as he returned her smile. “I wish you were here so I could give you a hug. And I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one. The whole fleet owes you one. We were in real trouble there. The Karacknids had us trapped.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we arrived right when we did then, wasn’t it,” Emilie said, still smiling. “Now, I have a lot of introductions to do. The leading Kalassai Admirals and Mothers will all want to speak to you. They’ll want to hear your plans before we proceed any further towards the Karacknid homeworld. And there’s a lot to catch you up on as well. I’m sure it’s the same with you. I can hardly imagine how many trials you have been through to get your fleet here.”

“That will have to wait, I’m afraid,” James said as his face returned to a more serious expression. “At least, we can do the introductions as we move. We received concerning news just before the additional Karacknid fleets arrived to ambush us. They weren’t the only forces the Karacknids have on the move. Admiral Jourm’s fleet was five days behind us. We believe two Karacknid fleets are moving to intercept his ships and block them from being able to rendezvous with us. They could already be engaged even as we speak. He has over two thousand ships under his command.”

Emilie’s face changed too. “All right, I understand. I’ll speak to Captain Wal-sma. I think Admiral Fug-sal will agree to accompany you.”

James glanced at Lieutenant Salamanca. “Transmit the coordinates of where we think Jourm’s fleet is,” he said to his navigation officer. Then he turned his eyes back to Emilie. “You can ask and see if your friends know of any other shift passages that might get us there quicker.”

Emilie turned away for a few moments. When she turned back, she was shaking her head. “I’m sorry Admiral, we will have to travel there the same way your ships came here. Wal-sma is speaking to Admiral Fug-sal.” Emilie paused for a moment and looked away again. “Okay Admiral, we are with you. The Kalassai fleet will follow right behind Drake.”

“Thank you,” James said as he gave his niece a nod. “Let us make the arrangements now and then we can do your introductions on the move. We will have plenty of time to catch up as we travel.”

When the COM channel was closed, James turned to Ivanov. “Set course for the shift passage. Any ships that can’t follow us at full speed will have to be left behind. They can wait for us in the next shift passage. We’ll leave Admiral Scott’s squadron here. She can send scouts forward to watch what the two Karacknid fleets that escaped get up to and probe the next few systems. Make sure she knows she is to fallback if she is pressed.”

“Shall I contact Emilie and get her to ask the Kalassai if they want to leave any ships with Admiral Scott?” Ivanov asked.

“A good idea,” James replied. “See to it.”

Ten minutes later, James’ fleet was on the move. Emilie contacted him again. “Ideally the Mothers would like to meet you in person,” she explained. “But under the current circumstances, they will have to settle for a long-range meeting. Once we have found Jourm they’ll want you to come to one of their city ships. Mother Vern-sal’s probably, she has taken up one of the leading positions among the Mothers.”

“That is no problem,” James said, though looking at Emilie, he wasn’t entirely sure that was true. He had no idea how long she had spent on board the Kalassai ship she was on, but however long it was, she didn’t look like she had grown too accustomed to it.

“Okay well, there were just a couple of things I want to share with you before you meet with them,” Emilie said. When James nodded, she continued. “Firstly, they are a very proud species. Think of them like the Kulreans, there are many similarities. If anything, the Kalassai are even more reserved and suspicious of other species.”

“But thankfully, they’re not anywhere near as pacifist as our Kulrean friends,” James commented.

“No, they’re certainly not,” Emilie said with a smile. “Though it was touch and go for a while. They almost didn’t join us.”

“A story for another time, I’m sure,” James said. “What else do I need to know?”

“Right,” Emilie replied. “Admiral Fug-sal commands their fleet. Captains Wal-sma and May-sic were the first two Kalassai Captains I befriended when I first met the Kalassai, they want to meet you too. Though they do not yet hold flag rank, they are very influential commanders. Though Fug-sal and the other Admirals make the tactical decisions when it comes to fighting battles, the Mothers still play a big role in deciding overall strategy. As a species, the Kalassai are used to deferring to them in almost all matters. At the start, they were very hesitant to accept advice from me, though over the months, I believe they have come to recognize my knowledge and experience as useful. Hopefully, that will make them accept you a lot quicker. That they made the decision to accompany you to help Jourm so quickly suggests that will be the case.”

“I should hope so,” James said, trying and failing to keep a frown from his face. Over the years, he had more than enough experience of politicians trying to interfere in the strategy and tactics of war. It rarely ended well. He couldn’t afford to have to take hours trying to persuade a bunch of Kalassai leaders about a certain plan or another. Sometimes, decisions had to be made on the spot.

“And there’s one more thing,” Emilie added. “I’ve been with the Kalassai now for more than six months, and I still struggle in telling them apart. The biggest tell is their voice, but through a Kulrean translator, the differences are very small. If you can’t tell, don’t try and bluff. It will only insult them more.”

“Right, I will try my best,” James said. He couldn’t help but think of Christine. For the first time since his fleet had left Earth, he wished she was with him. It made him grin. If nothing else, he would have enjoyed seeing her trying to muddle through meeting so many new aliens. No matter what Emilie said, he was certain she would try and remember all their names and address them each individually. She’d probably be able to manage it too, James thought.

Five minutes later, James was looking up at Drake’s main holo display. It was split into more than twenty images. Everyone but the image of his niece was showing a Kalassai floating in mid-air as their tentacles gently moved back-and-forth holding them in place. After being introduced to them all, James added some of his own officers to the holo conference and introduced them. Ya’sia, Jil’lal, Becket, and each of the senior Conclave Admirals, as well as several of their subordinates, all greeted the Kalassai. For several hours, they all spoke with one another. James learnt about how Emilie and Ninrold had been confronted by the Kalassai when they had interrupted their Gathering. The Mothers then shared their grief about the first kin slaying their species had witnessed in millennia. After offering his sympathies, James was amazed to hear how Emilie had addressed the Gathering and convinced the Kalassai to fight. He was just as amazed by how they had managed to pass through so much of the Karacknid empire unscathed. Their shift passages and the fact that James had drawn so much of the Karacknids’ attention explained some of it, but the Kalassai were just damn sneaky as well. For his part, James updated Emilie and the Kalassai on how the war had been going since she had left. Then in much more detail, they had discussed his fleet’s accomplishments in penetrating as far as they had into Karacknid space. Finally, they turned to discussing what the next steps would be. That was where the conversation became a lot more difficult. The Mothers had several ideas about how they wished to deal with the Karacknids. None were quite as civil as what James had in mind. The last thing he wanted to do was to turn the Karacknid war from one of conquest into some fanatical quest for vengeance because they destroyed their homeworld or something along those lines. At least, he feared making them more fanatical than they already were. When he revealed the fact that he had High Scribe Fralin-yang and over twenty thousand Karacknids on board his freighters, it was the Kalassai’s turn to be shocked. After much discussion though, James managed to adequately explain to the Mothers why he had brought the scribe with him and what he hoped might be the outcome of his decision. Though they all still didn’t see eye to eye, they at least agreed that a fractured Karacknid empire fighting amongst itself was a very pleasing idea. At least, if they could topple the current Imperator and force whoever might replace him to sign a peace deal, the Kalassai agreed they might be satisfied with that. As Emilie explained to James, the Kalassai’s main goal now was to stop the Karacknids’ invasion of Human and Alliance space so that they could safely settle the system Captain Ninrold had shared with them as a potential new homeworld for their species.

By the time Drake reached the system’s mass shadow the conference had to be ended as the two fleets jumped into shift space, James was mentally and physically exhausted. A large part of that came from trying to keep track of who was talking and when. Yet in the back of his mind throughout the conference, James hadn’t been able to shake his concern for Jourm. Things had worked out far better than he could have imagined for his fleet. With no additional Kalassai fleets to come to Jourm’s aid however, he very much feared it hadn’t been so for the Alliance Admiral.

*

IS Drake, 9th March 2486 AD, (two days later)

An hour before his fleet finished crossing the first system they were passing through on their way to find Jourm, James stepped onto Drake’s bridge. He nodded to Alvarez and Lieutenant Davenport and made his way to his command chair. Just before he sat down, an alarm went off from one of Drake’s sensor consoles. “An Alliance destroyer squadron has just exited shift space in front of us,” a sensor officer reported.

“Hail them, let them know we are friendlies,” Alvarez said to his officer. He then glanced at James. “I’m sure six thousand Kalassai ships will send them into a panic.”

James nodded to his Flag Captain. “And then request an immediate status update,” he said. The destroyers were likely part of Jourm’s scouting force.

“Captain Yuriel is the senior Captain, Admiral,” the COM officer reported. “She has just transmitted a battle report.”

James’ hand froze midway to activating his COM unit to call Ivanov and his staff to the bridge. A Battle report meant only one thing. A sense of dread began to well up within him. He knew it wasn’t going to be good news. Swallowing, he looked up to the COM officer. “Send it to my command chair. And request my staff report to the bridge.” For a second, his hand refused to move as he wavered. He didn’t want to read the report. Yet he had no choice. Moving his hand, he tapped his command chair to bring up the report. Taking a deep breath, he began to quickly read. Within moments, he realized it was far worse than he feared. Despite her orders, Yuriel had refused to jump her destroyers out of the system until Karacknid scouts had driven her away. She had remained long enough to see the demise of Jourm’s fleet. They are all gone, James said to himself when he got to the end of the Alliance Captain’s report. All of them. In the blink of an eye, he had lost nearly a third of his force. Hundreds of thousands of Alliance spacers have been lost. A quick mental calculation gave James the figure of one point one million dead. And it’s my fault, James knew. The Karacknid strategy had been based on luring him to charge his fleet forward. Doing so had left Jourm isolated and vulnerable. The Karacknids had exploited that perfectly.

“What is going on Admiral?” Ivanov asked as she stepped onto the bridge.

James didn’t meet her eyes. Instead, he gestured for her to move to her command chair. As his other officers filed in, James re-read the last part of Yuriel’s description of the battle as he wrestled with his own emotions.

“Extravagance has just finished sending over the visual recordings of the battle Admiral,” Drake’s COM officer reported.

James looked up in time to see Ivanov and Anderson share a glance. “Play it on the main holo display,” he requested. He didn’t want to have to explain to all of his staff officers. With an effort, he forced himself to watch Jourm’s final hours. The recording was played at ten times speed and only slowed down occasionally as missile salvos reached their targets. James watched as Jourm handled his ships expertly. Reading Yuriel’s brief description of the battle and seeing it were two different things. Despite his grief, James’ pride in Jourm and his ships swelled. He smashed both fleets, James thought with satisfaction. On its own, Jourm’s flagship must have destroyed more than twenty Karacknid ships during the course of the battle. A good death.

When the recording finally ended, silence filled Drake’s bridge. Everyone was stunned, understandably so. James still felt it himself. Yet other emotions were taking over. Jourm had recognized the impossibility of his situation. He had done the only thing he could do. He had taken out as many Karacknids as he could. He has almost entirely wiped out the Karacknid forces that were chasing us. With the Kalassai now with us, the way is open to advance on the Karacknid homeworld. We will not have to worry about watching our backs. Though the price Jourm had paid was too high, he had given them a strategic opening. His death was not in vain, James insisted to himself. This is an opportunity we can exploit. “Send Captain Yuriel’s report and its recording to all our Admirals and Captains,” James requested. “And run a full analysis on the capital ships of the Karacknid eastern flanking fleet. Assess their defensive capabilities now that Jourm has stripped them of their light ships.”

It took a few seconds for his officers to get into gear. James kept his eye on them until they got over their shock and started to carry out their responsibilities. Then he sat back in his command chair and waited for the first COM call he expected. Less than a couple of minutes later, Ya’sia’s face was being projected by his command chair’s holo display. “It is all my fault,” the Crian said, dismay filling her voice. Her long face was drooped over, and she had both her arms hugging her chest. “If I hadn’t anticipated the rendezvous system you would have chosen. If I hadn’t rushed there, we wouldn’t have launched our attack so soon. We might have detected the movements of the Karacknid fleets and moved to aid Jourm instead of advancing. They are all dead because of me.”

“No,” James said forcefully as much for himself as for Ya’sia. “That is a lie. They are dead because of the Karacknids. It was the Karacknids who attempted to lure us out of position. They were the ones who surrounded Jourm. Now is not the time to blame yourself Admiral. Now is the time to get revenge. Jourm died to take more than three thousand Karacknid ships out of the equation, ships that can no longer threaten us. There will be time for recriminations later. Now we must use his sacrifice and not waste it.”

Ya’sia’s hands left her body. Grief and self-pity didn’t leave her face, however. “What are you talking about?” She asked slowly.

“The capital ships of the Karacknid eastern flanking fleet. They have lost all of their escorts. They are vulnerable. A quick strike could finish them off. That would avenge Jourm’s loss and free us to advance straight for the Karacknid homeworld without having to worry about enemy fleets striking us from the rear.”

“You’re talking about a fighter strike?” Ya’sia said. James nodded. “I will lead it,” she told James as determination replaced her grief, in her facial expression at least.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” James said. “The rest of the fleet will wait here. We can carry out battle simulations and drills with the Kalassai. You can take all our fighters and gut the Karacknid fleet. When you return, we should have a plan in place to advance on the Karacknids’ homeworld and finish this for Jourm and our families back home.” Ya’sia nodded at James’ words. The look on her face told him all he needed to know. She would not fail.

*

Triumphant, 11th March 2486 AD, (two days later).

Moments after exiting shift space, Triumphant’s sensors detected exactly what Ya’sia had been expecting. The scouts she had sent ahead already confirmed the fleet of Karacknid capital ships was still in the system Jourm had fought and died in. Off to one side, a group of about two hundred light ships had been carrying out repairs. Both groups were still there. Ya’sia couldn’t help but glance at the area of the system where Jourm’s flagship had been destroyed. There was no sign of it now. It had taken less than a week for the debris to spread out so much that Triumphant’s sensors weren’t detecting any of it. At least at this range. We will do you proud, she thought towards Jourm. “Launch all fighters. As soon as they are clear, begin moving the fleet forward. We will stick to timetable A.”

For ten minutes, Ya’sia watched as squadron after squadron of fighters and bombers were launched from the carriers, converted freighters and even storage freighters in her fleet. It took another few minutes for them all to form up into a large ball. Then, igniting their engines at just one percent of their capacity, they slowly began to move away from Triumphant. Moments later, Triumphant’s engines came to life as she and the five hundred warships escorting her carriers moved along a different heading.

For six hours, Ya’sia remained on the bridge of her ship as she watched the Karacknids. There were more than a hundred light craft patrolling the space around the enemy capital ships. They didn’t concern her though. Her fleet was not moving anywhere near them. She had initially found it curious that the Karacknid fleet hadn’t advanced further after their victory. Yet it did make sense. No doubt they were waiting for news from the ambush of her and Somerville’s ships. They were probably holding position to block any Allied ships that might have escaped from the ambush. But you didn’t put out enough scouts, Ya’sia thought towards the commander of the enemy fleet. She had sent several strong squadrons, each accompanied by a carrier ahead of her fleet. Fighters had destroyed at least fifteen Karacknid scouts in the previous system they had been in. Given the current position of the Karacknid fleet, it was clear they had not received any word of her approach. “It’s time they knew we were here,” Ya’sia said when her ships were finally in position. “Bring up our reactors and let’s go to maximum acceleration.”

With her ships just over halfway through the system towards the shift passage Jourm’s ships would have entered from, Ya’sia intended it to look like her ships were trying to sneak past the Karacknids. The Karacknid fleet reacted as soon as they picked her up on their gravimetric sensors. Powering up their own reactors, they turned and began to give chase. Ya’sia had the momentum advantage, though the Karacknids were out-accelerating her. Many of her ships were releasing copious amounts of electromagnetic energy and some even had visual signs of battle damage. To the Karacknids eyes, her fleet would hopefully look like it was limping along like survivors they might expect to see fleeing.

Ya’sia smiled when the Karacknids took the bait. They left the three hundred light ships carrying out repairs behind. Then the Karacknid fleet split further. Five hundred light and medium cruisers increased their acceleration rates and pushed ahead of the dreadnoughts. On the holo display, it became clear that they would catch up to Ya’sia’s fleet about an hour before they could jump into shift space. All the Karacknid cruisers would have to do to allow their larger counterparts to catch up was to engage Ya’sia and force her fleet to carry out evasive maneuvers.

For two more hours, the chase continued with both groups of Karacknid ships gaining on the Allied fleet. Despite the threat, Ya’sia felt no nerves. The Karacknids who had killed Jourm were about to pay. That was all that consumed her thoughts. She had no room for concern for herself. All four of her legs tensed when the Karacknid capital ships suddenly altered course. It started with the rearmost ships, then it spread throughout their fleet. They all turned to face their starboard sides to their rear. “It is beginning,” Ya’sia said to her staff officers.

*

Wing Commander Hawthorn knew she technically wasn’t supposed to be leading the attack from her Spitfire fighter. If Somerville had been present, he would have forbidden her. Yet he wasn’t, and so she had taken the liberty. Plus, the first sortie would take over ten hours to complete. She needed to be with her fighters for such a mission, not sat back on a carrier watching what was happening from afar. Like Ya’sia, she had been watching the Karacknid capital ships closely. As soon as they began to turn on her scopes, she knew they had been detected. “Take out their scouts!” she ordered over a general COM channel.

Four squadrons of fighters sprang to life on her gravimetric sensors. They split into half squadrons and charged the eight destroyers that were trailing behind the main Karacknid fleet as a rear-guard. Seven of her fighters were destroyed by defensive fire. Every Karacknid scout ship was blown apart as two or three plasma missiles smashed into its side and ripped apart each of the small vessels. Now there can be no doubt, Hawthorn thought towards the enemy fleet commander. There was no way to tell how many of her fighters the Karacknid scouts had detected, but the Karacknid capital ships would know a fighter attack was on its way in. And you have no escorts. The thought brought a feral grin to Hawthorn’s lips. Ya’sia had promised her a juicy target, and that was just what was being served up.

For another five minutes, she kept radio silence as she allowed her ships to stealthily close with the Karacknids. Two hours ago, they had cut their engines and had been travelling on momentum alone. There was no need for any course changes, Ya’sia had drawn the Karacknid capital ships right into the kill zone. When the time came that stealth was no longer going to aid them, Hawthorn flicked on her COM unit once more. “All right, listen up ladies and gentlemen. This fleet played a big role in killing our friends. And if we don’t stop them here, they will try and strike us in the rear once we move towards the Karacknid homeworld. They need to be stopped here and now. Make every shot count, but don’t stick around after you fire. I don’t want any heroes today. If one strike doesn’t work, we can always come back for a second. All engines to full. Happy hunting!”

Around her Spitfire, three thousand six hundred fighters suddenly sprang to life. They all shot ahead of Hawthorn as she sat back in her cockpit. Her fingers twitched. She wanted to activate her engines as well. Yet those days were over. She was a Wing Commander now. As much as she hated it, she couldn’t go charging in like a newly minted rookie any longer. At least I’ll get a good view, she thought. Her fighter would zip past the Karacknid fleet just minutes after her strike had gone in. She’d get to see up close just what damage her pilots were about to cause.

Within seconds of her fighters announcing themselves, the Karacknid capital ships opened fire with their point defenses. Even without their escorts, they were able to put out a great deal of fire. Fighters began to disappear in large numbers. More than a hundred were blown apart before they could release their weapons, but then the rest came into range. Two thirds of Hawthorn’s force were Imperial fighters or bombers. They released almost three thousand plasma missiles. Instantly, the Karacknids’ defensive fire switched to the missiles. If they could be destroyed before detonating and releasing their balls of plasma, Hawthorn’s attack would prove toothless. Yet that meant the fire that had been directed at the Alliance fighters slackened significantly. For another fifteen seconds, they raced in towards the capital ships. Then they came into range with their laser beams. Each fighter fired one beam at a Karacknid capital ship. They had all selected their targets carefully. No more than two fighters targeted each dreadnought or battleship. Hundreds of explosions appeared on Hawthorn’s scope as the Karacknid capital ships suffered at the hands of the Alliance fighters. Laser beams burnt through hull armor and ripped apart internal sections. The destruction and confusion caused the defensive fire to falter. Just a handful of seconds later, hundreds of plasma missiles detonated. Large expanding balls of plasma then washed over the Karacknid fleet. Hundreds more explosions erupted as the plasma balls disintegrated ships. The Imperial fighters had pulled up and out of defensive range of the Karacknid ships as soon as they released their missiles. The Alliance fighters, however, did not. Continuing their evasive maneuvers, they zipped right through the Karacknid fleet. As soon as they did, they turned nose over tail and lined up their laser cannons for a second shot. This time, they sought out undamaged capital ships. It took ten seconds for their capacitors to charge again, but as soon as they did, another eight hundred laser beams reached out to strike at the Karacknids. More explosions rippled up and down their formation.

As her fighter approached the Karacknid fleet, Hawthorn stared out of her canopy. She wanted to see with her own eyes just how much damage had been done. What she saw made her nod in appreciation of her pilots. There had been one hundred dreadnoughts and four hundred battleships at the heart of the Karacknid fleet. She couldn’t see one of them left undamaged. At least half had been destroyed outright. The rest would not be participating in any naval battles for many months. They would all need to be brought to a shipyard for repairs. Once her fighter passed beyond weapons range of the Karacknid ships, she powered up and moved to join her force. They all slotted in around her once again. One hundred and eighty-six fighters were missing, yet they had destroyed more than three times that many Karacknid vessels and likely severely damaged twice as many again. You accomplished your side of the plan, Hawthorn thought towards Ya’sia, and we have ours.

*

Ya’sia thought much the same as images of the fighter strike reached Triumphant. The Karacknid fleet had been gutted. It had lost nearly a third of its numbers and probably closer to half of its force. “There’s no point continuing the ruse,” she said to her staff officers. “Bring the fleet up to maximum acceleration. Put us onto our new heading.” Throwing off any attempt to still look damaged, Ya’sia’s fleet increased its acceleration rates by thirty percent. The fleet then turned away from the system’s mass shadow. They set course for the prearranged rendezvous point with Wing Commander Hawthorn’s fighters. There, Ya’sia’s carriers would pick them up and refuel and rearm them. And then we can finish you off, she thought towards the remaining Karacknid capital ships. One more strike would be all it would take, she was sure. And if the Karacknid escorts still wanted to pursue her, she would happily deal with them first. Not one single ship is getting out of the system alive, she promised the survivors of the fleet that had killed her friend.

Chapter 35

To command, a leader must make sacrifices, the greater the command, the greater the sacrifice.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

City ship Abode, 18th March 2486 AD, (one week later).

James felt horrible. His clothes were wet and heavy and clung uncomfortably to his body. The skin on his hands and face felt irritated. Perhaps worst of all, the air coming through his breather was stale. It kept making him want to cough, yet if he did so, it only worsened the problem. The one positive was that he wasn’t out of breath. Even Emilie’s chest was moving up and down beside him quite fast. The benefits of my augments, and all of Sergeant Harkin’s training, James thought to himself, thankful it was finally coming in useful for something. With a great deal of effort, he fought to ignore all the things his body was telling him. For in front of him, the most important council of war he had ever participated in was about to begin.

Emilie had told him they were going to meet in the city ships’ Gathering Chamber. Her description of it had been impressive, yet it didn’t compare to the real thing. It wasn’t hard for James to imagine the tens of thousands of Kalassai that Emilie had spoken to in this very chamber. It would have been intimidating beyond belief. Thankfully, there were only fourteen floating above him. Ten Mothers to represent the Kalassai people and four of their senior Admirals, including Admiral Fug-sal, the senior commander of their fleet.

Gathered around James, all standing on the Chamber’s floor, were his senior commanders, including Ya’sia, Maleck, Jil’lal, Becket, and Scott. Given the size and power of the Kalassai fleet, James had accepted the Mother’s request to meet on their ship. Emilie had also told him that it would be all but impossible for the Kalassai to leave their ships, so he had little choice in any case. Movement over James’ left shoulder made him turn slightly. Admiral Shraw was the final commander to join them. Out of all allies, on their feet, Gramrians were by far the most capable warriors. On a planet’s surface, they moved with a speed and grace only special forces marines could match. Yet as Shraw tried to use his clawed hands and feet to swim through the Kalassai goo, he was barely able to make headway. James had expected the dinosaur-like alien to use his tail to help, but it just swayed behind in motion with his body. Turning back to face the Kalassai, James ignored Shraw and gave the Gramrian a few seconds to regain his dignity. Then he stepped forward and bowed deeply. “It is an honor to be able to meet you in person, esteemed Mothers and Admirals. I hope this meeting proves fruitful for our fleets and for the future of both of our species.”

One of the Kalassai Mothers matched James’s movements, came forward slightly and then wrapped its tentacles around its body and lowered its head towards James. “As do we,” it said. James guessed it was Vern-sal, only because Emilie had told him she had taken pre-eminence among the Mothers. “Though the loss of a part of your fleet was tragic, fortune smiled on us upon our meeting. Let us hope it continues to do so as we advance together.”

“It was more than fortune smiling, it was down to your people’s willingness to fight and your commanders’ capabilities. We owe you a great deal of gratitude. Without your fleet’s arrival, my ships might not have escaped,” James said.

The Kalassai uncoiled its tentacles and began to sway back-and-forth slightly once more. “And without your fleet’s willingness to take such risks, my people would never have had the courage to confront the Karacknids. We both owe much to each other and before this is over, both of our debts will likely increase even more.”

James bowed again to the Kalassai. Then he turned to his commanders and began to introduce them one by one. Vern-sal took a moment to speak to each. Then the Mother introduced its fellow Mothers and the four Kalassai Admirals. James had come to know each of them over the last several days, for while Ya’sia had been launching her successful strike against the eastern Karacknid flanking fleet, he and the rest of his fleet had been carrying out simulations and drills with the Kalassai warships. James believed they had developed a number of strong tactics, in no small part thanks to the four Kalassai Admirals. Despite his familiarity with their personalities though, as each was introduced, James still could not tell any of them apart.

When all of the formalities were over, Vern-sal turned back to James. “We would like to thank you all for agreeing to meet with us in person here on Abode. We know from Commodore Somerville that it is not the most pleasant experience for many of you. We appreciate you accommodating our requirements. Attempting to board one of your ships would be very dangerous for us.”

“Do not mention it,” James replied. “We are happy to be here.”

“In that case, we may turn to our most important topic of conversation. War is upon us all, the niceties of diplomacy can be left for others in the years to come, if we are successful.”

James smiled around his breathing piece. “You do not know me well. But if you did, you would know those are words I am pleased to hear. As we sit here, we are only two weeks from the Karacknid homeworld. If we are to be successful, now must be a time of action, not endless words.”

“To that end then,” Vern-sal said, “let us begin with the most pressing question. Who is to assume overall command of our two forces? If we are to defeat the Karacknids, we must act as one and not two separate fleets.” Before James could respond, Vern-sal continued, as it spoke it waved its tentacles towards the other Mothers. “We have given this some considerable thought. We believe Fug-sal should command our two fleets. It is our most experienced commander, and our fleet comprises the bulk of the combat strength of our two fleets.”

James couldn’t help but glance at Emilie. The whites of her eyes were as visible as his. This was something he hadn’t expected. From either side of him, James sensed movement. He had no doubt Ya’sia, Jil’lal, and the others were not pleased. They had been planning their attack on the Karacknid homeworld for months. They had all sacrificed much, including friends to get here. And perhaps worse, the Kalassai were an unknown factor. Whilst they had been fighting the Karacknids for years, the Kalassai had been running and hiding. Yet they probably think the same of us, James said himself as he tried to think carefully before he spoke. We are all an unknown factor to them, and we’d be asking them to trust us with their ships.

“I do agree with you,” James said as he decided he needed to be as diplomatic as possible. “We need one single commander, and a clear chain of command. No battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and nor does a command structure. You are wise to make this the first decision we must consider. However, I believe I am the best qualified to assume this position. There are fourteen different species represented within the Allied fleet. I have experience of working with and leading all of them. It would be much harder for Fug-sal to work with each of my commanders, especially given the limited timeframe we have. A miscommunication or a misunderstanding at a crucial time could prove deadly to our two fleets. My commanders and I have also been planning this mission for many months. We have tactics and strategies specifically prepared for assaulting the Karacknid homeworld and forcing the Karacknids to agree to peace terms.”

“And yet none of those would be possible to accomplish now without our fleet. And it is we who are risking the most in this endeavor. Our ships are our very homes. Every one that is lost cannot be replaced.”

James felt his frustration growing into something hotter. Everyone gathered around him was risking everything. The future of every species represented in his fleet was on the line. One of the four Kalassai Admirals spoke, preventing James from saying something he might regret. “I am honored, Mothers, that you would have me lead our combined forces. And you know it is not in my nature to go against your wishes. Yet these are momentous times. This decision you discuss is crucial. To that end, let me say I have spent much time conversing with Admiral Somerville over the past number of days. We have worked closely together to integrate our two fleets into one fighting unit. In that time, I have come to respect his command abilities. My fellow Admirals and I have also been able to study the many battles the Humans and their allies have fought against the Karacknids. I believe it would be the wisest choice to put Admiral Somerville in overall command.”

All of the Mothers turned towards Fug-sal. From the movement of their tentacles, James guessed they were either taken aback or angry. None spoke for several seconds. Then Vern-sal moved towards him. “You are sure of this Admiral?”

“I am,” Fug-sal replied.

“But what about the loss of a part of their fleet? And the Karacknid ambush? Without us, this Allied Fleet might already have been destroyed,” another Mother said. “We cannot risk our ships in this way.”

Fug-sal turned towards the Mother and actually moved towards it. “We are contemplating the prospect of attacking the Karacknids homeworld. There’s no way that we can avoid risk. We all may perish in this endeavor… Additionally,” Fug-sal continued as two of its tentacles reached out towards James. “I believe Admiral Somerville has an attack strategy already drawn up. Perhaps we should hear what he has to say and then make our decision.”

James pulled out the portable holo display Ivanov had prepared for him. He didn’t activate it though. Instead, he waited. Above him, all the Mothers had turned to one another, they didn’t speak, but James guessed from all the gesticulations of their tentacles, much was being communicated. Finally, one of the mothers turned back towards James. “We will hear your plan Admiral. Then we will decide.”

James bowed to the Mother. “Thank you.” Then he activated the holo display. It showed a system James had now become very familiar with over the last few days. It was two systems away from where the Allied fleet currently sat. Crucially, it was the quickest way to the Karacknid homeworld. Any other route would be circular and take at least an extra week. In that time, he was certain the Karacknids would gather far more ships to defend their Imperator. Even in the last twenty-four hours, numerous scouting reports had come in of small groups of ships being detected, heading for the system. As it was, a massive Karacknid fleet had already gathered in the system he was displaying. The two surviving fleets of the failed ambush on his force had fallen back there, and whether from the Karacknid homeworld or elsewhere, many more had joined them. In total in the holo image, eleven thousand Karacknid warships could be seen. The best estimate James had access to indicated up to another thousand could join them before his ships got there. On top of the Karacknid warships, the system itself was also heavily fortified. That was no surprise, given it was one of only three that had a shift passage connecting it to the Karacknid homeworld. Several of the system’s planets had Karacknid colonies on them and so were covered in orbital battlestations. Other forts were dotted throughout the system, protecting its shift passages and key strategic locations. “For the Karacknids,” James began to explain, “time is their ally. The longer they delay our push towards their homeworld, the more forces they can draw in from the rest of their empire. I therefore expect them to contest every inch of this system. If they are wise, they will spread out their forces and deny us the ability to engage them all at once. We don’t know exactly what kind of defenses the Karacknid homeworld will have, but we must assume they are an order of magnitude larger than anything we have yet encountered. That being the case, we cannot leave this Karacknid fleet intact. We must defeat it or at least render it no longer a threat. Denying us a large fleet battle for as long as possible may be the best way to delay us. If we have to race around the system hunting down large squadrons, it could take days or even a week. By then, the Karacknid could have replaced all the ships we destroy. So here’s what I am thinking…” For nearly half an hour, James continued to outline his initial plan. Then he focused on several alternative strategies that could be adapted depending on how things played out.

After summing up how he hoped any battle might go, James turned to the Karacknid homeworld itself. They had very little data to go on when it came to judging the home world’s defenses. None of his scouts had managed to penetrate the system. Even the Kalassai data was centuries old. Yet his analysts were able to compare how much development and additional defenses had been added to other Karacknid colonies in the same time span. Using their extrapolation, it was likely it would take at least four thousand Allied warships to be able to batter the Karacknid defenses down. And that assumed there were no additional warships aiding them. Which there undoubtedly would be. In the end, acknowledging it was a conservative number, James predicted that at least five thousand of their ten thousand strong force would have to survive to assault the Karacknid homeworld. Anything less, and they could come within striking distance of the Karacknid Imperator, and yet fall short at the last hurdle. When he was finished, James paused and waited for questions. He had been surprised the Kalassai hadn’t interrupted him once throughout his whole discussion. Looking at each of the Mothers, James braced himself for whatever might come.

None spoke, however. Instead they all turned towards their four Admirals. One of them moved slightly forward. James was only guessing that it was Fug-sal. “I have heard parts of these plans. Specifically, the parts that include our ships the most. Indeed, Admiral Somerville has consulted me on them extensively. As our new ally has said, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Yet I believe this is a good plan, and one that is easily adaptable. Given that it is Somerville and his team of Admirals that have planned it out, they are the best ones to adapt it in the heat of battle.”

James nodded to Fug-sal to thank it for its words of support. Then he turned back to the Mothers. Like before, they didn’t face him; instead they formed a huddle as they began to gesture to one another. “We are agreed,” Vern-sal said as it faced James. “Though it is highly unorthodox, we will submit our ships to your command Admiral. Much of what has happened over the last months has been unorthodox. This will simply be one more thing to add to the list.”

“I will not let you down,” James promised, full of relief. Or if I do, it will not matter to any of us, he thought, but didn’t add. “We should make preparations for the fleet to depart as soon as we can.”

“We concur with you Admiral,” Vern-sal said.

“There are other questions we would desire answered, however,” another Mother called out.

“We are all allies here,” James replied, knowing he wouldn’t get off quite so easy as to be able to leave already, “You may ask whatever you wish.”

“Let us assume we make it to the Karacknid homeworld as you have outlined. What is to keep the Karacknid Imperator from fleeing? Presumably, he would receive word that we have defeated his fleet and could simply escape to one of his other worlds. There’s no way we could continue to endlessly hunt him.”

“A very important question,” James said as he brought his hands together. It was one he had asked himself before attempting Operation Hail Mary. Emilie had also told him it was one she had answered a number of times. “It was a concern we have all shared at one time or another. Before we even embarked on this mission, I thought one of these options likely. Either the Karacknid Imperator Taranaki would refuse to flee, for his glory and reputation has to be tied to his ability to defend his own homeworld. If that is the case, then we may have opportunity to capture him.

“Or, if he did flee, it would likely cause the Karacknid fleets to lose confidence in him. Perhaps they would even refuse to fight for him. If there’s one thing we have learnt about the Karacknids, it is that their entire society is built upon serving and worshipping their Imperator. Millions of Karacknid have died in their war against us. Time and time again, they have flung themselves against our forces without hope of victory. I believe they have done so because they will pay any cost to bring their Imperator glory and fame. They serve him wholeheartedly. Yet I believe we can use that. We hoped that if we cannot capture the Imperator, then even by causing the slightest fracture in his relationship with his people, we could see their warmongering could fall apart.

“However, after meeting High Scribe Fralin-yang, a new route to victory may be open to us. From what we have learned from the scribe and his subordinates, the Karacknid Empire was not always so focused on its Imperator. At least, he was not served with the same level of worship. The Karacknid people are split up into sixteen different clans. Historically, each clan has competed with one another to outdo them in winning glory for the Karacknid people and not just their Imperator. The Imperators of the past served the people by providing direction and leadership in their wars. Not by instilling an unswerving devotion. I believe the Karacknid Imperator will not run because he cannot run. To do so would be to lose everything he has built.”

“But surely in the face of death there would be no reason to stay, even running would be better,” a different Mother said.

“Perhaps, but then we could get what we want if he does run. The cult the Imperator has built around himself will crumble and we may yet get peace. Or at least a long enough respite that we could all prepare our defenses and stand a chance of winning a future war,” James countered. “But from what I have learned of this Imperator, I do not believe this to be so. Fralin-yang has interpreted a number of texts and ordinances we have captured from other Karacknid colonies. He now believes the Karacknid Imperator has convinced many of his people that he is indeed a god. If he runs, the illusion will vanish. But if he stays, and fights, and perhaps even defeats our fleet, provided we even make it that far, then he could claim it was his plan along. He could claim that he personally lured us to his homeworld to defeat us, and so win the war against all of our species. My people have a long history of dictators who have set themselves up in the place of a god. If the Karacknid Imperator is anything like them, running will not even enter his mind.”

“You seem to trust this Karacknid scribe a great deal,” a Mother said. “Which means we are placing a great deal of trust upon him as well. He may well be deceiving us to our destruction.”

“That is a valid concern,” James conceded. “I have spent a number of hours speaking with him, as have my staff officers. All of our discussions have been recorded and examined. If he is being deceptive, we have not been able to catch it. We have also verified as much of the information he has shared from other sources as possible. I confess, I have grown to trust him. At least, as far as I will ever trust a Karacknid. For now at least, our purposes are aligned. His and ours… Yet as I said initially, my beliefs about what the Karacknids and Imperator will do long predate our discovery of the High Scribe. He is not essential to our plans. Though if what I have shared with you previously about the message he wishes to convey to the Karacknid people proves effective, we may not even need to capture the Karacknid Imperator to achieve our goals. His revelations alone could bring down Taranaki’s rule.”

When no more questions about Fralin-yang were forthcoming, James let out a sigh of relief. As it turned out, the Mothers had other questions about his ground forces, his fighters and other weapons that would be employed in the coming battles. They also had questions about the kind of peace he wished to negotiate and how he expected the political landscape to look if the Imperator was defeated. James answered as best he could, acknowledging that most of what might happen if they achieved victory was as unknown to him as it was to them. Finally, after what felt like an hour, the conversation turned back to the battle at hand.

“You have answered well Admiral,” Vern-sal said. “And you have impressed us with your plan. If we can accomplish all you have set out, then there will be much more time for discussions. As I said at the beginning, now is the time to focus on the threats immediately in front of us. You have put our concerns at ease for now. I believe we are ready to end this meeting and begin our advance.”

“Thank you,” James said without even bothering to hide his relief. His mind was already wandering towards a hot shower. He was very much looking forward to washing all the goo from his body. “With your leave then, we will return to our ships and make our final preparations. I’d like to depart within six hours if we can.”

Vern-sal glanced at Fug-sal. The Kalassai Admiral waved its tentacles and Vern-sal turned back to James. “That will be acceptable Admiral. Hopefully, we can meet again in person when this is all over.”

“Hopefully,” James said with a smile. Despite the loss of Jourm’s ships, since the Kalassai had arrived, he had found his hope of actually being able to pull off Operation Hail Mary growing every day. He was now within several systems of the Karacknid homeworld and had a force significantly larger than he had dared imagine he might have at this stage.

Turning from the Kalassai that were floating slightly above him, James gestured for all of his commanders to follow him. Then, with Emilie taking the lead, he kicked off and began to swim out of the chamber. It wasn’t until he had successfully navigated the strong current of the city ship’s main channel, made it across the docking umbilical, taken his first breath of fresh air and shaken the goo from his face and hair, that James spoke to his other commanders. He shook hands with most of them as they rather understandably made their way from the docking hatch towards the hangars where their shuttles were waiting. Only Becket, Jil’lal, Ya’sia, and Shraw waited behind.

“That went as well as we could have expected, I suppose,” James said.

“To be honest, I did not know what to expect,” Shraw replied. “They do not appear very impressive. Nor do I like the environment in which they live. But they have proven themselves already to be competent hunters. That is enough for me.”

“And they will fight under your leadership,” Jil’lal said. “With their weapons and your command abilities, the Karacknids are going to suffer severely.”

James smiled. He hoped she was right. As long as you aren’t lured into another ambush, a voice in the back of his mind cautioned him. Despite his renewed hope of the last few days, it had constantly been tinged with doubt. Not for the first time, he reminded himself of the words he had shared with Ya’sia. Now was not the time for recriminations. Yes, he would learn from his mistake, but he could not wallow in it.

“And we will be right there with you,” Becket said. “You have trained us all for this final battle. We are ready for the task.” The others with Becket all nodded their heads in agreement.

James reached out and shook her hand as he then did with Jil’lal, Ya’sia, and Shraw. “I have the utmost trust in each of you. Let us go and fight for the future of our species.” And let us hope this is the final battle we need ever fight, James hoped. As his friends walked away, the voice in the back of his head warned him that it might very well be, yet not in a good way.

Chapter 36

There is a skill that comes with experience. This is true in all fields. Naval academy students must learn this and recognize their deficiency. They must also strive to overcome it, yet there are no short cuts. Only combat experience will equip you with the ability to truly asseses a battlefield for what it is.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 25th March 2486 AD, (one week later).

Despite protests from several of his subordinates, James insisted on accompanying the first main force that jumped into the Karacknid system. For several hours previous, scouts had been jumping in and out, scanning space around the end of the shift passage, looking for signs of an ambush. When James was finally satisfied it was safe, he gave the order to proceed with their micro jump. In a matter of seconds, his fleet entered and exited shift space. James was already staring at Drake’s main holo display when it changed to show what her sensors were detecting. The first thing that appeared were the eight hundred warships James had brought with him. Already, thousands of recon drones were expanding out on a wide arc from the ships. Within seconds, Rear Admiral Scott’s Centurion and two hundred other ships surged ahead of Drake. They were on the hunt.

Missiles appeared here and there around Drake’s position as Karacknid scouts opened fire on Scott’s ships. Return fire appeared seconds later. Despite the missile duels erupting all around him, James’ gaze moved further and further away from Drake as the holo display updated. He was interested in a far bigger quarry. What he saw didn’t disappoint him. Drake was now just one system away from the Karacknid homeworld. The shift passage that would take him to the Karacknid Imperator was visible on the holo display. A small piece of text beside it told James it would take just ten hours to reach it if Drake set off there at her maximum acceleration. There was one catch. The system was littered with Karacknid warships. Pretty much every planetary body in the system had sensor contacts all around them. The orbitals were covered in Karacknid stations and warships. On a secondary display, James saw that twelve thousand warships had already been identified and catalogued. This is it, James thought to himself as he stared at all the Karacknid warships strategically placed throughout the system. This was the final hurdle. If he could defeat the enemy fleet in front of him, the Karacknid homeworld and their Imperator would be within his grasp.

For more than an hour, James sat silently in his command chair staring at the Karacknid positions while Scott drove all the Karacknid scouts in the vicinity away. One thing was readily apparent to his experienced eye. Whoever was commanding the Karacknid forces was no fool. Almost all of their fleets looked like they were positioned to defend key planets and industrial nodes. Yet they were all within supporting distance of one another. More than that, they were also placed to make it look like the way was possibly open towards the Karacknid homeworld. Almost, if James wanted to, he could rush his fleet straight towards the shift passage. Yet he judged that at least six thousand Karacknid warships would be able to break from their positions and get ahead of him. That would be enough to slow him down. Then the other six thousand could move in from behind and surround him. No, it’s not going to be that easy, James thought. If we are to get past this force, we’re going to have to do it the hard way.

When four ships of a class James hadn’t seen for more than a year were identified deep within the largest Karacknid fleet, he frowned. Without having to ask, Anderson zoomed in the holo image to confirm. They were the Karacknid’s largest carrier design. A technical specification on them began to scroll beside the carriers. Not that James needed it. Each would carry eighty fighters. Three hundred and twenty was a small force, but it would be more than enough to disrupt any fighter attack he might launch. And if they have one, they could have many more. The discovery made James look at several of the smaller Karacknid fleets with fresh eyes. Most of the twelve thousand Karacknid warships were split into fleets of fifteen hundred or two thousand. They were defending key colonies and gas or orbital mining operations. The rest of the Karacknid forces, about three thousand ships, were spread out more thinly, defending less important targets. They are tempting us to send forces to engage them, James suspected. Taking out three thousand of the Karacknid warships certainly was tempting. If he split his fleet and dispatched powerful squadrons to engage and overwhelm the smaller Karacknid forces, he could gain the overall numerical advantage. But most of the small Karacknid squadrons were defending areas where it would be very easy to hide additional fighters. Large freight orbital stations could easily be emptied and filled with fighters. So too could asteroids that had been largely hollowed out.

Once James was finally satisfied that he had a full grasp of the disposition of the Karacknid forces, at least what the enemy commander was allowing him to see, he began to mentally play out how he saw events unfolding. In his mind, he moved fleets and fought battles as he tried to outmaneuver the Karacknid forces and drive a path for his fleet to reach the shift passage to the Karacknid homeworld. It was not going to be easy. There were also several potential surprises he needed to investigate as quickly as possible. Yet as he stared at the largest Karacknid fleet defending one of the two Karacknid colonies in the system, he was confident. I will match my commanders against yours any day, James thought towards whoever his opponent was. You may have outsmarted us once, but it will not happen a second time. Whoever was leading the Karacknid fleet, James was certain it was the same mind that had planned the destruction of Jourm’s fleet. One thing was for sure, he was not going to underestimate the Karacknids a second time.

“Rear Admiral Scott has completed her task,” Ivanov reported, breaking into James’ planning.

Turning away from the holo display, James gave his Chief of Staff a nod. A moment later, a single frigate jumped back into shift space. Within seconds, hundreds and then thousands more ships jumped out of shift space. Including a number of ships James had done his best to keep hidden from the Karacknids ever since they had entered Karacknid space. With the Karacknid scouts all driven far away, he hoped he’d be able to keep them a secret for a few more hours at least. When all of his fleet was in position, James selected two Karacknid fleets from his command chair. “Signal Admirals Shraw and Jil’lal. Inform them they may proceed to engage these two targets. Assign two additional carriers to each of their commands and warn them to be prepared for enemy fighters. They are to investigate the area thoroughly before committing themselves.” As his orders were dispatched, James entered a heading in for the rest of his fleet. “We will move to this point and hold position.” The destination he selected moved his fleet slightly closer to his goal. Until the two fleets he was dispatching Shraw and Jil’lal to deal with were destroyed or forced to retreat, he wasn’t prepared to step any further into the trap the Karacknid commander had expertly set.

*

Enforcer

“I want recon drones pushed through that asteroid field,” Jil’lal requested. “And launch half a squadron of fighters. I want them to do a sweep as well. If there are any Karacknid fighters hiding in there, we need to flush them out.” Currently, her four hundred warships were cruising towards a large Karacknid mineral mining facility. It was built onto the side of a massive asteroid that sat on the edge of a large asteroid field. Two hundred and forty-six Karacknid warships were protecting it. So far, they hadn’t tried to pull back. If they wanted to fight, that was fine with her. And if they have hidden fighters, we’ll soon know about it. One plasma missile from the fighters she had just dispatched would blow apart a partially mined asteroid. Any fighters hiding inside wouldn’t last long. “Slow our approach by ten percent.”

Patiently, Jil’lal waited as her drones and then fighters carried out a wide sweep around the Karacknid mining station. She knew Admiral Somerville’s entire operation was on a tight schedule, yet she also knew he didn’t want her risking her ships. A secondary holo display keeping a running count of Karacknid warships was constantly ticking up as additional ships entered the system. One group was arriving almost every ten minutes. Almost, it made Jil’lal think the Karacknid commander was doing it intentionally to try and force the Allied Fleet into doing something rash.

“Neither our drones nor fighters have picked anything up,” one of Jil’lal’s sensor officers reported. “Wait,” the officer said hastily. “We’re just getting something from a drone. It was one of the final ones we launched.” She looked up from her console to the main holo display. The image changed to show a visual of three large asteroids. Each one had a handful of small warships attached to its surface.

Mentally, Jil’lal added thirty-two to the total count of Karacknid ships in the system. “No fighters, but that is just as sneaky. How many other large asteroids are there out there near the facility that could be hiding more ships?” Another thought occurred to her. “And signal our half fighter squadron, tell them to extend their sweep, but don’t get too close to those asteroids.”

“There are six more that might have ships attached to them,” an officer reported. “Each of the six haven’t completed a full rotation since we entered the system. The rest have, so we know there are no ships attached to them.”

“Thank you,” Jil’lal said as she tapped a finger on her command chair. If each of the six had ten or fifteen frigates and destroyers attached to them, she would lose a lot of her numerical advantage. Yet they are only light ships. “Let’s see if we can cause a little mayhem,” she said. “Order our fighters to fire a plasma missile at each of the nearest asteroids. Then they are to get out of there.”

Moments later, the six fighters lined up their noses towards one of the asteroids and fired their missiles. Unlike attacking an enemy warship, the asteroid could not dodge, nor did it have any point defenses. The response was immediate. From each of the six asteroids, energy spikes were suddenly detected. Enforcer’s sensors estimated they were coming from reactors being cold started. “Increase our acceleration rate. Bring us up to battle velocity. Let’s let them know we are here for a fight,” she ordered.

On the main holo display, there were now eighty-six new contacts trying to accelerate away from the asteroids they had been attached to. Most got away easily. Yet the ships that had been hiding on the two asteroids closest to where the fighters had fired from had a rather more difficult time. One missile struck the asteroid before any ships had fully detached. A nuclear missile would have caused more damage, yet as it was, the plasma burnt through a large section of the asteroid and caused it to split in half. As the two parts moved away from each other and smashed into other asteroids, several explosions were picked up by Enforcer’s sensors. At least three ships had been taken out. The ships on the second asteroid fared worse. Most of them had separated from the asteroid and were starting to pull away. Yet as the plasma missile hit the asteroid, it fractured into hundreds of bits. They pummeled the fleeing ships destroying five out of seven of them.

The rest of the hidden Karacknid ships did manage to escape, yet they did so without any cohesion. Rather than all moving towards the Karacknid mining station and the fleet there, they had been forced to flee in whatever direction they could to avoid the exploding asteroids. Jil’lal smiled. Less than half of them would be able to get into range to support the mining station fleet by the time she engaged it. Movement from deeper within the system caused her to switch her attention from her current target momentarily. What she saw was daunting, though not surprising. The next nearest Karacknid fleet consisted of eight hundred warships. It was orbiting one of the system’s two gas giants, apparently protecting the gas mining facilities in orbit. Now it had abandoned that pretense; instead, all eight hundred of its ships were breaking orbit and coming onto a heading to intercept her ships. Jil’lal watched them for a few moments and then glanced at Admiral Somerville’s fleet. As she expected, a fleet of ships was already moving to intercept the larger Karacknid fleet. She easily identified Vice Admiral Becket’s flagship Viper leading them. Trusting her friend to handle the Karacknids before they could get to her, Jil’lal turned back to her target. The enemy commander now had a decision to make. It was obvious his reinforcements wouldn’t arrive in time to aid him. Now we get to see just what the enemy commander is planning, Jil’lal thought. If the Karacknid in overall command of the battle wanted to delay Somerville as much as possible, he would let Jil’lal’s battle with his squadron play out. If on the other hand he really wanted to try and force a major fleet action, he’d pull his ships back and conserve them for the main battle when it came.

“They are not falling back,” Jil’lal said to herself as much as to her command staff two minutes later. The Karacknid fleet had moved away from the orbital station, but only to get enough room to maneuver against her ships. Around her, she sensed her officers’ anticipation grow. Four hundred Allied ships against three hundred Karacknid weren’t the best odds, not if they wanted to win a decisive victory. But Jil’lal did have four Kalassai city ships with her. “We will go with attack plan alpha,” she informed her officers. “Let us see how well this tactic works in practice.”

In response, the fifty Kalassai warships in her fleet opened fire with their energy absorbing weapons. Then Jil’lal’s ships fired one salvo of mark VI missiles. Behind them, the one hundred and sixty fighters from her two carriers and three bulk carriers moved in. The attacks were timed so that the Karacknids first had to carry out evasive maneuvers and focus their point defensive fire on the Kalassai ordinance. Unsurprisingly, fired at such a range, the ballistic projectiles were all safely avoided. Yet as the missiles came racing in, the Karacknids formation was disrupted, impacting the effectiveness of their defensive fire. Fifty missiles were missed. Each one sent laser beams piercing into the Karacknid fleet. Right behind them, the fighters and bombers launched their plasma missiles striking more targets. Within seconds of the fighters pulling up and out of the Karacknids defensive fire, more waves of Kalassai ordinance came flying in. This time, the Karacknid fleet was far less coordinated and a number of ships suffered serious damage. With almost every wave of fire that came in, relentlessly every ten seconds, Karacknid ships were struck and suffered power failures.

The result was predictable. The Karacknid commander had no choice. Every one of his ships that could increased their acceleration rates as they rushed to close to missile range. With her fleet already travelling at its highest acceleration rate, Jil’lal was okay with that. As soon as both fleets came into missile range of one another, they opened fire. Despite her fleet’s numerical advantage, the Karacknids actually fired more missiles than Jil’lal’s ships. Of course, that was offset by the Kalassai’s constant rate of fire. And the closer the Kalassai got, the more dangerous their ballistic projectiles were.

Jil’lal coordinated her fleet as they fought off three Karacknid salvos in quick succession. A handful of missiles did get through her point defensive gunners’ best efforts each time. Every missile that struck a ship crippled or destroyed it. Yet her ships were giving better than they received. Then, just thirty seconds after the third salvo was dealt with, the Kalassai city ships came into range with their heavy phaser beams. The first sign the Karacknids got that they were in trouble was when a massive energy build up could be detected from the city ships. Jil’lal now knew it was them charging their equivalent of capacitors. Then six beams reached out from each ship. They crossed the distance to the Karacknids in just a handful of seconds. Eighteen beams scored hits. Six ships were destroyed outright. At first, the Karacknids didn’t react. Then they began to carry out even more wild evasive maneuvers. The city ships fired again just sixty seconds after their first shots. More beams missed, yet still more Karacknid ships were blown apart. For three minutes, they continued their fire destroying enemy vessels with each volley.

When the Karacknid fleet was finally ready to fire another of its own missile salvos, it had lost forty-two ships. As a result, its missile numbers were markedly decreased. In contrast, Jil’lal’s ships matched the previous salvo they had released. Even worse for the Karacknids, the city ships just kept firing. The relentless bombardment prevented the Karacknids from falling into a tight defensive formation. Instead of receiving Jil’lal’s next missile salvo with overlapping fields of defensive fire, the Karacknid ships had to fight together in small groups of four or five. Several of the groups were overwhelmed and struck by multiple missiles. We have broken them, Jil’lal thought as she tightened her four hands into fists. The Karacknid fleet had been reduced to less than one hundred and fifty ships. She still had three hundred and fifty-six battle worthy.

Within the space of fifteen more minutes, the Kalassai city ships and constant rate of fire from the Kalassai warships and two more missile salvos reduced the Karacknid fleet to debris. Jil’lal had only lost six more ships in the engagement. As soon as the fighting was over, Jil’lal checked the total count of Karacknid warships in the system. Despite her victory, she grimaced. It had taken her two hours to close with the Karacknid fleet and destroy it. In that time, one hundred and seventy new Karacknid ships had entered the system.

Chapter 37

What has become known as the Battle of the Slingshot was the largest fleet engagement in the War of Doom. Even so, it is the events that followed after the battle that are what is remembered from those days. However, a keen student will not miss the lessons to be learnt from the engagement.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Viper

“They are turning!” One of Becket’s sensor officers shouted. “They’re coming end over end.”

Becket couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Instead of moving to engage her, the Karacknid squadron was now maneuvering against her. It told her they didn’t want a straight up fight. Given how Jil’lal had just smashed her targets, it was understandable. There was nothing left for the Karacknid squadron she was facing off against to come to the aid of. “If they want to dance, then let’s dance with them,” Becket said as the holo display updated to show the Karacknid fleet’s new heading. It looked like they were trying to come just close enough to her ships where they could fire a missile salvo and pull back. If they managed to do so with a higher momentum than Becket’s ships had, they might be able to attack without Becket being able to return fire. At least, she’d have to fire one of her final few salvos of mark VI missiles James had given her permission to use. Also, on the holo display was a blue ring that marked the point where Somerville didn’t want her ships heading any further into the system. If they did, she would end up moving closer to several other Karacknid squadrons that could attack before Somerville could bail her out.

For twenty minutes, she altered her fleet’s heading again and again as she tried to lure the Karacknids into a missile duel. Ideally, she wanted to draw them in to where her eight city ships could start to hammer away at them. Though given the Karacknids had now seen what the Kalassai ships could do, they would no doubt be very wary of them. “Prepare to put us onto a heading of point zero, zero four,” Becket ordered. “As soon as we do, the whole fleet will go to one hundred and five percent military thrust for thirty seconds.” It was a risk she knew, but many risks were going to have to be taken if the battle for the system was to be won. “Go on my mark,” Becket said raising an arm. She leant forward and watched the Karacknid fleet closely. It was currently carrying out a maneuver of its own as it tried to avoid the heading she had already put her ships on. Just as the Karacknid ships were mid turn she dropped her arm. “Now!”

As a warship used its maneuvering thrusters to reorientate its main engines to alter course, its sensors were at their least effective. Turning right as the Karacknids had bought Becket sixteen seconds. Then, when her opponents saw what she had done, they had to plan out a new course change and then turn their ships once more. By then, it was too late. Even if the Karacknids risked overloading their own engines, Becket had them. She had turned their attempt to close to just within missile range into a more prolonged engagement. Both fleets would get off at least two salvos of missiles. And we have fighters and Kalassai warships, Becket thought towards her opponent.

In the space of ten minutes, she struck at the Karacknid fleet hard. First, Kalassai energy absorbing munitions forced the Karacknids into evasive maneuvers that disrupted their cohesion. Then two missile salvos and a fighter strike destroyed or crippled more than a hundred ships. The Karacknids’ return fire took thirty-three of Becket’s ships out of the battle. Then the momentum of both fleets brought them out of weapons range of one another. Within minutes, the duel of wits continued, for instead of fleeing, the Karacknid squadron once again began to try to maneuver to be able to fire a passing salvo at Becket. They want to keep me engaged for as long as possible, Becket was sure. Every moment we are fighting out in open space is one we’re not heading towards your homeworld.

*

IS Centurion

Rear Admiral Scott was struggling to keep a smile from her face. Despite the serious risk the entire Allied fleet was in, and despite the battles already raging around her as various Allied fleets engaged Karacknid targets, she was happy. She was right where she wanted to be. After missing nearly a year of the war trying to nurse her stricken Misfit home and then months of playing scout to Admiral Somerville’s fleet, she was finally in the thick of things. Whatever was to come over the next days, she was not going to miss it.

“Enemy ships are powering their reactors and sensors to full,” her tactical officer reported. “There’s no sign they are attempting to break orbit, however.”

“Then they’re going to fight,” Scott concluded. “Alert our fighter squadrons. Prep them all for launch. Have half of our Spitfires outfitted for anti-fighter duty. I feel we are going to need them.” Somerville had tasked her with engaging a Karacknid fleet defending several orbital gas mining stations. She understood why they weren’t retreating. Gas mining stations were a precious commodity. And they have several battlestations defending them, Scott reminded herself. They were going to give her force a headache, especially seeing as she didn’t have any Kalassai city ships. There simply wasn’t enough of them to go around. “We will move in and engage them at maximum range. Let’s see how the battlestations like trying to dodge Kalassai energy absorbers.”

“Getting more energy spikes!” A sensor officer called out just moments before Centurion entered missile range of the Karacknid ships and orbital stations. “They’re coming from the orbital fuel storage facilities.”

Scott nodded. It was just as Somerville had predicted. On Centurion’s holo display, a number of small ships began to appear. They were Karacknid fighters. Clearly, the storage facilities had been emptied and fighters hidden within them. She watched sixty fighters form up and begin to charge her ships. At exactly the right timing, the Karacknid battlestations and warships rippled off a salvo of missiles. They would reach her just before the enemy fighters did. “Return fire,” Scott snapped. She waited patiently until her salvo was away before giving her next orders. “Launch our fighters prepped for anti-fighter combat. And instruct our Kalassai allies to give those fighters a few salvos to see how they deal with them.”

From the one carrier in Scott’s fleet and the several battlecruisers that each carried two fighters, three squadrons emerged. The twelve Corsairs and twenty-four Spitfires formed up and then raced to intercept the Karacknid fighters. For their part, the Karacknid fighters suddenly found themselves in a spot of bother. The Kalassai energy absorbing munitions were a very low threat as they could not home in on the fighters. Yet with thick waves of them coming every ten seconds, the Karacknids still had to carry out evasive maneuvers. It caused their formation to become staggered. That was the last thing a fighter squadron wanted when racing into a fighter duel. The result was disaster for the Karacknids. First, the twelve anti-fighter missiles launched by the Corsairs struck seven Karacknid fighters. Then plasma cannon fire from the Corsairs and Spitfires destroyed another nine. A dogfight ensued as both sets of fighters sought to engage one another. Twelve Karacknids did manage to break away and continue to race towards Scott’s ships. Yet when they got there, the missile salvo they were meant to be following had struck more than thirty seconds before. Their delay allowed point defense fire from everyone of Scott’s four hundred and ninety warships to concentrate on them. Not one got close enough to fire its mass cannons.

*

IS Drake

Three hours, James thought to himself as he glanced at a chronometer. The number surprised him. His various fleets had been engaging the Karacknids for far less time than he had expected. The stress and tension were drawing out every minute. But it is working. Turning his attention back to the holo display, he continued to assess everything that was going on. Currently, he had three squadrons engaging Karacknid forces. Two others, including Vice Admiral Becket’s force, were maneuvering against Karacknid squadrons. He focused in on Scott’s fleet as it hammered a fourth salvo into the Karacknid gas mining facilities. The large impressive battlestations had suffered greatly at the hands of the Kalassai warships. With a relentless wave of their energy absorbing munitions coming in, their point defenses were only able to handle so many. And just one hit sucks so much of the power from the station’s reactors and capacitors, James thought. After that, they are done for. The battle wasn’t entirely one sided though; even as he watched, six ships in Scott’s fleet were blown apart by antimatter missiles. Five more began to pull back having suffered damage. Scott’s battle was far from over, even without the battleships, the three hundred and sixty Karacknid ships still defending the orbital stations were giving a good account of themselves.

When two other Karacknid squadrons began to flash, James looked away from Scott’s fleet. The Karacknid commander was moving more of his squadrons into the fray. One was moving to threaten Becket whilst another moved to help the squadron Admiral Shraw was currently engaged with. James carefully assessed his options. Then he gave orders to Ivanov to send in more forces. One squadron was to combine with Shraw’s to bolster his forces whilst another would try and intercept the enemy squadron closing with Becket. Once again, he returned his focus to the zoomed out image of the system. The focus of the overall battle was slowly shifting. Rather than his forces moving to clear a path towards the shift passage to the Karacknid homeworld, the various Karacknid squadrons were drawing his fleet deeper and deeper into the system. Every time a new portion of James’ fleet got into combat, he had to move the main bulk of his forces towards them so as to be able to lend additional support if needed. And all the while, more and more Karacknid ships were still jumping into the system from two other shift passages.

“I think beta fleet is preparing to move,” Anderson reported. “We’re getting small energy spikes from their larger ships.”

James nodded to acknowledge his tactical officer. Beta fleet was one of the four largest Karacknid fleets. Each had over fifteen hundred warships. It wasn’t hard to guess where they were going. “Connect me with Admiral Ya’sia.”

“It is time,” Ya’sia said as soon as her face appeared on the holo display of his command chair.

“I believe so,” James replied. “Beta fleet will move to further engage Becket’s squadron. Unless we want to be overrun, we will have to commit our largest force yet.”

“And it will be in the opposite direction to the shift passage we want to get to,” Ya’sia said. “My ships are ready.”

“And we’ll have your back,” James replied. “Good luck Admiral.”

“Let’s hope it stays with us when we try what you have planned next,” Ya’sia said. She gave him a salute and then cut the COM channel.

Moments later, fourteen hundred ships accelerated ahead of Drake. They moved onto a heading that would bring them past Becket’s ships and to a point where they could intercept beta fleet. James’ eyes shifted onto the colony beta fleet had just left. It bristled with battlestations. A preliminary scan of the colony suggested there were at least five or six billion Karacknids living on its surface. “Let’s get the rest of the fleet moving,” James said as he selected a new point for his flagship to advance towards, from where he could best support his divergent fleets.

*

Warship Pillager

Every muscle in Over Admiral Dellinor-tan’s body quivered as he fought for control. He was in a constant pull between being consumed by rage and a nervousness that was driving him crazy. The audacity of the enemy fleet was simply too large and too despicable for him to ignore. That they thought they could strike into the heart of the Empire was blasphemous! Entering even one Karacknid core world was enough to earn them the eternal wrath of every Karacknid warrior in the Empire. And yet here they were, right in front of him. Worse! They were actually threatening his Imperator’s homeworld! Dellinor-tan spat onto the deck in front of his command chair. Gorack’s curse be upon you, he thought towards the enemy fleet. At the same time, despite his rage, the very same facts had him feeling fear for the first time in his long military career. Taranaki was counting on him. He couldn’t fail his master. Even contemplating such a possibility brought back memories of when he had bowed before Taranaki and accepted his task of stopping the alien incursion. A vision of Taranaki’s red eyes boring into him made Dellinor-tan shudder. He still felt laid bare, though the encounter had been more than a month ago.

A week ago, he had thought the task all but finished. Then the blasted Kalassai had shown up. Dellinor-tan spat again. The news had sent him over the edge. For more than an hour, he had locked himself away in his office, raging at what had happened. The Kalassai were his people’s oldest enemies. Every Karacknid grew up swearing to wipe them out once and for all. And yet now, of all aliens, they dared desecrate the Karacknid core worlds. It was all Dellinor-tan could do to keep his rage in check.

Yet keep it in check he did. He had a plan that was unfolding perfectly before his eyes. And so no matter how much he wanted to rush at his enemies and crush them with overwhelming force, he held his position. To deny the danger the enemy fleet posed was just plain foolishness. There was no need for him to risk a serious loss. All he had to do was stall for time and wear them down. That was his winning strategy. Just a month ago, he had been an Under Admiral commanding a garrison fleet in one of the core sectors. Dellinor-tan knew that despite the praise Taranaki had heaped on him, he wasn’t the cream of the crop when it came to naval commanders. All the best Karacknid leaders were on the front lines commanding battlefleets. Yet he didn’t have to be. All he had to do was keep drawing the Humans and their allies in. He had the numerical advantage, and all he had to do was delay them. For the longer they tarried, the more reinforcements he received. All he had to do was hold his enemy in place and keep bleeding them until they were no more.

“More ships are breaking away from the largest enemy fleet,” a sensor officer reported, causing Dellinor-tan to break away from his thoughts. “They are moving to intercept Under Admiral Ramaka-su.”

“Acknowledged,” Dellinor-tan said as he waved a clawed hand at his officer. It was the obvious move for his enemy to make. Under Admiral Ramaka-su’s ships were moving to threaten one of their large squadrons that was already engaging another force Dellinor-tan had dispatched forward. Unless they wanted to lose their fleet, they had to act. As fourteen hundred contacts moved away from the main enemy fleet, Dellinor-tan extended his claws into his command chair in satisfaction. It was the largest force the enemy had yet committed. They cannot disengage now, not without losing much of their fleet, he said to himself. Then, when the main enemy fleet actually started to move deeper into the system as well, Dellinor-tan’s claws extended even further. His plan was working even better than he thought.

*

IS Drake

“This is getting very dangerous,” Alvarez commented as everyone on Drake’s bridge watched Admiral Ya’sia’s fleet begin to engage the fifteen hundred Karacknids they had moved to intercept.

As Alvarez turned and looked at James, James could guess what he was thinking. Things weren’t exactly going to plan. Or at least, he had already been compelled to commit more ships to the various engagements than he would have liked. And losses were quickly mounting. Since Ya’sia’s ships had forged ahead of his fleet, he had been forced to dispatch two other small squadrons to reinforce other battles that were ongoing. James now had six different squadrons engaging with Karacknid forces or orbital stations. The whole system was quickly turning into one giant battlefield. With so many squadrons operating at greater and greater distances from one another, a disaster felt only a stone’s throw away. One misstep and a squadron could find itself isolated and outnumbered. Yet we have no choice, James said to himself. “The time hasn’t come yet,” he replied to his Flag Captain.

For another thirty minutes, he watched as his squadrons sparred with their Karacknid counterparts. Another three hundred ships were lost in that time. James had to sit on his hands to keep them from tapping his command chair. He had fought in many battles before, yes, but none felt as significant as where he found himself right now. And never before had his timing needed to be so precise. Almost unblinkingly, he stared at the massive holo display, taking in the whole strategic situation as best he could. Though explosions among his different squadrons tempted him to focus in and see how each squadron, or even how the flagships of his friends were faring, he resisted. Then he saw it! The opening he had been waiting for. Almost every Karacknid fleet in the system was on the move in one direction or another, seeking to draw his ships deeper into the system. Finally, enough Karacknid forces were out of position. “Now is our opening!” he said as he finally tore his eyes away from the holo display. At once, Ivanov and his other staff officers spun round from their command console. “Send the order to Hawthorn. Now is the time. Then send the rendezvous coordinates to all of our forces. Start the fleet moving at once.”

Five and half hours after the first missiles had been fired, Drake’s engines finally roared into life. Rather than turn onto a heading for the shift passage to the Karacknid homeworld however, her nose turned to point towards the Karacknid colony beta fleet had left an hour and a half ago. At the same time, her gravimetric pulse array began to furiously send out messages to all of his squadrons. Receiving them in real time, despite the vast distances that had been opened up between them, they all responded by moving to disengage with the Karacknid fleets they were facing. A small distance ahead of Drake, Hawthorn’s fighters also powered up their engines and began to accelerate hard towards their pre-assigned targets. The first part of the plan James had outlined to the Kalassai Mothers was finally underway.

Chapter 38

It is hard to imagine a large fleet battle not involving many different elements coordinating together across the length and breadth of a star system. Yet before FTL communications, attempting to do so was very risky. The widespread adaption of the gravimetric pulse array by the Allies was just one technological advancement that gave them an edge in the closing stages of the War of Doom.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Triumphant

Ya’sia had sweat running down her back and four legs. Despite her best efforts, her fleet was taking a hammering. The Karacknids had her outnumbered. It wasn’t by much, less than a hundred ships, but they were making their numbers tell. The only thing keeping her losses from being much worse were the twenty Kalassai city ships she had. They hadn’t been able to use their powerful energy weapons yet, but their point defenses were coming in very useful indeed. As another Karacknid missile salvo struck home, she winced as thirty-eight antimatter warheads released their deadly energy into her ships. A gasp from one of her sensor officers made Ya’sia glance at his holo display. She couldn’t help but let out a whine of anguish at the sight. One of the city ships had finally been hit. Antimatter had eaten a long strip down one of her sides. The goo that filled Kalassai ships was streaming out of the gash, leaving a long trail almost like the large ship had a tail. Ya’sia could only guess at how many Kalassai were being sucked out into the cold of space with it.

“Drake’s gravimetric array is activating,” a COMs officer called out. “Admiral Somerville is giving the go order for Plan Orbital Strike.”

A sudden wave of relief hit Ya’sia. It wasn’t a moment too soon. “Send the retreat order to our ships. Let’s disengage as quickly as we can.”

The sudden course change from her fleet caught the Karacknids off-guard. Even so, it didn’t take long for them to adjust their course as well. Ya’sia grimaced again when she saw how quickly they reacted. Already, there were two more enemy salvos on the way towards her ships. The maneuver had bought her a little time. Once the next two salvos came in, she would have perhaps twenty minutes of respite. After that, the Karacknids would be able to close in again and resume the conflict. Once they close again, we’ll have to endure at least two additional salvos before Hawthorn gets here, Ya’sia saw as the course of each force was projected on her holo display. Her fleet was going to take more of a battering. Yet that was what Admiral Somerville had asked her to do, and so she would do it.

*

Commander Hawthorn knew her mission was critical to the whole success of Admiral Somerville’s plan. The fact that she was flying a Spitfire armed with a plasma missile was evidence enough. Every fighter and bomber left in the fleet was needed. Somerville hadn’t even questioned it when she had assigned herself to the attack force. “All right pilots,” she said over the forces’ COM channel. “I’m assigning targets to you all now. I’ll update as necessary.”

In the distance, on Hawthorn’s scopes, Admiral Ya’sia’s fleet was once again heavily engaged with the Karacknid squadron. The brief time the Crian Admiral had bought herself with her maneuver had already passed. Hawthorn selected all of the enemy fleet’s dreadnoughts and battleships and began to assign them to her various squadrons. As she did so, she kept an eye out for Karacknid fighters. There’s no sign the enemy squadron had any carriers, but there were other squadrons nearby. If they had slow launched fighters and sent them to attack Ya’sia, they could spring to life very near her forces.

Even with her ships racing as fast as they could towards the battle, Hawthorn could only watch as two more salvos struck Ya’sia’s fleet. A number of ships were damaged or destroyed. Yet her return fire wreaked havoc among the Karacknids as well. After each salvo, Hawthorn had to update her targeting information for her squadrons. Then, in just a matter of moments, Ya’sia’s ships began to grow rapidly larger. It took just seconds for Hawthorn’s fighter force to fly past them. Turning her head, Hawthorn was able to see another missile salvo be launched from the Allied warships. The missiles immediately began to accelerate at rates far higher than her fighters could. On her scopes, a projection of their trajectories appeared. It would take four minutes for the missiles to overcome her momentum and then they would shoot ahead to attack the Karacknids first. And then it’s our turn, Hawthorn said to herself as she gripped her flight stick harder. It had been over a year since she had launched an attack run against a Karacknid capital ship. Then she had lost one of her closest friends; Wing Commander Chen whose position she now filled. For a moment, she was reminded of the last time they had spoken. She had been a squadron leader in the second battle of Earth. Both of them had loaded up their fighters with missiles, intending to ram enemy capital ships. Chen had succeeded where she had failed. The dreadnought she had been targeting had been blown apart in front of her very eyes just before she had dived in. Her fighter had been damaged before she could attack another target. Though she knew her odds of survival were far higher now than in that battle, Hawthorn still felt her stomach tighten as her fighter approached the outer envelope of the Karacknids’ point defensive fire. Every pilot had to go into battle knowing it could be their last. There was simply no way of ignoring the massively high attrition rates fighter forces had suffered since the war’s beginning.

Suddenly, just in front of her, laser beams zipped past and other weapons began to explode. The Karacknids had begun to engage Ya’sia’s missile salvo. “Evasive maneuvers,” Hawthorn ordered over the COM channel. Throwing her Spitfire into a series of twists and turns, Hawthorn’s vision narrowed down to just the enemy dreadnought she had selected for her and her wing man to engage. The butterflies in her stomach had already vanished. She was in her element once again. Though hundreds, and then thousands of Allied missiles were blown apart in front of her, Hawthorn barely registered it. Even when point defense fire started to whiz past her cockpit, she did not flinch. Out of the corner of her eye, she registered the detonation of the Imperial mark IV missiles from the Allied salvo. Hundreds of laser beams pierced into the Karacknid fleet. Hawthorn grunted when she saw an explosive line erupt across her target. The dreadnought shook off the hit and kept firing though. Then the rest of the Allied missiles began to detonate within the Karacknid fleet. Though she was aware of other ships being destroyed, Hawthorn couldn’t hesitate to check her scopes even for a second as she continued her evasive maneuvers.

Immediately after the last missiles were destroyed, the defensive fire coming against her force quadrupled. Hawthorn felt as much as saw the additional destructive energies being hurled at her. Her peripheral vision began to pick up their larger explosions as fighters and bombers were taken out. As she drew closer and closer to the dreadnought, she felt every muscle in her body tighten. Her teeth clamped shut and her lips pressed into one another. She knew other pilots screamed or hurled insults at their targets. That was not her style. Silently, she weaved her fighter as she jinked this way and that randomly. The only noise in her cockpit came when her targeting sensor let out a long beep to say she had entered missile range. For the briefest of seconds, Hawthorn ended her evasive maneuvers and pointed her nose right at her dreadnought. With a thumb already over the launch button, she smashed it. The plasma missile disengaged from her Spitfire and ignited its own engine. Hawthorn waited just a fraction of a second to confirm it was tracking the enemy capital ship, then she pulled back on her flight stick and threw herself back into more evasive maneuvers as she tried to loop as far up and over the enemy fleet as she could.

As she had come to expect, the enemy defensive fire slackened considerably as they switched their fire onto her missiles. Only the few defensive weapons that couldn’t track the missiles continued to fire at her and her fighter wing. Still, Hawthorn sensed more explosions within the midst of her force. Only when the Karacknid defensive fire completely ceased did she level off her fighter. At once, her eyes snapped to her sensor display. What she saw made her pump her fist and scream at the Karacknid fleet as all the tension left her body. Hundreds of Karacknid warships were falling out of formation. Debris and atmosphere were streaming from half of them. Further back along the course of the Karacknid fleet, there were many other stricken ships and expanding balls of debris where ships had been destroyed outright. Whilst racing in to launch her attack, Hawthorn had detected one thousand three hundred Karacknid warships in the enemy squadron. Now less than eight hundred were still holding formation with one another. Most satisfyingly of all, there was no sign of the dreadnought she had been targeting.

Zooming out her sensors further, Hawthorn’s smile widened. Ya’sia’s fleet had altered course. Instead of fleeing from the Karacknids, it was now moving to close with them. Already, two more missile salvos were on their way in. You won’t last long now, she thought towards the enemy ships. Before she could watch their demise however, she had her own forces to attend to. “All fighters check in with your squadron leaders,” she ordered over the COM channel. “Squadron leaders, form up on me and let’s get ourselves home.”

It only took a couple of minutes for the butcher’s bill to come in. Three hundred and fifty of Hawthorn’s fifteen hundred strong attack force hadn’t reported in. She hoped some might have managed to eject or were perhaps stuck in damaged fighters. With luck, Ya’sia’s fleet would have been able to track them. Yet the number would no doubt be small. There was nothing she could do for them now either, there was no way her Spitfire could find them in the dark of space. Leading her ships then, Hawthorn turned her nose back towards the prearranged rendezvous point with Admiral Somerville’s fleet. It would take three hours for her fighters to return to their carriers, and then possibly as much as an hour or so to get them refueled, repaired, and ready to fight once again. Hawthorn knew from experience that once combat was joined, an hour was a long time. Worse for her, until her fighter was rearmed, she was no more use than a civilian pleasure yacht. At least we get to see the fireworks, she thought as she returned her attention to Ya’sia’s fleet. Over the next twenty minutes, as her fighters sped away from the battle, she watched as Ya’sia’s ships hammered the Karacknids again and again. Then the Kalassai city ships came close enough to open up with their weapons. In the space of minutes, they blasted massive holes in the Karacknid formations. In disarray, the Karacknids’ point defensive fire fell apart, and it took just two more salvos to completely finish them off. Ya’sia’s ships had taken a hammering, but they had won.

*

Pillager

Dellinor-tan strode back and forth across the rear of Pillager’s bridge. He needed to work off his nervous energy. He also didn’t want his subordinates looking at him. His mind was awhirl. The enemy fighters had just crushed one of his fleets! The losses were horrendous. In the space of an hour, Dellinor-tan had lost more warships than the Karacknid fleet typically lost in a decade or more. He couldn’t help but feel great shame in himself. And yet, the enemy fleet was playing along with his plan perfectly. Almost too perfectly, though. Every squadron in their fleet was now moving deeper and deeper into the system. There was only one problem. The Allied ships were all heading towards the colony of Rosstiffar. The move had caught him off guard. It was the last thing he had expected. The very colony that had been protected by the fleet he had just witnessed destroyed. Dellinor-tan’s mind turned to Taranaki. His Imperator had ordered him to stop the enemy fleet at any cost. Rosstiffar was protected by more than two hundred battlestations, each one many times more powerful than a dreadnought. Yet their firepower would not be enough to defeat the enemy ships once they combined. The orbital stations and industries around the colony had been built up over the last millennia. Their monetary value was almost incalculable. Though he had little to do with the economy of the Empire, even Dellinor-tan knew its loss would be felt for years to come. At any cost, Dellinor-tan reminded himself. He just hoped the Imperator remembered that. Suddenly, he stopped his pacing. Several officers turned around to face him. “Let them waste their strength assaulting Rosstiffar’s orbitals. Send word to all our forces, we will assemble into one fleet and move to meet the enemy in open battle. They are committed to the system now. There is no escape for them.” Dellinor-tan flexed his claws. Even with the losses he had suffered, he still had the numerical advantage. And he had one other thing in his favor: he knew the enemy wanted to keep as much of their fleet intact as possible if they wanted to attack Gayla. He had no such qualms. He could fling his fleet against theirs and allow both sides to wipe each other out. That mattered little to Dellinor-tan, for even if he died in battle, as long as he accomplished the Imperator’s will, he knew his service would be long remembered.

*

IS Drake

“The way is clear Admiral,” Ivanov said as soon as the last Karacknid warship Ya’sia had been engaging was destroyed.

“At a cost,” James replied as he eyed Ya’sia’s fleet. More than three hundred ships had been destroyed, and it was likely half as many again were badly damaged. Even as he watched, Ya’sia’s ships began to carry out a course change so as to rendezvous with him. It was haphazard and painfully slow. Her fleet was limping along. Yet his Chief of Staff was right. The way was open. With every one of his outlying squadrons now racing back to rendezvous with Drake, there were no large Karacknid fleets between his flagship and one of the two Karacknid colonies in the system. Ya’sia had drawn out the fleet that had defended it, and now it was no more. And the Karacknids are reacting, James thought with a smile. Every Karacknid fleet was abandoning the strategic points they had been protecting. Now, instead of trying to surround his ships and draw them into various battles, they were preparing for one large engagement. Exactly as James wanted it. There had been no way he could have snuck his ships past the Karacknid fleets when they had been spread out and able to surround him. Now however, that was a different prospect entirely.

“Admiral, I believe Rear Admiral Scott’s force may be in trouble,” Anderson said as he altered the main holo image to zoom in on Scott’s squadron.

James saw it right away. “You are right,” he said as he gave Anderson a nod. Scott had successfully driven off a small Karacknid squadron and destroyed several gas mining facilities. Yet another Karacknid fleet had been trying to close with her. That had forced her to take evasive maneuvers. Now in her attempt to rendezvous with his fleet and join in on the attack on the Karacknid colony, it had brought her close to a third Karacknid squadron. One that stood a good chance of waylaying her. At least, it looked like it would get off one or maybe two missile salvos. Both Scott and the Karacknid fleet were maneuvering against one another, but as James read the situation, he doubted Scott would avoid action entirely. “We need to help,” he said. Momentarily he looked away from his friend’s squadron and assessed the overall strategic situation. None of his other fleets were in immediate danger, though several Karacknid squadrons were still trying to intercept them before they could rendezvous with him. “Launch our reserve fighter force,” he decided. “Task them with aiding Scott. They are to launch a strike in coordination with a mark VI missile salvo from Scott’s ships.” James hoped a single salvo of the long-range missiles would be enough to deter the Karacknid fleet. He then turned to locate the four Karacknid carriers. They were still at the heart of the largest Karacknid fleet, the one that had been defending the other enemy colony. With Hawthorn’s fighters still more than an hour away from being able to sortie again, his fleet would be vulnerable. Especially if the Karacknid had more fighters hidden somewhere. But you want a large fleet battle don’t you, James thought towards the enemy commander. If that was what he wanted, then it would be a waste to use his fighters in an unsupported strike. His move to use his reserve fighters was a risk, but a calculated risk.

Over the course of the next two hours Drake and James’ main fleet continued their acceleration towards the Karacknid colony. Several of the fleets he had dispatched re-joined him, bolstering his strength. Despite sending out a constant spread of recon drones, no Karacknid fighters were detected. Scott’s fleet also made it back safely. The Karacknid force trying to engage her pulled back long before the fighters James committed against them got into attack range. As his fleet approached the colony, James had all of his squadrons back but Jil’lal, Shraw, and Maleck’s, and none of them were too far behind his ships. “Let’s get this show on the road,” James said as his fleet began their final preparations. “Order General Johnston to get his troop ships unloaded and his attack wave ready to proceed. We will open fire as soon as we get into range. Make sure all the destroyers outfitted with the mask arrays run a full diagnostic as they get into position. I don’t want any failures.”

“Understood Admiral, I’ll make sure they understand,” Ivanov replied.

James nodded to his Chief of Staff and then sat back in his command chair. His staff officers were more than well drilled by now. They had been in almost constant action for five months together. Unless the defenses of the Karacknid colony had a few surprises, the engagement would be a formality.

“Opening fire,” Anderson announced as over ninety thousand missiles were released by James’ ships. At the same time, the Kalassai six thousand warships opened up with their energy absorbing munitions. James’ fleet, instead of slowing its approach so as to keep the missile duel to maximum range, continued to forge ahead. He intended to get into range of the Kalassai city ship’s energy weapons. For once he did, the massive Karacknid battlestations would be sitting ducks. There would be no way for them to avoid the powerful long-range energy beams the Kalassai ships produced.

When the Karacknid battlestations opened fire moments later, they put out a significant missile salvo. Drake’s computer estimated that each battlestation fired three hundred missiles. James was impressed. Yet the number meant the stations had to have limited energy weapons and probably limited point defenses as well. They’re designed to augment a fleet’s battle capabilities, James concluded. Battlestations were always much harder to defend, seeing as they had limited engines to carry out evasive maneuvers. The Karacknids must have given up on doing so and essentially turned the battlestations into massive missile platforms.

The truth of James’ conclusions came a short time later when the first wave of Kalassai energy absorbing munitions reached them. The point defenses swatted most of the ballistic projectiles out of space. Nevertheless, sections of several battlestations stopped emitting any electromagnetic energy. Clear signs that they had been hit. Over the course of the the next twenty minutes, James’ fleet fired four salvos at the Karacknid battlestations. Twenty-six of them were destroyed and quite a few more were damaged. The Allied fleet took losses as well, though with nine thousand ships all supporting one another with their point defenses, only a handful of Karacknid missiles even came close enough to threaten any of their ships. Then the Kalassai city ships came into range. With four hundred and thirty-six of them at the heart of James’ fleet, each only had to fire once. In a single flash, every single Karacknid battlestation was struck by several phaser beams. They all shattered and were cracked open. Secondary explosions blew apart most of them. James had no idea if the Karacknids were keeping the civilians up to date with what was happening in orbit. If they weren’t, the colony’s civilians were about to get a terrifying wake up call. The explosions would be easily visible from the surface, even though it was currently daytime. The destruction didn’t end there, however, for the city ships set about destroying every orbital station, freighter, and civilian ship in range. As the planet slowly rotated, bringing more and more stations into view, they kept up a constant rate of fire. Even though he was the one who had planned the attack, James was still overawed by the destructive force. The Karacknid colony was littered with more stations than Humanity had built in its entire history of space development. In the space of just thirty minutes, it was all reduced to debris. As he watched, James couldn’t help but imagine that it was the Karacknid homeworld under his guns. Inflicting the same destruction to the world that had spawned the fleets that had killed so many of his people would be satisfying indeed. Soon, James said to himself. He just had to make sure Plan Orbital Strike succeeded. And it’s time to really put it into motion.

Chapter 39

Even the best laid traps can be turned against you. An experienced commander never relies on just one strategy.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake

When the destruction of the Karacknid colony’s orbitals was finished, James altered the main holo display to show the Karacknid fleet once more. His sudden lurch into the heart of the system had caught the various Karacknid squadrons off-guard. Most had now formed up into one fleet with the largest Karacknid squadron, yet they were still a couple of hours behind him. They had rendezvoused at a point that blocked James’ ships from heading straight towards the shift passage leading to the Karacknids’ homeworld. Though they were still waiting for more ships to join them, they were slowly approaching the colony. Time to change that, James said to himself. “Let us begin the final part of our plan. Instruct General Johnston his ships may begin moving,” he ordered. From the rear of James’ fleet, Johnston’s ships and an escort of cruisers moved towards the planet. Already, shuttles were swarming around the troop transports and atmospheric fighters pushed ahead ready to assault Karacknid ground defenses. James waited several minutes, and then nodded to Ivanov. “Activate the Masking Net.”

From Drake the signal went out to one hundred destroyers that had taken a position in high orbit around the Karacknid colony. Simultaneously, every one of them activated their mask arrays. In an instant, a cloaking field enveloped the colony. James smiled at the result. Several Mindus and Kulrean scientists had reverse engineered the cloaking technology the Karacknids had used to shroud Earth and his defensive fleet in darkness. Now he was turning the tables on them. It wasn’t perfect. They hadn’t figured out how the Karacknids had done it exactly, but they had been able to mimic the effect. Crucially, all communications trying to pass through the masking net would be disrupted. Some emission leakages from his ships would get through, but they would be scrambled to a degree that the Karacknids would have difficulty figuring out exactly what they were detecting. Though imperfect, it was perfect for what James had in mind. “Release the drones,” he ordered next.

Over the space of two minutes, forty drones were released from Drake. They flew down towards the colony’s atmosphere. Then in ones, twos and threes, they self-destructed right above Karacknid cities. Each drone carried several thermonuclear warheads. They detonated well above the planet. There was no risk of causing any damage to any of the Karacknids living there. Yet with the Masking Net disrupting the massive energy emissions given off by the detonations, the Karacknids would have no way of knowing that. The last images they would have had of their colony was of Johnston’s landing force approaching. Now all they would detect through the Net would be signs of thermonuclear detonations in the vicinity of their cities. “Release the next wave,” James ordered once the first drones had all self-destructed. He then turned and waited for the first communication drones to be sent through the Masking Net from the scouts he had left on its other side. Several minutes passed as a steady rhythm of thermonuclear detonations developed above the colony’s atmosphere.

“Any moment now,” Anderson predicted. The Karacknid fleet was more than close enough that the first emissions from the explosion should have reached them.

“There we go,” Davenport said seconds later as the first communication drone appeared through the Masking Net.

James held his breath. Everyone was looking over to Petrov’s console. For several seconds, she didn’t look up. James had to fight not to lean forward in his command chair. When she did, she was beaming. “They have increased their acceleration rates!” Moments later and the sensor data was on the main holo display. The Karacknid fleet had gone from idling towards his position to moving with all haste. They had taken the bait. James could easily imagine what the Karacknid commander was thinking. He’ll be in a rage, James was sure.

“A despicable ruse,” Fralin-yang said from a seat at the back of Drake’s bridge. The high scribe had requested permission to be on the bridge to watch events unfold. Up until that moment, he had remained completely silent throughout the battle. “Despicable, but effective.”

James glanced at him. “If your warriors have one weakness, it is their anger. And given the atrocities they have freely committed in the past, I’m sure it has not even entered their minds that we would be bluffing. After all, why would we not kill billions of your people when they have tried to do the same to us?”

Fralin-yang raised a hand to acknowledge James’ words. “A good commander knows how to use his enemy’s weaknesses to best advantage. Still, I do not deem it wise to ever arouse a Karacknid warrior to anger. I do not think you will desire to see the results.”

“Wait and see,” was all James was prepared to reveal. He turned to Ivanov, “Get the fleet in motion.”

As his orders went out, a number of things happened at once. Johnston’s troop ships started to turn away from the Karacknid colony. All of the empty troop shuttles and atmospheric fighters rushed to land back on their ships. The skeleton crews of the one hundred destroyers left their posts and loaded up onto shuttles. Drake and the rest of James’ ships approached the Karacknid colony along its axis of rotation. Settling onto a course that would take them into a lower and lower orbit, they fired up their engines to full.

Over the next thirty minutes, Johnston’s troop ships re-joined James’s fleet. The evacuation shuttles from the destroyers were picked up and Drake and all her consorts circled around the Karacknid colony three times dramatically increasing their velocity with every lower rotation. “We are ready,” Lieutenant Salamanca announced just after the third pass was complete, “seven minutes, and we can begin to break orbit.”

“Do it,” James ordered. On Drake’s holo display, the sensor data from the latest communications drone to come through the Masking Net was being shown. The destroyers had been left with autonomous orders to keep sending them through. The Karacknid fleets’ course was unchanged. They were coming full speed to engage his fleet.

As his ships broke away from the Karacknid colony and raced towards the Masking Net, James raised his chin and squared his jaw. Like a flash, his fleet burst through the Masking Net. Prearranged orders were then sent to the destroyers. Every one of them detonated as they self-destructed. In an instant, the tactical situation suddenly changed for the Karacknid fleet. They were able to see their colony was unharmed, and instead of an enemy fleet assaulting the planet, the fleet was racing away from it at an incredibly high speed.

*

Pillager

Dellinor-tan’s claws retracted into his knuckles. Around him, growls and roars erupted from his subordinates. Anger escaped him, however. He was too stunned. In the blink of an eye, his carefully laid plan had fallen apart. The Human commander had been walking right into his trap! Moving further and further into the system, he had been allowing himself to be surrounded. Yet somehow, he had found a way out. This was no fluke, Dellinor-tan was certain. Rather than stir him into action, the realization only dampened his emotions even more. He had been outsmarted. And they will get past us, he saw as the enemy fleet’s trajectory was updated on Pillager’s display. His mind immediately went to Taranaki. The Imperator would be furious. He would personally tear Dellinor-tan limb from limb. And my family, Dellinor-tan feared. His clan would lose a great deal of status as well. Dellinor-tan shook his head. He didn’t understand how it had happened, yet, it had. In the space of just a few seconds, he had gone from being in a position to be able to crush the enemy fleet and earn all the accolades Taranaki could heap on him, to becoming a complete failure. For the first time in his life, he fully grasped the gulf in skill between himself and the frontier Admirals like Tanaka-lan. He had been out of his depth the whole time, and he hadn’t even been smart enough to realize it. It is over, Dellinor-tan said to himself. The battle, his career and even his life. It was all over.

“Admiral, what orders do you have?” Pillager’s Captain asked. “Admiral?” He repeated when Dellinor-tan didn’t respond.

He tried two more times without success. Then as he stood, Dellinor-tan turned to him and waved a flaccid hand. “Do whatever you want. It matters little now.”

*

Two salvos, James said to himself as he saw the estimated plots of both fleets appear on Drake’s holo display. The Karacknid fleet would have to act fast, if it changed course, it would be able to bring his ships into missile range for two salvos before the momentum of both fleets brought them away from one another. Then we’ll be free and clear, he added with a smile. There wasn’t a Karacknid squadron anywhere near large enough to waylay him beyond the Karacknid fleet of ten thousand ships that was closing fast on his position. Sure enough, even as he watched, the Karacknid warships all began to alter their heading. Fighters were also launched from the four carriers at the heart of the enemy fleet. James’ eyes squinted when he saw more fighters than he had expected. Several squadrons were appearing from Karacknid dreadnoughts.

“They are no dreadnoughts,” Anderson said as he zoomed in on them, picking up the same thing. “They must be carriers disguised as dreadnoughts!”

“Prep all Wing Commander Hawthorn’s fighters for launch,” James snapped. He had no doubt the Karacknid commander would throw everything he could at James’ ships as they passed.

“The final count is six hundred,” Anderson updated a minute later. “Wait, there’s more movement from their fleet.”

James nodded when he saw it. The Karacknid commander was pushing his frigates, destroyers, and light cruisers ahead of his capital ships. With their higher acceleration rates, they could come closer to James’ ships and maybe get off a third missile salvo. He’s going to make this as difficult as possible, James thought as he ground his teeth together. It was the price he was going to have to pay.

Keeping his face straight, James led his fleet as they did just that. The first to engage were the Karacknid fighters and Hawthorn’s force of one thousand Spitfires, Corsairs, and Alliance fighters. None of the Karacknid attack ships got close enough to fire their particle cannons at James’ capital ships. Yet, that wasn’t James’ main concern. It cost Hawthorn three hundred fighters to turn the Karacknids back. She also wasn’t able to use her fighters to engage any of the Karacknid missiles.

When the Karacknid fleet fired, it was a colossal salvo. Their ten thousand ships put out three hundred thousand missiles. James’ return fire was less than half that number. The massive weight of enemy fire was daunting, to say the least. Yet there was one drawback. So many missiles crammed into such a small area of space were vulnerable. Instead of opening fire with their energy absorbing ordinances on the Karacknid fleet, the six thousand Kalassai warships targeted the missiles instead. Thousands of them were blown apart in the first few waves. The attacks forced the Karacknid missiles to carry out evasive maneuvers. It saved many of them. Yet the Karacknid missiles slowly began to be staggered out more and more by their maneuvers. It meant they would be easier for the Allied fleet to engage. Nevertheless, when Drake and Triumphant’s Kulrean energy weapons opened fire, there were still two hundred and sixty thousand missiles. The number barely dipped in the twenty seconds Drake and Triumphant kept firing. Then every Imperial ship opened fire with their long-range AM missiles. Flak cannons followed suit seconds later. This time, tens of thousands of Karacknid missiles were obliterated. In a matter of seconds, the Karacknid missiles came close enough for every ship in the Allied fleet to open fire. A concoction of defensive weapons’ fire reached out towards the Karacknid missiles. For exactly thirty-two seconds, the Allied fleet struck out at the Karacknid missiles with everything they had. Tens of thousands were blown apart.

It wasn’t enough. Missiles got through. Many missiles. Imperial, Kalassai, Alliance, Conclave, Vestarian and Mindus ships began to disappear as antimatter wiped them from existence. No fleet was spared. When two city ships had massive holes eaten into them almost simultaneously, James jumped in pain. He had bitten his lip. The carnage wasn’t over though. Due to the staggered nature of the Karacknid salvo, explosions continued to rip through the fleet. For nearly ten seconds, the Karacknid missiles inflicted destruction upon his fleet. When it was over, James felt a thick bead of sweat run down his palm. Looking down, he saw it wasn’t sweat, but blood. He had dug his nails in so hard, they had broken his skin.

Ignoring his hands, James threw himself into helping his staff reorganize his fleet and deal with the damaged and stricken ships. Already, the holo display was showing nearly two hundred ships falling out of formation. Any that had lost power or their ability to keep accelerating would have to be left behind. There was no way they could be helped. Their crews needed to be evacuated as soon as possible. There was only a very narrow window where a ship’s shuttle could catch up with James’ fast-moving fleet.

It wasn’t until several minutes after the final missile had detonated that Anderson was able to send him an update on the fleet’s status. When James paused to read it, his teeth clamped down to keep his face straight. Two hundred and eighty ships had been destroyed. One hundred and ninety-six would have to be abandoned. James’ hand paused as he scrawled through one part of the report. He had to read it twice to take it in. Rear Admiral Maleck’s battleship had been one of the casualties. James couldn’t help but shake his head as he thought of Ya’sia. Maleck had served under her for most of the war. She knew they had grown close. His anger flared at the Karacknids. He didn’t have time to mourn, however. Instead, he focused his emotions into the battle.

A glance at the Karacknid fleet told him his first missiles had accomplished little. Less than sixty ships were missing from their formation. Without the Kalassai using their anti-ship fire to aid his missile salvos, his ships would struggle to penetrate the Karacknids’ point defenses. At this point, James didn’t care, he was far more interested in protecting his ships than destroying the enemy’s.

“I have the firing solutions ready,” Anderson reported. “We have the timing as good as we are going to get it.”

“Then fire when ready,” James replied.

Once again, a relatively meagre salvo of missiles was launched from the Allied Fleet. It didn’t take long for the Karacknids to fire as well. Like before, the Kalassai used their energy absorbing weapons against the Karacknid missile salvo. Then, Anderson’s missiles played their part. Instead of targeting the Karacknid fleet, he had targeted them at the enemy missiles. Analyzing the reload time the Karacknid ships had displayed throughout the various battles that had been fought over the last several hours, he had predicted exactly when the Karacknids would fire. His salvo was timed to perfectly intersect with the Karacknids. At the touch of a button, every Allied missile detonated. Joining the rest of the Allied ships, the Imperial ships had fired thermonuclear warheads. Exactly one hundred and twenty-six thousand of them detonated together. The massive release of energy overwhelmed even Drake’s advanced sensors.

As James waited for it to clear, two spikes of pain shot up through his hand and wrists. He had clamped his fingers tight once more. Though it only took seconds, it felt like an age. The first sign that it had worked was when Anderson pumped a fist in the air and let out a holler. More than fifty thousand Karacknid missiles were missing. James released his hands and beamed at Anderson. It was an old tactic; one James had used against the Karacknids before. One that was easily countered if anticipated. They had gambled that the Karacknid commanders stationed within the Karacknid core worlds were unfamiliar with many of the battles from the frontline. We were right, James thought with a smile.

Despite this success, the euphoria on Drake’s bridge quickly faded. Even losing fifty thousand missiles, the approaching wave of destruction was still formidable. Especially given the ships and point defensive weapons the fleet had already lost. Once again, every warship opened up with their point defenses as soon as they could. Once again, the Karacknid missiles dodged and weaved and released megajoules of ECM as they tried to trick the allies’ targeting sensors. Most failed. Far fewer than the first salvo breached the defensive fire. Yet some did. This time, James intentionally dragged his fingernails across his cut palms. With her advanced sensors and point defenses, Drake easily dispatched the handful of missiles targeting her. As he watched other ships die around him, he relished the pain. It was nothing compared to what his people were suffering.

When the destruction finally ended, another forty-two ships had been destroyed. Twice that many were quickly starting to lag behind the fleet. Again, James and his staff tried to save as many of them and their crews as they could.

“What do you want us to do about the Karacknid light ships?” Anderson asked several minutes later when they started to get things under control.

James counted the enemy ships. Six thousand of them had pushed ahead of the Karacknid dreadnoughts and battleships. Already, James’ ships had passed both enemy fleets and were leaving them behind. Yet the Karacknid light ships had enough momentum that they would get to fire one more missile salvo. They’ll not let us try our trick with our nuclear missiles again, James was sure. “Target the cruisers with our last missile salvo,” James decided. “Focus our efforts on our point defenses though.”

The Karacknid third salvo, when it was launched, was markedly reduced compared to the first two. Less than half the number of missiles began to accelerate after the Allied fleet. Coming in from behind, the missiles also had a far slower closing rate. The vast majority were destroyed. Only twelve more Allied ships died in the attack. In the end, James felt it was a relatively light loss compared to what his ships had already suffered. A waste of ships, he thought towards whoever was commanding the enemy fleet. Without the support of their larger consorts, James’ salvo had done a lot more damage. Two hundred or more Karacknid cruisers had been destroyed. Though given the size of the Karacknid fleet, it was a loss they would barely even notice.

For nearly an hour after the last missiles detonated, James and his staff worked furiously to reorganize their fleet. Many ships that had taken on crews from damaged or crippled ships had to have them relocated. Yet more ships had to be scuttled as additional damage was identified. Squadrons and fleets had to be rearranged and new command structures put in place as well. James was thankful that at least he hadn’t lost any more senior flag officers.

Finally, when the fleet was at a point James was relatively content with, he sat back and let out a deep breath. He looked over to Ivanov. She flashed him a smile. “We did it,” she said as she gave him a nod of respect. “We did it.”

Despite the stress and sense of loss, James couldn’t help but smile as well. They had done it. They had evaded the enemy fleet. His ships now had a clear path to the shift passage to the Karacknid homeworld. He shook his head. From the moment the massive numbers of Karacknid ships had been detected, he had feared the worst. Being drawn into a prolonged engagement would have left his fleet crippled, even if they could have found a way to achieve victory. If that had happened there would have been no hope of him being able to assault the Karacknid homeworld. Yet now, his fleet was largely intact and every second that passed left the Karacknid fleet further astern. He had bought himself one opportunity. He now had to grab it with both hands. He had no idea what was waiting for his fleet in the Karacknid home system. Yet whatever ever it was, his fleet had to overcome it. They had come too far and sacrificed too much not to.

“We couldn’t have done it without all of you,” James said as more and more of his staff officers turned round to look at him. “Well done to all of you. Pass the word to the fleet. Tell them all Admiral Jourm would have been proud of us this day.” Ivanov gave him another nod before she turned back to her console. She no doubt understood James’ words were meant as much for Ya’sia as everyone else. She had now lost Jourm and Maleck.

“Rear Admiral Davies is reporting that his squadron is ready to begin their part of Plan Orbital Strike,” Petrov reported half an hour later, just before the Allied Fleet reached the system’s mass shadow.

“I’ll speak to him now before we jump out,” James replied. “Rear Admiral,” he said a few moments later to Davies. “Your squadron is ready for its mission?”

“We lost several ships in the battle,” Davis responded, “but Commander Ivanov has already assigned new units to my force. We are as ready as we will ever be.”

“Then all I can do is wish you luck,” James said. “And say that I hope to see you on the other side of all this.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Davies replied. “And then we can debate as to who had the harder task.” James smiled. There was no guarantee either of them would be alive in a week’s time. “Just don’t worry about us,” Davies continued. “We will do our part. You focus on getting your hands on Taranaki.”

“I have no doubt you will buy us the time we need,” James said. “Just be cautious.”

Davies gave James a cheeky grin. “Given the bait and switch you just pulled off, I’m guessing the commander of that fleet isn’t quite up to Tanaka-lan’s standards. Even so, we’ll be as careful as we can.”

“Glad to hear,” James said as he gave Davies a definitive nod. “Then there’s no point us wasting any more words. Your ships have permission to detach themselves from the fleet and begin your preparations.”

“Aye Admiral,” Davies said with a salute. “Happy hunting Sir,” he added before ending the COM channel.

On the main holo display, James watched as Davies’ flagship, the battlecruiser Rivet, and three hundred ships moved away from his fleet. They then began to break into three smaller squadrons. Each had one interdictor cruiser at the center of its formation. Since entering Karacknid space, James had kept them in his reserve formations for just this type of situation. Now he hoped they would buy him the crucial days, or at the very least, hours he would need to assault the Karacknid homeworld. When he had used several interdictor cruisers to keep pulling Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet out of shift space during its advance on New Shanghai, it had bought James several weeks. Then, he had been able to delay Tanaka-lan over several shift passages. With just one shift passage to the Karacknid homeworld, he couldn’t hope for such a long delay. But certainly, Davies could buy him several days. That was, if the Karacknids didn’t figure out a way to circumvent the interdictor cruisers. When James had left Earth, it had been nine months since Tanaka-lan had found a way past the interdictor cruisers and reached New Shanghai. Then, as James suspected was still true now, no one knew what had happened to the interdictor cruisers he had tasked with delaying the Karacknid High Admiral. No trace of them had ever been discovered. Hopefully we will see each other again, he thought towards Davies, just before Drake jumped into shift space.

Turning in his chair slightly, James caught Fralin-yang’s eyes. “Well, we are on our way. What do you suppose we are going to find when we reach your homeworld?”

Fralin-yang flashed his teeth. “That is a question for your scouts to answer Admiral.” James nodded, even though he had hoped the Karacknid High Scribe would give something away. Over the last several weeks, he had been willing to talk about many different things regarding the Karacknids’ history and culture. One area where he had flat-out refused to share information on was the Karacknid fleets’ capabilities. He had said on more than one occasion that it was James’ responsibility to figure such things out. Fralin-yang would not supply James with intelligence that would give him a tactical advantage in any battle. “I will say,” Fralin-yang continued, “I am impressed with what I have just witnessed. I doubted we would make it this far. If what you have just done was accomplished by a Karacknid commander, they would be remembered in songs for many a century.”

James smiled, returning the scribe’s gesture. “If we fail to bring an end to this war and my species are conquered, it could very well be something sung about by your people.”

“Indeed,” Fralin-yang said as he raised an unclawed hand. “Your minor success here would only serve to make the Imperator’s eventual victory all the more glorious.”

James shook his head. He knew that if he failed, that was exactly how it would be portrayed. In that sense, Humans and Karacknids were not very different at all. “Neither of us want to see that. Which means we better have as good a plan in place as we can.” Though he was exhausted after nearly twelve hours of constant fighting, James remained on the bridge talking to Fralin-yang for several more hours. For both of them, up until this point, getting to the Karacknid homeworld had been as much of a hope as a definite possibility. Now that they were only a couple of days away, their discussion took on a whole new level of urgency.

Chapter 40

I often wonder what it must have been like to march into the depth of the enemy’s lair. To look upon the world which gave birth to so much death and destruction. Till this day, no other Humans have peered upon the Karacknid homeworld with their own eyes.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 30th March 2486 AD, (four days later).

A serene sense of calm descended on James as Drake slipped out of shift space and into the Karacknid home system. For the vast majority of the war, he had never even dreamed he would set eyes on it. Then, almost out of nowhere, the idea had come to him for a strike into the very heart of his enemy’s territory. For the past year, he had devoted himself to nothing else. Now he was finally here. Taking a deep breath, he waited for Drake’s holo display to update with what her sensors were detecting. When it did, he wasn’t disappointed.

The system was awash with gravimetric contacts. Thousands upon thousands of ships were on the move. All were heading towards one point. Gayla. James pressed his lips together. News of their arrival had preceded them. Within a second, Drake’s computer analyzed the contacts and details began to appear beside them all. As James anticipated, the vast majority were civilian ships. It seemed everything that had an engine in the system, whether they were large freighters or small civilian craft, was on its way to the Karacknid homeworld. A meat shield, James was certain, if only because that was what he had been forced to do whilst defending New Shanghai and Earth. A good sign. It means we have them on the run. As Drake’s electromagnetic sensors began to populate the holo display with additional information, James’ mood changed. Ships were far from the only things within the system. He had thought the previous system had been heavily built up. He had been mistaken. The Karacknid home system outdid it by an order of magnitude. More than one officer around James gasped or inhaled sharply. Even James, who had visited Varanni Prime and even the Kulrean’s home system, was taken aback. There were literally tens of thousands of orbital stations dotted throughout the solar system. Every planetary body had a significant Karacknid inhabitation.

Inevitably, despite all the other activity, James’ eyes were drawn to Gayla itself. The planet that had given birth to the Karacknids was right on the outer edge of the system’s habitable zone. It was at the far end of the system from Drake’s position, yet her sensors detected it clearly. Unsurprisingly, it appeared to be a rocky inhospitable place. Just the type of planet that would give birth to a species like the Karacknids. Barely any of the planet’s surface was visible however, for it was engulfed by orbital stations. Many of them were being displayed in red by Drake’s computer. They had been identified as battlestations. James let out a slow breath as he contemplated the challenge that was in front of his fleet. More than a thousand of the giant stations were being detected. And in amongst them were at least four thousand more Karacknid warships. As he watched, more and more red dots appeared. They weren’t as large as the battlestations, but given the energy readings coming from them, they were clearly some kind of defense stations. Around him, James felt the tension rising as more data continued to come in. The Karacknid homeworld was basically one massive fort. James wasn’t even sure his fleet had enough missiles to destroy all the civilian orbital stations, never mind the battlestations and warships. They have sucked all the wealth and technology from every civilization they have conquered and focused it here, James realized. In that light, what he was looking at made sense. The Karacknids ruled over more than a thousand inhabited systems and ten times that many uninhabited. What he was looking at was the result of all of the systems’ resources being extracted for one purpose. The glory of the Karacknid people, or at least now, of their Imperator.

Flashes much closer to Drake’s position eventually drew James’ eyes away from Gayla. Scott and Shraw had their squadrons forging ahead of his main fleet. They were engaging several hundred Karacknid ships that had been patrolling the end of the shift passage. James’ scouts had detected them an hour ago. He had no concerns about his subordinates’ ability to deal with the minor threat.

Turning his attention back to Gayla, James studied the movements of all the ships streaming towards it. It looked like they were being organized into various groups. Each group was close to one of the large battlestations. That confirmed James’ suspicion. They think their fleet is just hours behind us, he was certain. All they have to do is hold out for half a day or more, and then their fleet will jump in and trap us. Sadly, whoever was organizing the defense of Gayla was going to be disappointed. Slightly beyond the planet itself, large energy spikes were also coming from each of its three moons. There were more than a hundred battlestations orbiting each of them, though none were quite as large as those around Gayla. There were also a number of large energy sources on the moons’ surfaces. James was certain they would prove to be weapon emplacements. No doubt designed to be a thorn in the side of any would-be attacker. James had anticipated and planned for just such a fortification, however. He was pleased he would get to try it out. When he had finally seen enough, James looked down from the holo display to Lieutenant Petrov. “You can connect me with my senior commanders now,” he instructed.

Moments later, and James was looking at all of the leaders of his various squadrons. “We are here,” he said by way of beginning. “And it is as formidable as our scouts indicated. Anyone have any additional thoughts?” An hour ago before making the final jump, they had met to review the final version of James’ plan. Discussing it in a theoretical sense was very different than looking at the problem with one’s own eyes, though.

“We have come this far,” Becket said. “There’s no going back now. Not with what is behind us. It is onward to victory or defeat.”

“I’m in agreement,” Admiral Fug-sal said. “My people have already suffered more losses in the last weeks than we have in the last several centuries. We know it will be far worse before we can finish this. Yet we are committed now. There is no turning back.”

“My crews are excited for battle,” Shraw said as his forked tongue flicked in and out. “And my troops are eager to get their claws onto the ground. They have been cooped up in their ships for far too long now. We are ready to take the fight to their Imperator.”

James smiled at Shraw’s eagerness. Despite all the hardships they had gone through to get to where they were, he had lost none of his thirst for battle. “As I’m looking forward to seeing them in action,” he replied. He then turned to the image of Ya’sia.

“We all know this is going to be costly,” she said after a moment of silence. “We knew that when we set out. For our families and our peoples, we must do this.”

“For our families and our peoples,” James echoed. It was as fitting an epitaph for what they were about to attempt as any long speech he might have come up with. Others repeated it as well. “Very well then,” James said when they had finished. He brought his hands together. “It has been a pleasure leading you all this far. I have no doubts you will each give your best. Each of you knows your tasks. Let us get to work.” Before ending the COM channel, James shared a glance with each of his commanders. He knew each of their minds well. Many fears and hopes were shared between them all in those final few moments. Though no one said it, they all knew they were silently saying goodbye to one another. The chances that all or perhaps any of them would survive the coming hours were slim indeed. After several seconds of silence, James nodded one last time and then cut the COM channel.

Standing, James waited for several seconds as more and more of his officers noticed and turned around to look at him. “I wish to say the same to each of you,” he said as he looked around at his own staff officers and Drake’s bridge officers. “Each of you has done me proud these last months. You have been forged into the greatest fighting team I have ever commanded. Yet now is the time we really prove our worth. Let us give of our best today.”

“Aye Admiral,” Anderson shouted as he gave James a salute. The rest of the officers all said the same as they copied Anderson’s gesture.

James saluted them and sat down again. “Lieutenant Petrov, send a message to all of our ships. ‘For our families and our peoples.’”

“Done Admiral,” Petrov informed him moments later.

“Lieutenant Salamanca, take us in,” James ordered. Gently at first, and then with a great deal more thrust, Drake turned her nose towards Gayla and began to enter the system. They were now committed.

“Admiral,” Commander Anderson said as he looked up from his console five minutes later. “There’s an interesting small squadron of Karacknid ships just here.” As he spoke, the main holo display zoomed in on eighty Karacknid warships. They were moving fast towards Gayla. “They are just an hour’s flight time away for a Spitfire fighter. And there are no other sizeable Karacknid forces anywhere near them. There’s also several hundred freighters in the local vicinity.”

James could see what Anderson was getting at. His fighters were becoming a precious commodity, though. He didn’t want to lose them to some kind of Karacknid trap. “No enemy fighters or carriers have been detected yet?”

Anderson shook his head. “None.”

James rubbed his jaw. It was a risk, yet everything they had come to do was risky. “Okay, liaise with Wing Commander Hawthorn and organize a strike. Make sure she sends a couple of extra squadrons in case they run into some trouble.” Though it was only eighty warships and a bunch of freighters, James knew that when it came to assaulting Gayla’s defenses, the more he could chip away at the Karacknids’ strength, the better.

Fifteen minutes later, ten squadrons raced ahead of Drake. James watched them go for several moments and then returned to studying Gayla. He paid particular attention to the fortified moons. They would be his first target. The next hour went by relatively quietly. With all of the Karacknid forces seeking to concentrate at Gayla, there was no resistance to James’ advance. When Hawthorn’s strike went in against the Karacknid ships, there were also no surprises. Seventy-two of the ships were blown apart by plasma missiles. The fighters then had a field day among the Karacknid freighters. Using their small plasma cannons, they blasted freighter after freighter. For more than half an hour they destroyed anything they could get close to. James guessed they only gave up and returned when fuel started to become an issue.

Throughout the rest of the five-hour flight to the Karacknid homeworld the destruction and mayhem caused by James’ fleet was multiplied many times over. With all of the Karacknid warships pulled back to defend Gayla, the rest of the system was left all but undefended. Only the orbital battlestations that couldn’t be moved still protected things like mining facilities, ship construction yards and many other economic and military nodes. James didn’t hesitate to dispatch squadrons of two or three hundred of his fastest ships to cause as much destruction as possible. Hawthorn’s fighters carried out four sorties as they too struck out at vulnerable targets. With no guarantee that any of his plans would work, James wanted to cause as much damage as possible. Even so, as his main fleet approached Gayla, Anderson estimated that they had only destroyed about fifteen percent of the military industrial complex targets within the system. To any other civilization, the loss of so many stations and economic nodes would have been devastating. James reckoned they had destroyed five times the value of all of the Sol system’s industries. As much as he was tempted to keep several squadrons away from the main battle to inflict more damage, he knew he needed every ship he had for what was to come. Reluctantly then, as Drake came to a halt three missile range lengths from Gayla’s closest moon, he sent orders for his squadrons to return. Then he looked over to Petrov and nodded. “We may as well give this a try,” he said to his staff officers. He knew behind him Fug-sal was probably shaking his head or making some other Karacknid sign of disapproval. Still, he felt he had to try.

“Imperator Taranaki, I am Emperor James Somerville of the Human Empire. I’m speaking on behalf of my species and all of our allies represented by the ships gathered around your homeworld. We did not start this war with you. Your fleets attacked us. Yet we intend to finish it, however. If you give me your word you will declare a ceasefire and enter into negotiations in good faith with me, I will not attack your planet. Countless millions of people have already died in this war. There is no need for further bloodshed. Let us discuss peace instead of war.”

Only when he finished did James turn round to share a glance with Fralin-yang. The scribe had assured him that if Taranaki publicly agreed a ceasefire and discussed peace, he would be bound to keep his word. Yet he had been just as adamant that it was as likely Taranaki would come up to Drake in a shuttle by himself to hand himself over as a slave, as he would be to agree to a ceasefire. “How long are you going to give him to consider your generous offer, Emperor?” Fug-sal asked. Even James could hear the wry amusement in his voice.

“Ten minutes,” James replied. “Before meeting you, I might have waited just five, but your species can be even more stubborn than I once thought.” Fralin-yang waved a hand at James. “Are you sure you don’t want to try speaking to him, or your people?” James had broadcast his message on an open unencrypted channel for the entire planet to hear. Fralin-yang could have easily done the same.

“It would be a waste of time,” Fralin-yang said. “How do you think my people would take it? Either they would think you captured me and have forced me to speak at gunpoint. Or they think the whole thing is fake. Even worse, if they believed it was me and I was speaking of my own free will, they’d assume I have turned traitor. Your ships have just ravaged my home system.”

James rolled his lips around as he looked back at the display of Gayla. He had hoped all the destruction might awaken Taranaki to the very real threat he was in. Yet he supposed Fralin-yang was right. Destroying the Gayla system’s industry was only likely to enrage Taranaki more. Well, it’s too late to take your decision back now, James thought. And he knew that even if he could, he wouldn’t. The system’s might and wealth had been built on the backs of countless billions of slaves and slaughtered aliens. It all deserved to be blown apart. In silence then, he waited the ten minutes out. As soon as the last second ticked by, he turned to Anderson. “Give the order, let’s begin.”

When the order went out, thirty ships from the midst of James’ fleet began to move forward. Like the interdictor cruisers, James had been keeping them hidden and safe throughout the journey to Gayla. Now the strange looking ships moved to the head of his fleet. As long as heavy cruisers, they had none of the grace a warship typically had. They appeared to have the short stubby nose of a destroyer, but then widened significantly towards their rear. To the untrained eye, it would likely look like a destroyer’s nose section had been welded onto the engine compartment of one of Humanity’s largest mineral haulers. As soon as the thirty Olsa class missile cruisers cleared the Allied fleet, they opened fire. Each cruiser released fifty oversized missiles. They were modified mark V battlestation missiles. For ten minutes, they accelerated hard towards the moon Fralin-yang had told James was called Hirum. Then they jettisoned their first stage engine and released fifteen much smaller warheads. Housing the same inertial dampeners Spitfires and Corsairs were equipped with, each missile’s acceleration rate spiked. A salvo of twenty-two thousand five hundred missiles rained down upon Hirum’s defenses.

The moon had twenty battlestations and two hundred ships defending it. They were able to destroy most of the mark V’s but some scored hits. Two battlestations and six warships were hit. Unable to fire back at the Olsa missile cruisers, they could do nothing but lick their wounds and wait for the next attack. It came seven minutes later. Another salvo came in after that, and a fourth followed closely behind. On Drake’s bridge, James watched as several service freighters moved forward to join the missile cruisers. Shuttles began to take off from the freighters and cruisers as additional missiles were ferried across. Like the Olsa cruisers, he had been saving the freighters that were full of mark V missiles for this very purpose. He had enough missiles to keep up the bombardment for almost a day if the Karacknids would allow him.

“Ships in orbit around Gayla are powering up their engines,” Anderson reported. “It looks like three hundred are moving to reinforce Hirum.”

“Give Hawthorn permission to launch,” James said. He lent forward. He was about to find out if the Karacknids had any fighters of their own. When Hawthorn launched six hundred fighters from her carriers, there was no response. Then as they raced to intercept the Karacknid ships before they could reach Hirum, there were still no fighter launches. James had already enveloped Gayla in recon drones. Yet he had still been expecting fighters to make an appearance from somewhere. They never did. Hawthorn’s strike was therefore able to deliver a deadly blow to the Karacknid ships. Just before they attacked though, the missile cruisers fired one volley at the Karacknid reinforcements. Swooping in on the heels of the salvo, Hawthorn’s fighters destroyed two thirds of the Karacknid ships. The rest turned around and fled back towards the safety of Gayla.

“They’re falling back,” Ivanov said excitedly. “They’ve had enough already!” She wasn’t just talking about the Karacknid reinforcements. She was pointing at the ships still in orbit around Hirum. They too were accelerating hard towards Gayla, leaving the remaining battlestations on their own.

“Order our missile cruisers to focus on those ships,” James snapped. He then sought out the ships guarding the other two moons. All six hundred of them were moving towards Gayla as well. It made him smile. The Karacknids had seen the futility of defending the moons. As long as he could out range them, he could whittle away at their strength. The only other solution was to move enough ships out to be able to fend off the Olsa cruiser’s relatively small salvos. Yet Hawthorn’s fighters were not going to let that happen.

Two more salvos struck at the rear of Hirum’s defenders as they retreated back to Gayla. Then, as a third came in, point defense fire from the planet’s fortifications and defending warships reached out and easily destroyed every one of the twenty-two thousand five hundred missiles. Already, the missile cruisers had switched their fire back to Hirum though. Over a period of forty minutes, they blew apart every Karacknid battlestation. Then they focused on the weapon emplacements on the moon’s surface, and then to the military and civilian orbital stations. Everything was obliterated. Following James’ orders, they then moved to attack the second moon and repeated their destruction. By the time three hours had passed, the fortifications on all three moons had been reduced. James could now bring his fleet forward to attack Gayla without having to deal with fire coming from his flanks.

“All elements of orbital assault plan Beta are in place,” Ivanov said to James once the Olsa cruisers returned to the heart of James’ fleet.

“Proceed,” James ordered. Once his word was given, he was basically reduced to the role of spectator. His staff officers and indeed entire fleet had been training for over a year for the next three hours. Everyone knew exactly what to do.

The first ships to move were four hundred freighters. They began to accelerate at full speed towards Gayla. Hawthorn launched all of her remaining two thousand one hundred fighters and followed closely behind. Then James’ Imperial ships and all of the Kalassai warships moved in as well, but at a much slower pace. Firing their braking thrusters, they then came to a halt relative to Gayla, just within mark VI missile range. All six thousand Kalassai ships then opened up with their energy absorbing munitions. Every thirty seconds, they fired a massive wave of the weapons towards the Karacknids. For three minutes, they kept up a steady barrage and then ceased fire. Two minutes later, Drake and the rest of her consorts joined in, they released seventy thousand mark VI missiles towards the Karacknid defenders.

Everything was timed to perfection. Six waves of Kalassai ordinance reached the Karacknid defenders. Having come in on ballistic courses, they were all easily tracked and shot down. Yet even the act of filling space in front of them with weapons fire degraded the Karacknid sensors. Then, just before the Karacknid missiles that had been fired at them reached them, the three hundred freighters self-destructed. Each released a mass of miniature tungsten balls. Back on Earth, an officer from the Naval Logistics Division had told James they had gathered thirty million of them. Each one hurtled towards Gayla at a speed of 0.2c. They had been specifically designed to burn up on atmospheric re-entry. Even so, they had more than enough mass to pierce through a Karacknid warship’s armor. James had just fired a giant shotgun at Gayla’s super condensed orbital infrastructure. Racing in right behind all the tungsten balls, Hawthorn’s fighters prepared to engage. Before they did however, the salvo of mark IV missiles caught up and overtook them. At the very moment the Karacknids opened up on the missiles and tungsten balls with their point defenses, another wave of Kalassai energy absorbing rounds arrived as well.

The impact of every attack striking at once was impossible to overcome. Despite the massive firepower put out by the Karacknid warships and battlestations, the attack proved devastating. The vast majority of James’ missiles were shot down. Only a hundred got close enough to detonate and hurl laser beams at the Karacknids. Yet the sixty-seven explosions that appeared amidst the Karacknid forces was only the beginning. As the Kalassai weapons and tungsten balls reached Gayla’s orbitals, thousands of small explosions were detected by Drake’s sensors. They tore through everything they struck. Karacknid warships, battlestations, orbital stations, freighters, and civilian craft all took damage. Then a final wave of two thousand plasma missiles from Hawthorn’s fighters rushed into the pandemonium. They scored the most kills. Nearly five hundred Karacknid warships were blown apart. Almost as important, most of Hawthorn’s ships managed to escape. So many of the Karacknid warships and stations had suffered minor damage from the tungsten balls that their fire was haphazard and confused.

When the threat to them passed, James took a deep breath and relaxed his body. Everything was going exactly to plan. In front of him on the holo display, it looked like Gayla was burning. Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of civilian stations and ships were breaking apart and being sucked into the planet’s atmosphere. The sky itself was awash with fiery streaks as tungsten balls and debris were burnt up by friction on entering the planet’s atmosphere. James couldn’t help but glance at Fralin-yang. It was his homeworld after all. The High Scribe didn’t even look at him. He was staring at the holo display. James guessed that was for the best. As much as they had a common cause against Taranaki, Fralin-yang was still watching the might and power of his species being destroyed. For the first time in several weeks, James was very glad of the two marines in combat armor who stood just behind Fralin-yang’s seat. Leaving Fralin-yang to his thoughts, James refocused on the Karacknid defenses. On a secondary holo display, Anderson was collating a summary of the damage they had caused. A total of six hundred ships had been destroyed, along with sixteen battlestations. Thousands more civilian ships and other inconsequential stations had been destroyed too. Their limited armor had provided no protection from the tungsten balls. They were largely irrelevant though. It was the Karacknid warships James wanted to kill. For as soon as they were gone, the Kalassai city ships could move in and use their long-range phasers on the battlestations. Without their warships, the Karacknids would have no defense against such a move.

“We have hurt them badly,” Ivanov said when Anderson was finished. “That’s nearly a seventh of their warships gone. Many more have to be damaged. It worked like a charm.”

“It did…” James said. “If only we had more freighters.” In the past, besieging fleets had been forced to mine specific asteroids filled with trace amounts of heavy metals to hurl at a planet’s defenses. Knowing full well he would have to assault the Karacknids’ homeworld, James had come prepared. Yet he had no more freighters filled with tungsten balls. They were going to have to continue the siege the old-fashioned way. “Get Hawthorn’s fighters refueled and rearmed as soon as they land,” he ordered. “We will hit them again as soon as we can. There’s no guaranteeing how much time Rear Admiral Davies is going to be able to buy us. We have four more salvos of mark VI missiles. Let us make the best use of them.”

Over the course of two and a half hours, James’ fleet did just that. They coordinated two more strikes of Imperial missiles, fighters and Kalassai energy absorbing munitions. Nearly four hundred more Karacknid warships were destroyed, along with thousands of other civilian craft that tried to put themselves between the Karacknid warships and harm’s way. As the third strike rained down on the Karacknids, James sat forward in his command chair. There was something different about the defensive fire this time.

Alvarez saw it to. “They’re not focusing everything on our missiles. They’re going for Hawthorn’s fighters!”

James slammed a fist into his command chair. He should have anticipated such a move. The Karacknid couldn’t stop his ships firing missile salvo after salvo. They certainly weren’t aware that he only had one more salvo of missiles left. So instead, they were going to take out his fighters. Every fighter destroyed was one that he couldn’t attack with again. The Karacknids’ decision allowed more missiles to get through to detonate and send bomb-pumped lasers piercing into their fleet. Yet Hawthorn’s fighters paid a horrible price. Hundreds were destroyed before they released their missiles. Then, even after firing, the Karacknids still focused a great deal of their defensive fire on the fighters. Hundreds more were destroyed before they could get to safety. Their plasma missiles savaged the Karacknids, but as Hawthorn gathered up her attack wing to return to Drake, it was clear she was leading a very depleted force. Just seven hundred would return to their carriers.

James brought a hand to his chin. He had a difficult decision to make now. He had one more salvo of mark VI missiles. He needed to use them; they couldn’t be wasted. If he fired them with just the support of the Kalassai warships, their effectiveness would be reduced. Yet to send in Hawthorn’s fighters one more time would be condemning them all to almost certain death. Picturing Hawthorn and the other squadron commanders James knew, he wrestled with the decision.

He never got to make it. Out of nowhere, contact alarms began to blare all around him. James’ heart went cold as his head whipped around to the gravimetric plot. Thousands of new contacts had just been detected!

Chapter 41

No Karacknid Admiral has killed more of our people than Tanaka-lan.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

There was no doubting who the new contacts were. As they charged into the system, Drake’s sensors immediately identified them as Karacknid warships. Deepening James’ shock, his flagship’s computer started recognizing some of them and giving them designations. Several contact reports appeared beside many of them. Drake had met many of them before. “Tanaka-lan,” James whispered, though in the silence that had engulfed Drake’s bridge, it made several officers jump. James struggled to get his mind around it. How on earth had the Karacknid High Admiral come to be where he was? Do they have a wormhole as well? James asked himself. Yet that didn’t make sense. The Kalassai would likely have discovered it long ago. And they would have been able to bring up reinforcements to the frontline far faster. There was only one other explanation. Somehow, Tanaka-lan had figured out what James was doing. He had raced his ships all the way from the frontline back to Gayla. It must have taken months, James was sure. Yet the High Admiral wouldn’t have encountered any resistance. Whereas James’ ships had fought all the way to Gayla, Tanaka-lan was no doubt helped on his way from system to system.

James shook his head in dismay. Tanaka-lan’s five thousand ships were just three hours away from his position. There was no way he could continue with his battle plan now. Tanaka-lan had wrecked everything! If he pulled his forces out to engage the High Admiral, James had no doubt the three thousand ships defending Gayla would break orbit and attack from the rear. There was a fair chance he could defeat both fleets, but he wouldn’t have much of a force left after that. And it’s Tanaka-lan, James said to himself. The Karacknid Admiral was bound to have some surprises up his sleeve. Even as James watched the sensor data coming in on the new Karacknid fleet, he spotted six carriers. With the losses Hawthorn’s fighters had already taken, Tanaka-lan now had the fighter number advantage. Desperately, James looked back at the Karacknid homeworld. Victory had been so close, almost within his grasp.

“Admiral, we’re getting an open communication from those new Karacknid ships,” Petrov announced, surprise filling her voice.

James was sure he knew who it was from. Though he didn’t want to hear it, he nodded to Petrov. A moment later, Tanaka-lan’s face appeared on the main holo display. “Admiral Somerville,” he said savagely. “I know your flagship leads this heathen fleet. You may have fooled me once, but now you will pay the price. You once offered me a deal. Well, I am here to offer you one now. Surrender your ships, cause no more damage to Gayla, and I will give you and your fleet a quick death. Do this and there will be no more repercussions for your atrocities. But listen to me very closely. Fire one more missile at my homeworld, launch one nuke at its surface, and I promise you I will wipe your species off the face of the galaxy. I will not rest until every single one of your people has been hunted down and killed. On that, I swear on the Imperator’s life. I will never rest until I have had my revenge.”

Despite the vast distances that were still between them, James swallowed hard at the tone of Tanaka-lan’s voice. He knew his adversary meant every word he said. Once again, James found himself confronted with the very real possibility that his entire species could be made extinct. What choice do I have? He asked himself as fear and dismay washed over him.

*

Imperator’s Glory

Tanaka-lan was furious. Sensing his homeworld was in danger, he had taken a fast frigate forward ahead of his fleet to see just what was happening at Gayla. He had arrived just in time to see each of his homeworld’s moons be attacked and overrun. Then the damned Human Emperor had used his own siege tactic against his homeworld! His claws were dug so deeply into his command chair that they felt like they were about to snap off. Tanaka-lan didn’t care. He wanted to rip Somerville’s throat out. Not only that, he wanted to rip the throat out of every incompetent commander that had allowed the Allied fleet to penetrate so deeply into his species’ territory. He longed to drive his claws into the heart of Gayla’s fleet commander for not breaking orbit to engage Somerville’s fleet sooner. The fool had allowed Somerville to approach the homeworld and ravage it. Countless trillions upon trillions of credits worth of damage had already been done. The industrial might of his species had been set back a century. And this is only from the damage they have done here, Tanaka-lan thought to himself. He knew Somerville well enough by now to know that the Human would have left a trail of destruction behind him on his journey to Gayla.

Most of all, Tanaka-lan was furious with himself. He had failed to grasp the Humans’ strategy quickly enough. Despite racing his ships across the Karacknid empire at a speed never accomplished before, he had still arrived too late. His homeworld and Taranaki were at the Humans’ mercy. Just a handful of nukes fired at the Imperial Palace and everything Tanaka-lan and his fleet had fought and died for would be over. Letting out a growl that filled Imperator’s Glory’s bridge, he drove his claws deeper into his command chair. The Humans would have received his message by now. Do not dare, he thought towards Somerville. I will gut your wife and child. Do not dare.

*

IS Drake

James was still staring at the new Karacknid fleet. His hands were in fists. His palms stung; his cuts had reopened. He had no choice. He knew that, and yet he still hesitated. He couldn’t help but be brought back to the Battle of New Shanghai. Tanaka-lan had beaten him there and at the second battle of Earth. Only the Kulreans’ intervention had saved the day. A thought made him spin around to Fralin-yang. “You still do not believe revealing your presence now will accomplish anything?”

Fralin-yang shook his head and gestured towards the new ships on the holo display. “Especially not now. Not when the Imperator will believe he has been saved. Why? What are you thinking?” Fralin-yang sat forward in his chair, almost a threatening tone entering his voice.

James was already turning away. “Get me Admiral Ya’sia,” he demanded. Fralin-yang needn’t worry. No matter what Tanaka-lan did, he wasn’t about to nuke Gayla. He would not become like those he despised the most. His friend appeared on his holo display moments later.

“You have no choice,” she said at once. “I will buy you the time you need. None of our lives will mean anything if we cannot get to him.”

James closed his eyes. She was saving him from having to give the order. His mind flashed back to when he had first met Ya’sia. Almost, they had come to blows with their two fleets. Instead, they had become firm friends. When he opened them, he saw the same emotion he felt on her face. “Thank you. I’ll give you Hawthorn and her fighters. Do whatever you can to stay alive.”

“We will do our best,” was all Ya’sia was prepared to promise. “There’s no time to spare. We will depart immediately.” Without waiting for James to respond, she ended the COM channel. Seconds later, Triumphant and all the Alliance warships in James’ fleet moved away from Drake, bringing a thousand Conclave and Kalassai ships with them.

“I’ll speak to the rest of my senior commanders now,” James requested. “Ya’sia has gone to buy us time,” he informed Becket, Shraw, Scott, Fug-sal, and Johnston. “We have three, maybe four hours, that is all. There’s no more time for any of our planned attacks. We must drive on Gayla and take the orbitals. General Johnston, your forces must assault the Palace and capture Taranaki. Fralin-yang assures me that is where he will be. We have no other choice now. We must get our hands on him. Killing him will not do, it will only enrage them further. Only Taranaki can stop this bloodshed. We must get to him!”

“We are with you,” Becket said. “All of us are,” she added as she looked around at the other commanders.

All of them nodded or gestured in the affirmative. Only Fug-sal hesitated. “This attack will mean certain death for so many of our ships.”

“It will,” was all James could find to say in reply. “That is what is required of us now.”

“We will all be destroyed if we cannot do this,” Becket said. “We are committed now, there’s no turning back.”

“Very well,” Fug-sal replied. “We will join you in this. There is no separating now, anyway.”

“Then let’s bring this fight to them,” James said as he gritted his teeth. “Let’s show them what happens when they attack our worlds and our peoples! Death to the Karacknids!” He shouted as he slammed his fist onto his command chair. All of his commanders repeated the phrase. Even Drake’s bridge officers began to shout it. James didn’t need to give any more orders, his ships surged forward. Everyone in the fleet knew what was at stake. They all knew what they had to do.

*

Imperator’s Glory

Tanaka-lan growled just as loudly as James when he saw the Alliance warships turn towards his fleet. He knew exactly what that meant. So be it, he thought towards Somerville. If I capture you, I will keep you alive long enough so that you can see what I will do to your family and your homeworld. “All ships are to prepare for battle,” he barked. He needed to crush the Allied ships as quickly as possible and get to Gayla.

*

IS Drake

Just before Drake charged into normal missile range, she and the rest of James’ Imperial warships fired their final salvo of mark VI’s. The Kalassai opened fire with their munitions to support the missiles. Before they reached their targets, all of the Allied ships were able to then fire a normal salvo. The Karacknids did so as well. From the remaining nineteen hundred battlestations and three thousand warships, one hundred and sixty thousand missiles rose up from Gayla. Despite the massive threat, Drake kept forging forward. They had to bring the Kalassai city ships into energy weapon range. It was James’ ships’ only hope.

Three Karacknid missile salvos collided with them before they got that far. The Allied fleet threw everything they had at them. It wasn’t nearly enough. Each salvo knocked hundreds of contacts from Drake’s sensors as anti-mater engulfed ships, wiping them from existence within a couple of seconds. Even more suffered proximity hits or had serious damage inflicted upon them. Their momentum kept them moving towards Gayla where subsequent missile salvos could finish them off. Despite the death and destruction around him, James kept his focus on the point in the Karacknid defenses he had selected. His ships were heading right towards it. His missile salvos had already begun to blast a hole in the Karacknid ships and battlestations. The Kalassai fire was widening that hole every ten seconds. As each salvo rushed in, he willed them on. He needed to clear away as many enemy units as possible.

Just after the third Karacknid salvo struck home, the Kalassai city ships made it into range. Within seconds, battlestations started to be blown apart. James punched his fists. Even as the Karacknids fired another massive salvo, a hole was opening in their formation. Just seconds after the city ships fired their first salvo, James looked over to Salamanca. “Begin breaking maneuver,” he ordered.

As Salamanca took control of the dreadnought, her nose twisted up and away from Gayla. The other ships in James’s fleet did the same. Then they all fired their main thrusters, working to arrest their momentum towards the planet. The maneuver turned most of the ship’s point defenses away from the Karacknids. Unless James wanted his ships to crash into the planet, he had to do it. As the Kalassai city ships kept firing away, he held up a hand towards Salamanca. The fourth Karacknid missile salvo was just two minutes from his ships. He waited until the very last moment and then dropped his hand. As soon as the ships began to turn back to face the incoming threat, they opened up with all their weapons. Moments later, more antimatter explosions bloomed amidst James’ fleet. As soon as they died out, James nodded to Salamanca. Once again, the Allied fleet turned and began to decelerate once more.

This time, James braced himself. All of his ships would enter energy weapon range of the Karacknids before the next salvo reached them. Just twenty seconds before they did, he gave the order for his ships to flip end over end one final time. Then all hell broke loose. The Kalassai warships were able to fire first. Equipped with smaller phasers than their city ships, they raked the Karacknid warships still in orbit. Thousands of explosions appeared on Drake’s sensors. Then the rest of the Allied fleet and the Karacknids fired at almost the same instant. Grazer beams, heavy plasma bolts, and particle cannons filled the space between the combatants with terajoules of energy. Combatants on both sides were blasted apart. Thousands of ships and stations died.

Beneath his feet, James felt Drake shudder twice in quick succession. His flagship had been hit! The power flickered on most of the bridge’s consoles and the lights went out. Emergency lighting flicked on instantly. Most of the consoles came back to life as well. They were screeching as they protested all the damage being done to the ship. Alvarez and Drake’s senior Lieutenants bellowed commands to one another and the rest of the bridge officers.

As if the carnage wasn’t enough, the final missile salvos each side had fired came crashing in. Several hundred antimatter missiles made it through the weakened point defensive fire of the Allied fleet. They brought death and destruction with them. What emerged from the slaughter was a shadow of the fleet that had entered. James tried and failed not to look too closely at the losses. His eyes fell on the area of his fleet Rising Star had been in. His hands clenched into fists. Jil’lal’s flagship was gone. There was no sign of it. Antimatter had wiped it from existence. James wanted to scream. He had lost another friend! He couldn’t though. There was too much at stake.

Despite the grievous losses, there were three thousand ships still keeping pace with Drake. All of them were firing their maneuvering thrusters. James forced himself to focus his eyes on the coordinates his ships were heading towards. That was all that mattered. They had now destroyed over five hundred Karacknid battlestations. All of the ones that had been above the Imperial Palace were gone. So too were the Karacknid warships stationed there. As his ships slipped lower and lower into Gayla’s orbit, they didn’t stop until they were touching the planet’s atmosphere. They got so low that the curve of the Karacknids’ homeworld protected them from energy weapon fire from the remaining Karacknid ships and stations. That didn’t stop them from hurling a steady stream of missiles over the horizon towards James’ ships. With the Allied fleet planting itself in the midst of the Karacknids, they came from every direction. Yet the Karacknids had suffered just as grievous losses as James’ fleet had. The evidence of the fact was seen in their depleted missile numbers. The point defensive fire that reached out to strike at them proved effective. Only twenty-three missiles managed to hit their targets. As soon as they had detonated, James swung round to Petrov. “Give General Johnston the go order now!” Then he joined Ivanov in reorganizing their formation to provide as tight a defensive front as possible. He had to hold long enough for Johnston to acquire their target.

*

Johnston was in one of the first shuttles to launch. It took just a minute for his first assault wave to form up and race down through Gayla’s atmosphere. Hundreds of tungsten spears left fiery streaks behind them as they raced ahead. Explosions erupted all around the area in front of the Imperator’s Palace. They then marched their way several kilometers out into an open desert area he had selected as his forces’ LZ. Others crashed down on the far side of the mountain range the Palace was in. They caused a wall of destruction between the Palace and a nearby city. When the orbital strikes clearing his LZ ceased, the others did not, however. For as long as the Allied ships were in orbit, Johnston wanted a constant wave of strikes landing between the Palace and the nearest Karacknid city. He wanted to do everything he could to discourage the city’s population from rushing to help their Imperator. There was no way his two hundred thousand strong force could hope to accomplish their mission otherwise.

From his command shuttle’s holo display, Johnston orchestrated the landing. The Imperator’s Palace was a formidable target. Built into the side of a huge mountain, it jutted out forming a semi-circle. Like the other shrines he had assaulted, it’s exterior walls were all smooth rock. It had a dome on top that was just as smooth as well. Though the Palace itself appeared to have no defenses, there were several rings of fortifications surrounding it. First, he sent in all of his atmospheric fighters. They flew over the Imperator’s Palace, launching hyper velocity missiles at the ground fortifications. Hundreds of missiles reached up to reply in kind. Evasive maneuvers and ECM saved some of the fighters. Less than half escaped. While the Karacknids were distracted, Johnston pushed his first landing wave forward. More missiles reached out to swat at the shuttles. Counter fire homed in on every launch site. Even so, nearly a third of the shuttles were struck by missiles or laser beams. Johnson had no time to spare though. Already, his second wave was zooming in after the first.

Just sixty seconds after touching down, the shuttles from the first wave were already in the air, providing cover for the second wave. The third wave full of Gramrian soldiers, landed just moments behind the second. Then as the fourth wave of shuttles moved forward, Johnston’s shuttle joined them. Even before his shuttle touched down onto the planet’s sandy surface, Johnston jumped out. A portable command tent had been set up for him. Moving into it, he saw General Pershing’s division was already pushing forward to make contact with the Karacknid defenses. Scans from his shuttles as they had descended estimated there to be between thirty and forty thousand Karacknid troops spread out across an area of about six miles square in front of the entrance to the Palace. There were four rings of defenses and multiple bunkers and weapon emplacements. The orbital strikes had made a mess of the whole area, but Karacknids were still crawling all over it. They’d have to be pushed back inch by inch. Quickly, Johnston sent orders to each of his divisional commanders. As soon as they were in place, the assault would begin.

Not willing to simply watch out the battle from a command tent, Johnston stepped back outside. His eyes were immediately drawn upwards. The Allied fleet was easily visible in low orbit above him. He could actually see defensive fire streak out from the ships and then Karacknid missiles flash in and explode at incredibly quick speeds. Johnston forced himself to look down. He had no time for what was going on in orbit. Gesturing for his staff officers to follow, he broke into a fast jog as he moved towards the front. Just ahead of him, hundreds of shuttles were hovering in the air, blasting away at anything they could detect. Plasma bolts and hyper velocity missiles were constantly streaking across the sky down towards the Karacknid positions. Through his feet, Johnston felt the shock waves as artillery pieces that had been landed began to open up. On either side of him, battletanks began to roll forward. Everything he had brought with him was being thrown at the Karacknids. There was no time for any fancy battle plans or maneuvers. The Palace had to be taken before Tanaka-lan’s ships made it to orbit. Not only that, he had to get his hands on Taranaki. And not kill him, Johnston thought as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The amount of energy being thrown around was making the very air electrostatic. If Taranaki was anywhere near the fighting, there was a very real chance he could be killed by random weapons fire. Despite how satisfying that might be, James had sternly warned him that it would mean the end of their fleet. Killing him was a last resort. The plan was to capture him and force him to confront Fralin-yang. Johnston had made sure every one of his marines and Gramrians knew that. We have to get to him first, Johnston told himself as he made it to the top of a sand dune and was able to look down towards the Palace and the battle lines in front. Already, battle had been joined. The entire Karacknid position was coming under heavy assault. Artillery rounds, shuttle fire, and even orbital strikes were hammering the rear of the Karacknids positions. Three divisions of marines and one of Gramrians were assaulting the first line of defenses. Smoke and chaff had already been fired, blanketing the Karacknids. Into it charged battletanks and foot soldiers.

Johnston rushed down to where General Pershing was stationed with his command staff. It took less than a minute for him to get there. Even so, in that time, another attack wave pushed forward. “We’ve breached their first line of defenses,” Pershing shouted as Johnston ran up. “Our first wave has made contact with their second line. Our second wave will drive through it.”

“Send in the third,” Johnston ordered. He then took over from Pershing in organizing the assault. For another twenty minutes, he coordinated the orbital fire with his artillery and ground troops. It cost him thousands of marines and Gramrians. Slowly though, meter by meter and even inch by inch, the Karacknids were killed or driven back. The last several thousand turned from their positions and fled towards the Palace’s main entrance. Rocket fire slaughtered many of them. Those that made it to the Palace disappeared inside.

Now for the hard part, Johnston feared. Despite the extremely high losses, he knew everything up until this point had been child’s play. The Imperator’s Palace was massive. The smooth stone structure in front of him was nearly twice as big as the Scribe’s Sanctuary on Crakigoan. It had taken ten thousand marines nearly a couple of hours to fully search it. Yet the part of the Palace he could see wasn’t even all of it. Orbital scans suggested there were many rooms and caverns carved into the mountainside itself. “Let’s go,” he shouted to Pershing. Johnston knew he couldn’t be the first one through the entrance, but he wasn’t going to send his marines in there without supporting them in person.

“Here sir,” Pershing said as he waved Johnston over towards him. Johnston hesitated for a second, but then saw a shuttle was coming in to touch down beside Pershing. “This will be faster,” Pershing said as he hopped onto the shuttle. Johnston and his staff officers joined him and then the shuttle jumped into the air again. It took just thirty seconds to fly over the battleground. The whole area was littered with bodies; marines, Gramrians, and Karacknids. Johnston forced himself to look. He didn’t know the casualty numbers yet. They were going to be high though, very high. Yet there was nothing he could do about it. They had to breach the Palace.

When the shuttle reached the Palace’s entrance, Johnston jumped off. He saw two large stone doors had been swung shut, sealing the entrance. The only way he was able to tell where they were was from the blast marks where marines had clearly fired hyper velocity missiles at the doors. A tank was also sitting in front of them, smoke billowing from its turret. The doors were still intact.

“We are trying plasma charges now General,” a Colonel called out. He gestured towards the door. Several marines were there attaching backpack sized devices all over the blasted area. As soon as they were done, they sprinted back behind the tank to take over. Johnston and Pershing moved behind an APC. The Colonel raised a hand and then quickly lowered it. A blast wave washed over all the marines and Gramrians gathered around the entrance. When Johnston peaked around the APC, both doors were lying on their sides, shattered into large pieces. Without waiting for any orders, marines launched hyper velocity missiles down the entrance shaft. More than fifty of them flew in, sending fire and rock washing out. Then more Marines moved closer and hurled explosive and chaff grenades. As soon as the marines stepped back, a platoon of Gramrians rushed into the entrance. Right behind them, a platoon of special forces marines followed suit. Stretching out behind Johnston, thousands of his forces were lining up as they prepared to charge in.

Moving back behind the APC, Johnston pulled up a visual on his combat armor’s HUD and selected one of the leading Gramrian troops. The velociraptor like alien’s movements were so fast that even with his augments, Johnston struggled to keep up. As he watched, the Gramrian rushed down the long entrance tunnel. It and its comrades were being met by a wave of laser rifle fire. They were dropping like flies. Then the signal cut off. Johnston knew the Gramrian had been hit. He pulled up the feed from one of the special forces marines. The marine made it five meters further down the tunnel before she too was hit and killed. In the third visual he started to follow, Johnston saw the bodies were starting to pile up. His troops actually had to climb over their dead to keep pushing forward. Despite his years of battle experience, bile threatened to rise up Johnston’s throat. It didn’t make him order a halt to the attack however. There was nothing he could do but keep feeding troops into the channel. As more marines and Gramrians charged forward, they made more and more progress, yet each one was shot down all the same.

A firm hand on his shoulder pulled his mind out of the tunnel. “What is it?” He demanded as he turned.

It was one of his communications officers. She was holding a datapad. “We just received this from orbit,” she said as she shoved it into Johnston’s hand.

Taking it, Johnston looked down. His eyes widened. It was an orbital feed of the Karacknid city. Tens of thousands of Karacknids were streaming out of it towards the mountain range the Palace was in. They were literally charging into the orbital strikes still coming down from Drake and the other capital ships. Thousands had to be dying. As bad as that was, others were getting through. They were already streaming up the nearest mountain pass. Johnston zoomed the image out. In less than an hour, they could be upon his position. He tapped two points on the datapad’s map. “Get General Manville’s and General Koda’s divisions to these two passes. They must hold them at all costs. And make sure our ships don’t cease their orbital bombardment.” As much as it appalled him that the Karacknids were being blasted from space, he couldn’t allow them to stream up the mountainside in the numbers they were hurling themselves forward with. Most looked to be unarmed, at least that would give Manville and Koda a good chance of holding them off. Yet given the rate at which Johnston was losing troops, he feared he might need their divisions to secure the Palace. At least we know the Imperator is here, Johnston thought to himself. That was at least something. The Karacknids wouldn’t be desperately sacrificing themselves unless they were trying to save their Imperator.

Feeling even more desperate, Johnston turned back to look at the Palace’s entrance. Hundreds of marines and Gramrians were still streaming into it. Though he didn’t want to, Johnston accessed a visual from one of the special forces marines further up the chamber. To his surprise, as the visual kicked in, the marine burst out of the tunnel into a massive chamber. It was full of smoke and dust, yet hundreds of Karacknids were instantly visible. They were taking shelter behind the feet of a long line of statues that led up each side of the hall. It was just like the shrine at Crakigoan, except the chamber had to be twice the size. In the far distance, Johnston also caught a glimpse of two red glowing balls. He knew they had to be the eyes of the statue of Taranaki. Then the image cut off. The marine had been killed. Switching his head to a tactical map, Johnston saw more and more marines and Gramrians force their way into the chamber. The first that made it in drew the Karacknids fire, allowing for more to follow. Within seconds, some of his forces made it to the feet of the first statues. Using them as cover, they were able to return fire on the Karacknids. The bloodbath didn’t lessen as more and more marines and Gramrians charged forward, but at least they were now taking ground. In the space of just three minutes, the chamber was cleared and the few remaining Karacknids driven out. Johnston was on his feet as soon as they were. With Pershing and his staff officers following behind, he rushed up to the Palace’s entrance. Already, medics and other marines were pulling bodies from the chamber. They had to, they needed to clear a path for the rest of their forces to push forward.

When Johnston got into the Palace’s main chamber, it was already filling up with troops. Ahead, he could hear the sound of more fighting. The same Colonel who had overseen taking down the Palace’s doors moved over to him. “There are two openings that lead out of this chamber.” As he spoke, the Colonel gestured to the left and right of the statue of the Imperator. “They’re about a third of the size of the main entrance.”

Johnston swore, each chamber was about to turn into another bloodbath for his forces. “Get some ground penetrating scanners in here,” he ordered. “I want to scan the walls of every chamber we take. If there are weak points, we’re going to blast our way deeper in.”

“Yes sir,” the Colonel snapped.

By the time the scanners were brought in, the next two tunnels had been taken and the next chambers cleared. Each chamber branched off with more tunnels. Some continued onto other chambers on the same level whilst others headed up or down. Fralin-yang had said Taranaki would likely be at his command bunker or his audience chamber, but the scribe had said nothing more than that. With no way of knowing where either might be, Johnson had to direct forces along every tunnel. Every one of which was being defended by more Karacknids.

As more minutes passed by, Johnston felt himself becoming more and more desperate. A constant stream of casualties were being carried out of the Palace. A steady stream of more soldiers was moving in the other direction. They endlessly filed past Johnston’s position. Though he couldn’t see the marine faces behind their combat helmets, the body language of everyone was the same. They knew they were likely going to their deaths. Their shoulders were squared and their heads were high nonetheless, they knew what they were fighting for. As each one passed by, Johnston’s deep sense of guilt grew. He was sending them to their deaths while he stood by and watched. Rationally, he knew it made no difference. One more special forces marine charging in would change nothing. It didn’t change how he felt.

When a total of twenty minutes came and went from when the first chamber had been secured, Johnston shook his head. They had cleared thirty more Chambers, yet from what he knew of the size of the Palace, they were still just scratching its outer surface. Every single tunnel was being protected by a steady barrage of laser rifle fire. Then, when his forces finally managed to breach a tunnel, each chamber had to be cleared of Karacknids. It was taking too long and costing him too many troops. He neither had the time nor the manpower to keep advancing at the rate he was, and his scanners had proved useless. The walls of the chamber were five and even ten meters thick at places. Demolition marines had tried blasting through at the thinnest parts. It had been futile; they had brought more of the chamber’s roof in on top of themselves than they had come closer to opening up a new passageway.

“General, I have Admiral Somerville on a COM channel, he is requesting a status update,” one of Johnston’s staff officers said as she stepped up to him.

Johnston nodded to her and then turned away so she couldn’t read his body language. Despite his best efforts, his shoulders slumped. He knew he had to tell Somerville the truth. Things were not going well. Not at all. He couldn’t get to Taranaki. Not in the time they had. The fleet would be destroyed first.

Chapter 42

Many great Admirals were lost in the War of Doom. Perhaps some of the greatest the Empire and her allies have ever seen. When any commander falls, they must be mourned, but others must also rise up to take their place. So has it been throughout the history of the Imperial Fleet.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake

James stared in horror at the holo display. Whilst his fleet had assaulted Gayla and moved into a low orbit, Ya’sia had taken her ships out to meet Tanaka-lan. Carefully, she had tried to dance around him to draw him into a prolonged battle. The Karacknid had not taken the bait. He hadn’t even wasted any time trying to use his numbers to overcome Ya’sia with superior missile salvos. Instead, he had charged right through her as if she wasn’t there. Each side had already exchanged four missile salvos. Now, in just a matter of seconds, they would enter energy weapon range of one another. James wanted to close his eyes. There was only going to be one outcome. He kept them open. He owed Ya’sia that much. He wouldn’t let her go without watching.

Gasps filled Drake’s bridge as both fleets unloaded their energy weapons into one another. Every Allied ship was being targeted by two or three Karacknids. In a flash, the Allied fleet was shattered. Not a single ship escaped unscathed. All but around three hundred were simply blown apart. In the space of a second, nearly two thousand ships that had managed to fight their way for months through Karacknid space were turned into debris. Any of their crews who survived the initial blast would quickly freeze in the cold blackness of open space.

Many Karacknid ships were blown apart as well by the return fire, yet they could take the losses and forge ahead. James didn’t even look at them. He couldn’t. Instead, he continued to stare at the small contact that was Triumphant. She had been hit at least once, but she continued on. As James watched, she fired another broadside from her energy weapons. A third erupted before the Karacknids recharged theirs. When they did, Tanaka-lan blasted every remaining Allied ship. Triumphant took more than a hundred beams. She was vaporized. One moment, she was there filling Drake’s holo display, then she was gone. Not even a trace of her remained. James finally closed his eyes. Another one of his friends was gone. Another one had sacrificed themselves for him.

Wiping away a tear, he forced his eyes back open. He turned his attention to his fleet. His ships were holding position above the Imperator’s palace. The remaining Karacknid battlestations and ships were hurling missile salvos at him as fast as they could. Though he was taking losses, his fleet was holding its own. It was only a matter of time however. Tanaka-lan would reach Gayla in a little over an hour and a half. Even as he watched his ships, another missile salvo came crashing in. Point defenses destroyed most of them, yet some got through. More antimatter missiles savaged his fleet. “Get me General Johnston,” James requested, his voice barely above a whisper. “Connect him to my command chair’s COM channel.” It took nearly thirty seconds, but eventually Johnston’s face did appear just in front of him. “Admiral Ya’sia’s fleet is gone, Tanaka-lan is on his way here. Please tell me you are close to getting him.”

James knew the answer before Johnston opened his mouth. The General had retracted his combat armor’s helmet to speak to him. He could see it in his friend’s eyes. “I’m sorry Admiral,” Johnston said as he held James’s gaze for just a second before looking down. “This place is like a rabbit warren. My troops are doing their best. We’ve lost thousands upon thousands so far. But it’s taking too long. There are too many of them. We can’t break through, not if they keep up the same level of resistance.”

James tightened his hands into fists and raised them up in front of them. He brought them both to rest on his chin as he closed his eyes. “You’re telling me you can’t do this? That everything has been in vain?”

“I am sorry,” Johnston replied, his voice full of defeat. “Unless they suddenly run out of soldiers, we cannot overcome them.”

James cursed Taranaki in his mind. He hated the Karacknid Imperator with every fiber of his body. It was because of the Imperator that Earth had been nuked. He was the reason Gupta, Romanov and Ya’sia and all the others were dead. He couldn’t take it any longer. “Get your troops out of there,” he found himself saying. “Evacuate Taranaki’s palace immediately.”

“James, what are you thinking?” Johnston asked.

“Just do it,” James replied. He reached forward and cut the COM channel. “Prepare a nuclear strike,” he said as he turned to Ivanov. “If we are going down, we’re taking him with us.”

“Emperor, I must protest, for the sake of my people,” Fralin-yang said as he jumped to his feet. Two combat armor clad hands grasped his shoulders. As if they weren’t there, Fralin-yang reached out towards James. “There could be a million or more Karacknids in that Palace. And think of the city.”

James swung on Fralin-yang. “Do you have a better idea?” He flung a hand towards the holo display showing Gayla. “Do you want to speak to your people? Tell them how Taranaki is a fraud? How he is no god? It’s now or never. When Tanaka-lan gets here, your people will die just as much as mine.”

Fralin-yang looked over James’ shoulder. Ever so slightly, he shook his head. “They will not listen. They would not believe.”

James swung back away from Fralin-yang. “Then you’re no use to me now. I must think of my people. If I can kill him, I can put an end to his warrior’s devotion. Perhaps the fallout from seeking a new successor will buy my people time to run as far as they can. There is no hope now in suing for peace.” James raised a hand towards Ivanov. “Are Johnston’s forces out yet?”

“They are still on the move,” Ivanov answered. “Our analysis suggests we’re going to have to hit the Palace multiple times if we want to obliterate it. It has chambers going nearly half a kilometer into the planet’s surface. The mountain range will protect the Karacknid city from some of the shockwave, but not all of it.”

Almost, Ivanov’s words made James hesitate. For a moment, he considered sending a warning to the city. Yet, what would be the point? He asked as he glanced at Gayla. His ships were still firing tungsten spears down in an effort to create a wall of explosions to deter the Karacknids from charging towards the mountain range. It was having little to no effect. If he warned them, they would just ignore him. And I’m not striking them on purpose, James thought as he let out a low growl between his clenched teeth. The Karacknids had nuked his homeworld. They had destroyed London. Christine’s entire family had been killed in the attack. If he could buy several months or even a year or two for Christine and Jonathan to flee from Earth, he would do it. Every Karacknid in the Palace had already shown themselves to be enemy combatants. “On my order,” James said as he raised his hand higher.

“Wait!” Fralin-yang shouted. From the grunts behind James, it was clear he was struggling against his escorts. “Taranaki’s successor. That’s it! There may be a way.”

If Johnston’s troops had evacuated already, James would have dropped his hand. Fralin-yang would say anything to stop what James was about to do. Even knowing that, James hesitated. He half turned. “What is it?”

“The old customs,” Fralin-yang said. “They can’t all be forgotten. Remember Trava-klan. If you do it publicly, he can’t deny it or hide from it. He would be shamed if he tried.”

James frowned. He had quizzed Fralin-yang deeply about the Karacknids history. Yet he didn’t get what Fralin-yang was getting at. Then his eyes widened. “You don’t mean…?”

Fralin-yang nodded. “But it must be you. You have come this far. You have assaulted his very palace.”

James closed his eyes. It was a long shot, and that was saying the very least. He looked up towards Tanaka-lan’s charging fleet, and then towards the next wave of missiles coming towards his ships from Gayla’s defenders. It was a desperate move. But what have you got to lose? He asked. If he tried it and it failed, they would all be dead, anyway. But you’d have to offer him something he couldn’t refuse. Something equal to his species accepting peace. There was only one thing. “Belay the order to fire those nukes,” James said as he turned back to Ivanov. “I want tungsten spears fired instead. Fralin-yang, how deep into the Palace is Taranaki’s command chamber? Tell me now.”

“It’s below the planet’s surface,” Fralin-yang said, “that is all I know.”

“Blast us a hole down to the planet’s surface,” James demanded. Within seconds, six tungsten spears were fired from Drake, one after the other. The first one struck the top of the Palace’s dome and hurled thousands of tons of rock up into the air. The next one struck the same spot, its blast forming a deep crater into the structure. Each spear followed in just a couple of seconds after the last. Their cumulative effect bore a deep hole into the Palace.

“Open a systemwide COM channel, unencrypted,” James requested. He then glanced at Fralin-yang, “For all our sakes, this better work.”

“You have led the first alien fleet that has attacked Gayla. You are the Emperor of your species; you have defeated our fleets in battle. Let them know that. Let them know you are worthy to make the challenge.”

James nodded. From the tone of Fralin-yang’s voice, it almost sounded like he believed it himself. It gave James a small spark of hope. It quickly turned into determination. He pressed his teeth together until Petrov nodded to him. The COM channel had been opened. James tried to sound as stern as possible. “Karacknid people, I am Emperor James Somerville of the Human Empire. My species has been at war with yours for six years. We did not start this fight, but we came here with our allies to finish it. Your Imperator is now at my mercy. One command and I can destroy him and his Palace forever. I have a hundred nuclear warheads aimed at him as we speak. I did not come here to conquer you, however. My species has fought many battles in its history, but long ago we forsook enslaving others against their will. I am here to bring an end to this war. Therefore I, as the Emperor of my people, as the Admiral who has led an attack fleet right to the very heart of your Empire, as the greatest warrior in our alliance, I, Emperor James Somerville, challenge the false god Taranaki. He has corrupted the Karacknid people. He has ordered the murder of millions of innocent civilians. He no longer deserves to lead the Karacknid empire. I challenge him to Trava-klan, to single combat…” James paused to let his words sink in. “Here then are my terms. If Taranaki wins, then the Human species and those of our Alliance will submit to the Karacknid empire. We will become your slaves as you have enslaved so many others. Yet if I win, on your people’s honor, you must end the war you have started with us. If I win, we will become your equals, not some inferior species for you to tread upon. This is my challenge. If your Imperator is brave enough to accept it. If he is brave enough to face a Human in single combat. If not, it may be known throughout this system that instead of facing his enemy, he cowers under the ground in a hole. I have come here to fight. I have personally led my fleet in many battles to get here. Now I challenge him to come out of his pampered palace and prove his worth, if he has any left.” James leaned forward in his command chair. “You have five minutes, Taranaki. Accept my challenge and fight me. If you are brave enough, declare a ceasefire in this system. All of our ships can stop fighting and hold position. Then we can settle this Imperator to Emperor. You have five minutes. If you do not respond, we will all know you are the coward your actions have already shown you to be. Five minutes, and if you do not reply, I will nuke your Palace like you nuked my homeworld.” With a gesture to Petrov, James ordered the COM channel ended. Then he sank back into his command chair. He felt drained.

“You’re not serious, are you?” Alvarez asked. He was looking at James with his mouth open. “You’ve seen the statues of him, he would rip you to shreds.”

Ivanov was staring at him as well. “Admiral, I’m really not sure about this. Special forces marines can fight Karacknids in hand-to-hand combat. But they have decades of training.”

James gestured towards the holo display that was showing Tanaka-lan’s advancing fleet. “What chance do we have against that after all the losses and damage we have suffered?”

“But how can we trust him? He might agree to this and then turn around and kill us all,” Alvarez protested.

“If he agrees, he will be honor bound to see it through,” Fralin-yang promised. “If he doesn’t, he will be rejected by our people.”

“How can we know he’s not lying,” Alvarez asked, not taking his eyes from James. “This could all be a ploy.”

James glanced at Fralin-yang. “I don’t think so. But what else can I do now? If we nuke Taranaki, our families will suffer for it. At least if I die, no one else needs to. And we may yet have a trick to play if he does agree. There are certain protocols we may take advantage of.” Again, James glanced at Fralin-yang. The High Scribe nodded.

“We’re getting COM requests from multiple ships,” Petrov reported, intentionally not looking towards James, Ivanov, or Alvarez. “Admirals Becket, Scott, Shraw, Fug-sal and Commodore Somerville are all demanding to speak with you.”

James could easily imagine what Becket, Scott and Emilie would have to say. They would be furious at putting himself in harm’s way. Probably only Shraw would be supportive. “I’ll speak to Fug-sal,” he said. The Kalassai commander was likely to be upset for a very different reason.

“You do not speak for my species,” it bellowed. “You cannot promise my people will serve the Karacknids. We will never do that. We would all die before that day comes.”

James smiled to try and defuse the tension. “I have no doubt you speak the truth. In fact, I suspect my people would do the same, no matter what deal we may make here. Yet, if you listened closely, you will have heard I only promised the species that Humanity has entered into an alliance with, will submit. There have been no formal treaties or pacts signed between Humanity and the Kalassai. My words were not meant to bind your people to any agreement.”

“And yet they have doomed us all, nonetheless. For if you do this, you will surely die and then all of your species will be enslaved. The Karacknids will redouble their efforts to hunt us down.”

“What else would you have me do?” James asked. “You can see Tanaka-lan’s fleet approaching. If we fight him, we will lose. And if we lose, then the Karacknids will come for the rest of your species anyway.”

“Admiral, Admiral,” Ivanov called out trying to break into James’ reply.

“What is it?” James asked as he glanced at her. She was pointing at a secondary holo display. He followed her finger. The display was showing the nearest Karacknid battlestations and ships. He frowned for a second. Then he saw it too. They hadn’t fired again. The latest salvo was overdue.

“We’re getting a communication from the surface,” Petrov announced. “It’s not encrypted and systemwide.”

On the holo display, an image of the most imposing Karacknid James had ever seen appeared. His eyes glowed a smoldering dark flame. If James hadn’t seen the statues, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to resist the urge to simply stare into them. Resist he did though. Grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, he looked up defiantly at the image of his adversary.

“Human Emperor,” Taranaki said, drool dripping down between his teeth. “You are not deserving of such a title. Your puny fleet is a speck of dust compared to the might of the Karacknid Empire. The Empire I have forged and strengthened. Your threats mean nothing to me. Nor do you hold a rank that gives you any right to challenge me. Yet I believe it would be entertaining to face you in combat. And I would very much enjoy enslaving your people. You have made your challenge public to all of Gayla. Well, let me reply in kind. I will gladly face you in the combat ring. I will bring your sniveling life to an end, and rip your heart right out of your chest. My ships will hold position for two hours. If you are as brave as you make out, come, let us meet each other in combat. We will settle this once and for all. And when you are dead, your fleet and your species will be mine.”

The image blinked away as quickly as it had appeared. Everyone on Drake’s bridge sat perfectly still in silence. They were all staring at where Taranaki’s face had been. Fralin-yang was the one who spoke first. “Well Emperor, I would say you got his attention. Look, even Tanaka-lan’s fleet is decelerating.”

James’ eyes widened as he turned to a secondary holo display. The Karacknid High Admiral’s fleet was indeed decelerating. He could only imagine how furious Tanaka-lan was. And yet, he was slowing. He cannot disobey his Imperator. James turned to Ivanov and Alvarez. They looked as shocked as he. “It worked. It actually worked.” James couldn’t help but shake his head. Slowly, it began to dawn on him just what had happened. He was going to have to fight Taranaki. The large, imposing muscled Karacknid that had just been threatening him was going to try and sink his claws into James’ chest and rip him apart. Half turning, James caught Fralin-yang’s eyes. “Just what have you got me into?”

“I have given us both a chance to get what we want,” Fralin-yang replied as he showed James his teeth. “I can denounce Taranaki and you can get your chance to kill him. It is a win-win for us both.”

“And if he kills me?”

Fralin-yang’s smile widened. “Then it is a win-win-win. For, me at least.”

James closed his eyes as he shook his head again. Fralin-yang was a Karacknid after all, what else could he expect? And what else can I expect from Taranaki? He is going to do everything in his power to kill me. And if I fail, everything is lost. Despite how desperate the situation had been, James began to doubt himself. What better chance did he have against Taranaki than his fleet had against Tanaka-lan?

Chapter 43

The measure of one’s worth comes not from a high level of intellect or a great deal of physical strength, but in what one does with the abilities he has been given.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake

Half an hour later, all the arrangements had been made, the Trava-klan would take place just in front of the Imperator’s Palace. In a strange encounter, both Karacknids and marines were working to clear a large enough area for the combat to take place in and for all the spectators who were supposedly coming to watch. General Johnston had left Pershing in charge. As soon as he saw Taranaki had accepted James’ challenge, he had jumped on a shuttle back to Drake.

“This is utter foolishness,” he said to James. Both of them, along with Ivanov, Becket, Scott, Shraw, and Sergeant Harkin and James’ niece were all standing in James’ office. “Utter foolishness. I know you think you had no choice. But I want to go on the record.”

“Your confidence in me is noted,” James replied. “But now, maybe you could help me find a way to win?”

Johnston glanced at Fralin-yang. “How do we know this is not all some kind of set up?”

“Because I want Taranaki gone as much as you do,” Fralin-yang said. “I will admit, I have grown to like your Emperor, but if he dies and your species is conquered by mine, I will not shed any tears. Yet I would much rather have my people make peace with yours and remove Taranaki, than see Taranaki’s fame grow by adding your species to the list of those he has conquered. Now, we have little time. I’d suggest we make the best use of it.”

“I am with Johnston,” Becket said. “This is madness. How can we even be sure the Karacknids will honor their side of the bargain? I will say this now, if you die Admiral, I will not simply hand over our fleet to them. Nor will I serve them.”

“Even if it means going against the word of your Emperor?” James asked. Becket raised her chin. She didn’t need to say anything more.

Shraw swished his tail back and forth. “I concur. None of my Captains will surrender. We will fight to the death. As will my people if the Karacknids come to conquer our worlds.”

“And if we won’t, then why would we think the Karacknids would?” Becket asked.

James glanced at Fralin-yang. “Because,” he tried to explain, “the Karacknid worlds are not at stake. They are not being threatened with extinction. They’re not thinking as you are. Their Imperator has given his word, we have to hope they will honor that. I know it sounds desperate. It does because it is. But we have run out of other options.”

“And my people are apparently more obedient than yours,” Fralin-yang said. “Even before Taranaki made himself into a deity, no Karacknid fleet commander would openly talk about disobeying a final order from one of our Imperators in the way you all have.”

James smiled for the first time since sending the ultimatum to Taranaki. “I fear I may only have myself to blame for that. I’ve made a career out of disobeying my political superiors.” He gestured towards his friends. “I’m afraid they may have picked up a thing or two along the way.” James turned to Emilie and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Emilie had her arms folded. She had been looking intently at something beside her foot. Without looking up, she kicked out at something on the ground. James knew it couldn’t have been more than a speck of dust. Fox kept his office immaculately clean. “Why does it have to be you?” She eventually asked. Only then did she look up. She looked almost on the edge of tears. “Why can’t someone else fight in your stead? A champion, like in our history. General Johnston could fight, or another younger special forces marine. They would stand far more of a chance.”

“It has to be me,” James said as he moved to Emilie and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It has to be someone they perceive to be an equal, or at least as close as we can get. Only great warriors or clan chiefs could challenge previous Imperators. If we suggested someone fight in my stead, we would lose whatever grain of respect they have for us. I am the only choice.”

Emilie lifted her shoulder causing James’ hand to slip off. “Then you are as good as dead.”

James took a step closer, put his arm around Emilie and pulled her into a hug. She tried to resist him, but he overpowered her with his augmented strength. “I’m not as weak or slow as you might think. And I’ve been training with Sergeant Harkin since before we left Earth. My chances may not be as bad as you and General Johnston think.”

“What is your opinion?” Johnston asked as everyone turned to face Harkin.

Harkin took a deep breath. He glanced at James before turning back to Johnston. “Just how good a warrior is this Taranaki likely to be?”

Fralin-yang was the one who answered. “From the evidence you have shared with me, I am certain he has genetically engineered himself. He is likely to be stronger than the average Karacknid warrior. Faster, too. Yet we know he has not been involved in any battles for many decades. His skills may have deteriorated with time.”

“Or he could have been training every day like James supposedly has,” Johnston countered.

“If it was against a normal Karacknid warrior, I’d say Admiral Somerville’s chances might be fifty-fifty. And that would be assuming he had at least a nano carbon knife. Even then, that is being optimistic,” Harken said.

“Then we better figure out how to better those odds,” Johnston said. “You better tell us everything about the rules of this combat,” he added as he turned to Fralin-yang.

Fralin-yang nodded and then began to explain. “There have been many such challenges over the millennia. It is exceedingly rare for an Imperator to die of old age. They are always challenged sooner or later. In one sense, the rules are simple. Both enter the combat ring, only one comes out alive. It is a fight to the death. Strictly no weapons are allowed, nor are there any interventions permitted by outsiders. Each combatant gets to bring three aides-de-camp with them. They are there to intervene in case others try to get involved or if the rules are broken. If one of them tries to aid their combatant, the life of both the combatant and the one who intervened is forfeit.”

“And so once the fighting begins, James can fight as dirty as he wants?” Johnston asked.

“I’m not familiar with the concept,” Fralin-yang replied.

“I mean, he can use whatever tricks he can come up with. He can throw sand in his opponent’s eyes, for example.”

“It would not be an honorable thing to do,” Fralin-yang replied. “Any would-be Imperator would bring shame on himself if he won using such a tactic. Yet in this instance, as it is unlikely the Karacknid clans would accept your Emperor becoming our Imperator. That is certainly not a concern I would have.”

Johnston nodded. “Then we have some leeway. But my main concern are Taranaki’s claws. If James cannot bring any weapons with him, it will be a completely one-sided fight. He must be allowed to fight with nano carbon knives or some other kind of hand weapon.”

“We may make a request that Emperor Somerville be allowed to use the kind of things you speak of,” Fralin-yang said. “But we can only do so at the combat ring itself. All of the leaders of the Karacknid clans should be present. If we can get their approval, then it may be possible.”

“And there is still a chance I may not have to fight at all,” James said as he flashed Emilie a smile. “There was a second reason why I made my challenge. Fralin-yang just explained it. I intend to take him as one of my aides-de-camp. His people might not have listened to him if he had spoken from the bridge of my flagship. But the whole planet will be watching our combat. They will see him there and he will be able to speak directly to Taranaki. If Fralin-yang calls him out, maybe there will be no need for a fight.”

Fralin-yang brought his hands together and bowed slightly to James. “You are craftier than I have given you credit for. Though given what I’ve seen over the last week, perhaps I should not be surprised…. Yes,” Fralin-yang smiled. “I accept your offer to be one of your aides-de-camp. There could be no better stage from which to voice my concerns to my people.”

“That’s all very well,” Johnston said. “But you’re going to need someone else with you who can defend you if things go badly. I am coming.”

James clapped Johnston on his shoulder. “I would have it no other way, old friend.”

“And who will be your third?” Becket asked.

James smiled at the rest of his friends. He knew all of them would want to come. He had already decided. “Rear Admiral Scott will accompany me as well. She has been in this with me from the start. For years, it was just the two of us who believed the Karacknids were a real threat. One way or another, this duel will end our war with them. She should be at my side.” Though the others looked disappointed, James saw they understood. All except Emilie, of course.

When he glanced at Scott, she had a tear in her eye. “You were the one who believed me. I wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t. We will see this through to the end together.”

“Very well, then let us plan how this is going to go,” Johnston said. “If you’re going to have any chance of winning, you’re going to need a good strategy. Harkin, you need to be as blunt as possible. There is no space for flattering Admiral Somerville now. We need to know his strengths and weaknesses.”

Though Harkin’s assessment didn’t do James’ confidence much good, he listened intently nonetheless. As soon as he was done, he and Johnston began to discuss a number of fighting styles. Twenty minutes later and Johnson had a plan worked out for James. James listened to it carefully and even ran through a few drills with Johnston whilst the others watched. Time quickly passed though, and only a few minutes remained before James had to leave. One by one, James embraced his officers and sent them off to Drake’s hangar bay. They were all going to go down to the surface to watch the combat. He left Emilie until the end. “You don’t have to come down and watch if you don’t want to,” he said to his niece. “That is why I didn’t want you to be one of my aides-de-camp. If things go badly, I don’t want you to see what will happen.”

Emilie crossed the distance to James in the blink of an eye. She threw her arms around him. “I don’t want you to do this uncle. Please, think of Christine and Jonathan. What will I say to them?”

James embraced her. “I have been thinking of nothing but them,” he replied gently into her ear. “This is the best chance I can give them. We have tried everything else.”

Emilie moved back slightly. “Aren’t you scared? He could slice you in two with ease.”

Pausing, James examined his emotions. Everything had happened so quickly, he hadn’t really been able to think about it. “No,” he answered honestly. “I’ve faced death many times before. If Taranaki hadn’t accepted my challenge, we’d all be dead by now anyway. This mission was likely to end in our deaths. At least this way, I will have a chance to strike at Taranaki. If you had offered me this when we had left Earth, I would have taken it. I know my chances are slim, but I hate him. I hate him with every fiber of my being. No,” James said as he shook his head. “I’m not scared.”

Emilie nodded. “Then I will stay here. My heart will go with you. But I cannot bear to watch.”

James hugged Emilie again. “I am fighting as much for you as I am for Christine and Jonathan. The three of you will give me the strength I need.” James held Emilie for several seconds as he felt her shoulders tremble. Then he gave one tight squeeze and gently eased her back. “I have to go. I will see you when this is all over.” Emilie didn’t reply. She didn’t raise her eyes to look at James, either. Not wanting to force her, James turned and left silently.

As he stepped out of his office, he found all of Drake’s bridge officers had come out of the bridge. They were lining each side of the corridor. When he appeared, they snapped to attention and saluted. James instinctively returned it. Then he started to make his way towards the hangar bay. Every officer met his eye as he passed them. Anderson reached out and grasped his shoulder as he passed. So too did Davenport and Petrov. As James turned the corner, he saw more of Drake’s crew had appeared. It was the same all the way to the hangar bay. When he got to it, hundreds of crew had gathered. They all began to clap as he appeared. Then someone shouted a chant. Within seconds, it was taken up by everyone. ‘Death to the Karacknids!’ ‘Death to the Karacknids!’ roared around and around the large hangar. James didn’t repeat the chant verbally, but it played over and over in his mind as he moved through the crowd and then up the shuttle’s access ramp. Only at the top of the shuttle did he pause, turn, and salute his crew. The roar of their cry rose all the more. Even when James found his seat and the shuttle’s rear ramp closed, their noise still drowned out anything Johnston or the others tried to say to him. It wasn’t until the shuttle took off that their chanting started to recede.

When he was finally confident he could hear and answer, James looked at Fralin-yang. “You know what you’re going to say, scribe?”

Fralin-yang flashed his teeth. “I have an idea. I’ve thought of nothing else since you attacked my home.”

“Then we are both ready,” James said with a nod.

The events of the next half an hour became a blur to James. The shuttle landed just a short distance away from the combat ring that had been set up. Before leaving the shuttle, Johnston, Scott, and Fralin-yang put on large robes he had requested be brought down from Drake. They flowed down to the ground, completely covering their legs. Pulling up large hoods also concealed their faces. It would keep Fralin-yang hidden until the time was right. When they disembarked, Johnston and Fralin-yang led him towards the combat ring. As per the rules, they were given a few minutes to inspect the area. To James’ eyes, it was nothing more than a large circle. Some kind of metal plates had been driven into the ground. They came about to his chest and marked the outer edge of the ring. As Fralin-yang explained, if he went outside the ring, it would count as a forfeit. Taranaki’s three aides-de-camp would have permission to put him to death. The ring itself had been set up at the bottom of a small valley in the sand dunes in front of Taranaki’s palace. The ground all around had been cleared of battle damage, though James had seen enough of it as he had walked to the ring. On the dunes, thousands of Karacknids had already gathered. One section had been left empty though. All those who had come with James moved over towards it and stood silently.

James barely took half of all this in. His eyes were constantly darting around. Only one thing was on his mind. Finally, he spotted Taranaki. He was standing at the bottom of one of the dunes, many Karacknids were all around him. James stopped and stared. Whether Taranaki sensed it, or someone told him, the Imperator turned and met James’ gaze. Instantly, James felt the Imperator’s eyes burning into him. He knew it was a trick, however. No matter how it was done, James knew it wasn’t real. He has no power over you, James told himself as he clenched his fists. Defiantly, he held Taranaki’s gaze. Then Fralin-yang stepped in between them, breaking the contact. For the briefest of seconds, he lifted his head to meet James’ eyes. “Don’t get drawn in by him. He will do anything to intimidate and distract you.”

“I am not intimidated,” James assured the scribe.

“Then let us begin,” Fralin-yang said. He raised a robed hand and gestured towards the sand dunes that were now completely filled with Karacknids. “Every clan has representatives here. This will be recorded and transmitted throughout the whole system. Follow me and we will take our place.”

Allowing himself to be led, James moved with Scott and Johnston to the opposite end of the ring from where Taranaki stood. Taranaki started forward and approached the ring as well. Three Karacknids followed in his wake. Another Karacknid appeared and came forward as well. He easily hopped over the metal plates outlining the ring and walked right into its center. As soon as he got there, the murmur of discussions that had been coming from the thousands of assembled Karacknids ceased. The Karacknid then pulled himself up to his full height and spread his arms and hands out. His booming voice easily filled the hollow and echoed around the sand dunes. “Clan leaders, fleet commanders, distinguished warriors, Karacknid people, we are gathered here for a most momentous occasion. Not in his three hundred years of rule has our great Imperator been challenged to Trava-klan. No Karacknid has dared oppose his most wise rule.” The Karacknid pointed at James. “Yet now a shriveling excuse for a warrior seeks to do so. Abusing our long-held traditions, he seeks to save a few more pitiful moments of his life by making this challenge. Well, you all heard what he promised. With one blow, our Imperator will seal the conquest of all of the alien species that have dared defile our home system. Now we may get the pleasure of witnessing this so-called Emperor’s death.” Turning to fully face James, the Karacknid gave him a mocking bow. “Are you ready, so-called Emperor?”

“I am,” James called out as loudly as he could manage.

“Imperator, are you ready?”

Taranaki raised one of his hands and extended his claws up into the air. “I am,” he bellowed.

“Aides-de-camp, are you ready?”

The three Karacknids beside Taranaki likewise raised their hands, though they kept their claws sheathed. Johnston and Scott pulled their hoods back. “We are,” they said in unison. Fralin-yang however, kept his head bowed.

“Aides-de-camp?” The Karacknid demanded loudly. Instead of answering, Fralin-yang started to move forward. “What are you doing?”

In one quick leap, Fralin-yang hurdled the metal plates that marked the edge of the combat ring. The Karacknid officiate took half a step back, but then held his ground. Fralin-yang moved about halfway towards him. He then began to speak. James was impressed by how well his voice carried with his head still bowed. “I have a request to make of the clan leaders gathered here today in accord with Karacknid tradition.” This time, the officiant took several steps back. Even Taranaki, who had been pacing back and forth pushing out his chest, stopped dead. It was crystal clear to every Karacknid that the speaker was not using a translator. Pausing only for a moment, Fralin-yang reached up and pulled back his hood. Hisses and growls erupted from the masses of Karacknids on the sand dunes overlooking the combat ring.

“Who is this traitor?” Taranaki roared. He shot out a clawed hand towards Fralin-yang. “He is to be put to death at once!”

Fralin-yang had his back to Taranaki, ever so slowly he turned around to face the Imperator though. Casually, almost without any effort, he met Taranaki’s eyes. Then he held up both his hands and turned his palms outwards to show the back of them. The large scars where his claws had been were clearly evident. James’ eyes widened at Taranaki’s response. It was like a shockwave hit him. He stumbled backwards and almost fell to his knees but for the help of his aides-de-camp. Fralin-yang didn’t give him any time to recover. “I am the one who should be saying those words to you, false Imperator. Yet I am not surprised, you have forsaken every tradition of our people in your quest for glory. Why would I expect you now to honor the age-old protection aides-de-camp are provided in the law of Trava-klan? You would have me killed, would you? The High Scribe of Crakigoan. The protector of our people’s history. The chronicler of the great deeds of our warriors. You are the traitor here, not me.”

In an intentionally dismissive manner, Fralin-yang turned from Taranaki and addressed the gathered Karacknid leaders. “People of Gayla. Leaders of the great Karacknid people. Many of you have never seen me before. Though those who are older among you may have visited the Shrine of Records in your youth. They can confirm who I am and the truth I now bring to you. It is because of the importance of that truth that I come here now by the only means available to me. For I have learnt a great evil has been committed. For more than two centuries, Taranaki has been lying to me and to you. He has been sending false battle reports to Crakigoan for me and my scribes to record. These battle reports speak only of his glory and fame, not of the Karacknid people’s. Once, in my youth, as it has been for millennia, the Karacknid people fought together for their glory. For the fame of their clans and for the fame of our people. Taranaki has twisted everything and poisoned it, making it all about him. Yet he has spent decades living in luxury in his palace while your fathers and sons have died for him. Worse, he has broken one of the most ancient and sacred laws of our people. Laws the High Scribes have been tasked with protecting for centuries. Laws he kept me locked away in the Crakigoan system to prevent me learning that he has broken.” Fralin-yang pointed at James. “I’ve come here on the ships of one of our greatest enemies. Not because I wish to see his species victorious. But because the Imperator left me no other choice. In orbit, the entire population of Crakigoan remains on their freighters. We are not there because we were taken captive. We are there because Taranaki gave orders to his Admirals to exterminate every one of us. All of the unclawed, we who have dedicated our lives to serve our people, Taranaki would kill us all.”

Pausing, Fralin-yang turned from side to side gazing up at all the gathered Karacknids. “And would you know why? To keep his darkest evil a secret.” Fralin-yang spun round and pointed at Taranaki. “He has lied to you all. Taranaki may have you believe he is a god among us. That he is a gift from the creators to lead our people. It is a lie.” Fralin-yang spat onto the sand. “He is no such thing. He is an abomination. Taranaki has used long forbidden technology to enhance his DNA, his genetic material. Technology we once took from a civilization we conquered, technology our ancestors experimented with and forbade for the good of our species. Taranaki took this technology from the Shrine of Records and used it on himself. Everything you see about him is a lie, his eyes, his size, his strength. None of it is his. I know, for I met him two centuries ago when he came to Crakigoan. Then he was a shadow of a warrior he now appears to be. Yet it is all false. He no more deserves to be our Imperator than Emperor Somerville. In fact, I will go further. Somerville has shown himself a capable commander. He has brought a fleet right to our very homeworld. And he has fought in the frontlines with his fleets. What has Taranaki done but send your sons off to war to die for him? People of Gayla, I call on you to reject this false god and to choose a new Imperator. One who will value the honor of our people. One who will serve us and not himself.”

“Lies!” Taranaki shouted. “These are the lies of a traitor. He comes here with an alien fleet. A fleet that has threatened to nuke our planet and kill your Imperator. He does not even deserve to breathe the air of our homeworld.”

“I am the high scribe of Crakigoan.” Fralin-yang said, raising his voice to match Taranaki’s. “I am sworn to uphold the honor of the Karacknid people. Something you have forsaken long ago.”

Taranaki laughed. As he did so, much of his anger seemed to disappear. “Very well then, scribe. It has been a long time since one of your order stepped foot on Gayla. The clans have heard your speech. Go ahead, see where their loyalty lies.”

Fralin-yang turned back to the Karacknids looking down upon him. “What say you?” He called out. “Are there none who would challenge this false Imperator. Are there no clan leaders who remember the old ways?”

James found himself glancing left and right as he vainly searched for some Karacknid to step forward. His ears strained to hear a voice reply. None came. For what seemed like an eternity, Fralin-yang looked back and forth. He even raised his arms up as if calling for someone to answer his cry.

“You already have a challenger, do you not?” A voice eventually called out. “You have brought your alien challenger here, High Scribe. Let him do your dirty work.”

Fralin-yang pointed at James. “I have just told you all of Taranaki’s high crimes and in response you would have an alien fight on your behalf? Are you so deceived by his lies that none of you can see through them? When in our history has any Karacknid lived as long as Taranaki? When has any Karacknid been elevated to the position of a god? When has one Karacknid been worshipped at the expense of all others?”

“We are loyal to Taranaki. He is our Imperator. We fight and die for him,” another voice called out. “If you were truly a Karacknid, you would have fought off the Humans when they desecrated Crakigoan. Instead, you surrendered to them. Why should we listen to the words of a coward?”

Fralin-yang’s head fell. His shoulders slumped over. James felt his own hope fade. He couldn’t help but glance at Taranaki. The Imperator was smiling. Drool was dripping down between his teeth. James felt butterflies in his stomach. The hair on his neck stood up. Now he felt fear. He was going to have to fight the monstrosity in front of him.

“I’m ashamed to call myself a Karacknid,” Fralin-yang said, far quieter than before. “If no one will face Taranaki, then Emperor Somerville will have to. Know this however, he will be fighting as much for the future of our species as for his.” Reaching into his tunic, he pulled out two nano carbon knives. “If I am to act as his aide-de-camp, then let me make one final request. Humans have no sharp teeth or claws designed for battle. Instead, their warriors carry these into combat with them. If Somerville is to face Taranaki, then I request that the Clans allow him to wield these. Then it will be a fair fight.”

Taranaki laughed again. “You come here and think you can lecture us about laws and customs, scribe, and then you proceed to disregard them yourselves? Everyone here knows no weapons are allowed in the combat ring. Your contradictions prove the lies you have already spoken.”

Fralin-yang lifted his head slightly towards Taranaki. He also raised a hand and pointed it in the air again. “Are you then offering to become as I? To remove your weapons?”

Taranaki shook his head even as he smiled. “You scribes were declawed because you were weak. I will not shame myself to become like you.” He gestured towards the officiant. “We have heard enough from this traitor. Let us begin.”

The officiant moved back towards the middle of the ring. “The aide-de-camp will remove himself now or he will violate the laws of our combat and his combatant will forfeit the fight.” When Fralin-yang didn’t move, a roar of shouts broke out. Insults were hurled at him, and clawed fists waved in his direction.

“Wait,” one lone voice called out. “Wait!” it shouted louder. Karacknids around the speaker stopped howling. “Wait!” Fur-lang, head of the Lang Clan, called out one final time. His voice filled the hollow and echoed around the sand dunes. A sudden silence descended upon the gathering. “You executed my brother when he failed to defeat these Humans,” Fur-lang said as he moved forward and faced Taranaki. “Fralin-yang is right, Somerville has no claws. The match is uneven. Will you only fight an opponent who is weaker than you? My brother faced them in an even fight, and you killed him for it. Will you now not face the same challenge, my Imperator?”

Chapter 44

After all the strategic decisions and all the battles we have examined, in the end it came down to one single fight: Trava-klan.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Fur-lang’s question hung in the air. James tensed. If he wasn’t to be allowed combat knives, the fight would be over in seconds. Taranaki stared at the clan leader. James could see the Imperator’s hands clench into fists. Fur-lang met his gaze for a couple of seconds and then looked down. He didn’t back up, however. Taranaki snarled. “Fine,” he called out. “He may have his small toys. But mark my words, scribe, when your combatant dies, you will follow quickly behind.” Taranaki then swung on the Karacknids on the dunes. “As will anyone who has believed his lies.” With a gesture, Taranaki ordered the officiant to continue.

The officiant did so, coming right up to Fralin-yang. With a shove, he pushed Fralin-yang to the sand. The scribe got to his feet, turned, and quickly moved out of the ring. As he passed James, he handed over the two nano carbon knives. “I’m sorry, Emperor, I have done all that I could,” he whispered.

James gratefully took the knives. They were something at least. As he slotted them into his utility belt, Johnston came up beside him. “All right, James, there’s no getting out of this now. We got you knives at least. Let’s do some stretches.” As Johnston led James through a quick warmup, he continued to speak. The officiant was saying something about the glory of Taranaki in the background, but neither of them were listening. “Just remember our plan. Harkin has trained you well. Stick to the plan and test him out. If he has been spending all his time on his ass, you’ll soon know about it. And whatever you do, stay away from those claws.”

“Right, I got it,” James said as he nodded. “I wait for an opening and then I strike.”

“Exactly,” Johnston said as he straightened up. He placed two hands on James’ shoulders. “You have got this. Forget what I said before on Drake. Yes, the fate of our species is in your hands. But there is no one I’d rather have holding it. You have never let us down through all these years. I know you won’t now.”

James didn’t feel nearly half as confident. He reached a hand up and squeezed Johnston’s nonetheless. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Just get out there and kick some Karacknid butt,” Johnston said as he turned James around towards the ring. James swallowed hard when he saw Taranaki already there. The officiant was waving him forward. “We are all with you,” Johnston called after James as he started forward. When he got to the outer edge of the ring, he easily vaulted over the metal plates. More cautiously, he moved towards the officiant and Taranaki. He could feel every muscle in his body tightening as he tensed. Shaking himself as he walked, he fought to keep himself limber; tensing up was the last thing he needed. He knew he needed to be ready to react at a moment’s notice. That was easier said than done, however.

“Are you both ready?” The officiant asked when James reached him. Taranaki extended his claws from their sheaths in reply. James pulled his nano carbon knives out. “I will raise my hand. When it falls, Trava-klan will begin. It will not end until one of you is dead.”

Though James had been in countless battles before, none had been like this. The officiant’s words made his heart begin to race. The roaring from the Karacknids faded into the background. All his senses were heightened and focused solely on Taranaki. A part of James felt like he was being sucked into a black hole. Fighting an enemy that was tens of thousands of miles away from the comfort of a warship’s bridge was one thing. Staring him in the eyes as he towered over you was another entirely. You are out of your depth, a voice in the back of his head told him. Trust your training, Johnston’s words encouraged him. James gritted his teeth. They had a plan, all he had to do was stick to it. That was it. It was that simple.

His internal debate was cut off as the officiant dropped his hand. Immediately, Taranaki sprang forward. James just managed to duck under a claw swipe to his head. Then he sprang back and to the left as Taranaki tried to grab him. Taranaki growled. “You’re faster than you look, Emperor. I will give you that. But your beating heart will still be crushed between my claws soon enough.”

James didn’t reply. He knew he needed to conserve all of his energy. Instead, he began to slowly circle around the Imperator, trying to judge just how fast he was and how he moved. Harkin had given him many tips over the months. They had even simulated fighting Karacknid warriors. Desperately, James tried to remember what he had learnt.

Taranaki laughed as he pivoted to keep himself facing James. “You actually think you can fight me. Your insolence knows no bounds.” With a snarl, he launched himself forward again. This time, two clawed hands came at James, one after the other. James moved to the side to dodge one. His eyes widened in shock at the speed of the second. Whipping up both his nano carbon knives, he just managed to deflect the claws. Then he leapt back out of range once more. Already, he was panting. Taranaki looked as composed as ever. Without waiting, he advanced once more. James moved before he got close enough to strike. Jinking left and right, he kept shifting away from Taranaki. “Stop running, you sniveling coward!” Taranaki growled. “Fight me face to face.”

James had no such intention, and so kept dodging. Gradually though, he started to allow Taranaki to get closer and closer. As his breathing evened out and his heart rate calmed, James was able to think a little more clearly. He needed to test Taranaki’s speed and strength. He gradually let Taranaki get just close enough where James was able to dodge attempted swipes by the narrowest of margins. He misjudged one of them, however. Taranaki aimed a thrust right at James’ chest. James was unable to jump back quick enough; instead, he had to whip a hand up and tried to deflect the blow. It was only partially successful. A gasp escaped his lips as Taranaki’s claws grazed his rib cage. The armored flight suit he was wearing absorbed most of the blow. Yet as he glanced down, he saw blood nonetheless.

Taranaki roared in delight. He then thrust his bloody claw into the air. It was met by howling cheers from the Karacknid spectators. James moved as far back as he could from Taranaki. He needed to give his implants time to dampen his pain and seal the wounds. “Remember your training with Harkin,” Johnston’s voice bellowed, easily travelling over the ruckus coming down from the sand dunes. “Remember the obstacle course.”

James nodded to himself. He was letting his fear and the weight of the situation get to him. He needed to block everything else out. As Taranaki charged again, he cleared his mind. Acting as much on instinct as thought, he dodged three blows in quick succession. As James felt his vision narrow down to just Taranaki’s arms, legs, and torso, he gave himself over to it. It was just like the obstacle course. There, the low powered laser rifles had given him a split-second warning before firing. So too did Taranaki’s body. A muscle flex here, or a slight pivot on his feet there, told James where the next strike would come from. Losing track of time, he fell into a pattern of moves he had practiced over and over again with Harkin. A strike coming from his left made him duck and move right. When Taranaki tried to sweep him with a clawed foot, James easily jumped over it. His first foot that touched the ground shoved him left to avoid a follow-up swipe. It took James a while to notice it, but with each attempted blow, Taranaki was starting to grunt. He is tiring, James realized. Or getting angry. “Fight me!” Taranaki yelled.

James grabbed the opportunity to do just that. As another swipe came in, instead of dodging backwards, James moved forward inside the arc of Taranaki’s attack. With one fist, he smashed Taranaki’s wrist to break the strength of his blow. With his other hand, James sliced his knife across Taranaki’s chest. The blade bit into the Imperator’s armored skin. It brought a grunt from Taranaki. Yet, as James dodged away, he didn’t see any blood. When Taranaki looked down at the wound, he laughed once more. “Your claws aren’t nearly sharp enough Human!”

James didn’t respond, he hadn’t expected to land a killing blow. Harkin and Johnston had made that very clear. Only a strike to a Karacknid’s neck was guaranteed to penetrate deep enough to kill. Once again, Taranaki charged. This time, he was even more aggressive. James found himself desperately dodging attack after attack. For a full thirty seconds, Taranaki did not give up advancing. Several times, James had to block blows or deflect them with his knives. Each time, the force of Taranaki’s attacks sent jarring waves of pain up his arms. Out of the corner of his eyes, James suddenly noticed the metal plates closing in on him. He grasped Taranaki’s tactic. He was trying to drive James back to a position where he couldn’t dodge from. Blocking Taranaki’s next attack, James then feinted a strike of his own. Pulling out of it, he instead spun around and sprinted towards the edge of the ring. Taranaki’s heavy footfalls told him the Imperator was charging after him. With one light hop, James landed on top of one of the metal plates. He then sprung up as high into the air as his augmented leg muscles would allow him. Arching up over Taranaki, he did a backflip, landing perfectly on his feet. Taranaki spun around in an instant. James could see his teeth were clamped tightly together. A low growling was coming from his throat. He’s getting angry now, James thought. Just for show, he crossed his legs and did a mock curtsy. “How do you like my acrobatics Imperator?” He asked.

Taranaki’s only answer was a battle cry. Once more he charged. Falling back into his hypersensitive state, James began to dodge and block once more. Several times, he jumped right out of range, now confident that he was much nimbler than Taranaki. As the fight continued, James started to hurl insults at Taranaki. He wanted the Imperator as angry as possible. The angrier he was, Johnston had assured him, the sloppier his attacks would become. “I am confused Imperator. Am I fighting the great Taranaki, or some novice warrior apprentice? If your species are so much superior to mine, why am I still alive?” Each of James’ taunts were only met by growls and even more impassioned attacks. “It is a wonder you have not been challenged before now. Any Karacknid warrior worthy of the name could challenge you and take your throne from you.”

“You are a weasel!” Taranaki finally barked back between blows. “A coward! Stand and fight. Stop your running.”

James only laughed. He might be faster than Taranaki. But the Imperator had by far the greater strength. Standing was the last thing on his mind. Yet he was fast becoming aware of his arms beginning to numb from having to block repeated blows. It is now or never, he thought to himself. For the second time in the fight, he went on the offensive. Ducking under one blow, James swiped up with a knife before Taranaki’s second attack landed. His knife connected with the forearm of the hand Taranaki was trying to hit him with. Taranaki snarled and pulled his hand back. Once again, there was no blood to be seen on James’ knife, but he knew he had at least inflicted some pain.

Over the next several minutes, James repeated the feat again and again. Hurling insults, he dodged attack after attack. Then, when the moment was right, he would counter. Each time his blade connected with Taranaki, he drew a grunt or a snarl. Yet the damage was only superficial. I just need one opening, James said to himself. One opening and I can strike at his neck.

Fralin-yang’s voice suddenly filled the hollow. “Will the Karacknid people listen to me now? Your eyes cannot deceive you, though Taranaki has. Look at the strength and might of your god-king. He cannot even kill a lowly Human. He brings shame upon himself and upon all of us.”

Taranaki let out his loudest battle cry yet. It made James jump. Suddenly, Taranaki’s attacks came in faster and harder. Fralin-yang didn’t stop speaking though. “Taranaki is not worthy of the title Imperator. His actions have forfeited any right he once held to it. He is no deity but only a counterfeit. The only thing Taranaki is, is a traitor to our people.” James wanted to shout out for Fralin-yang to shut up. Waves of fear were running through him. He had given up counterattacking. It was all he could do to frantically avoid being sliced in two. Twice, Taranaki’s claws managed to make contact. The first grazed his right elbow; the second, his left thigh. James couldn’t afford to favor them though. He couldn’t afford even one hesitation. The pain from both injuries throbbed with every beat of his heart. Despite his training, James let it distract him. It was only for a split second. Yet it was all Taranaki needed.

As the Imperator swiped in at James with his left hand, James raised his right hand to deflect a blow with his knife. At the last instance, Taranaki switched his attack. Twisting his wrist, he reached out with his fingers and grabbed James’ wrist instead. James tried to yank his hand back, but he was too slow. Taranaki’s let out a large victorious bellow. At once, he began to squeeze James’ wrist. Pain like James had never felt before shot up his arm. He let out a scream as his knife fell to the sand. “Now you cannot run, you coward!” Taranaki roared. James could see his death right in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as Taranaki pulled back his right hand, aimed his claws at James’ heart, and started to move forward. A surge of adrenaline rushed through James’ body. His implants, detecting his fear, released as much as his body could handle without suffering an immediate cardiac arrest. Acting almost on instinct, James drove his free hand up to meet Taranaki’s. He was just quick enough to maneuver the blade into the palm of Taranaki’s hand. The force of both of their thrusts drove the point of the nano carbon knife through Taranaki’s armored scales and right out the other side. It was Taranaki’s turn to cry out in pain. James seized on the opportunity. Using Taranaki’s vice like grip on his right wrist as a pivot, he swung his body up and slammed both his feet into Taranaki’s chest. The blow knocked Taranaki to one knee. It also freed James’ wrist. James flew back several meters, landed on his side. He quickly rolled over and retreated further.

“You see,” Fralin-yang shouted. “Even when he bests the Human, Taranaki cannot finish him. He is no warrior, let alone an Imperator.”

For a second, James thought Taranaki was giving up. The Imperator fell forward onto his hands. But then James saw Taranaki’s muscles tighten. In a flash, he jumped to his feet. The glint of sunlight on metal alerted James to what was happening. He lifted a hand and tried to shout a warning. He was too late though. In the blink of an eye, Taranaki hurled the knife James had dropped at Fralin-yang. Johnston tried to shove the scribe out of the way, but he was too slow. With a sickening thud, the knife embedded itself right between Fralin-yang’s eyes.

In an instant, every Karacknid went silent. Clawed hands that had been raised to cheer on Taranaki froze in place. Taranaki’s words, not spoken with the intention of being so easily heard, filled the hollow. “Die, you traitorous scribe. You and all your people. Die!”

Unaware of the sudden shift around him, Taranaki turned his gaze on James. “Your puppet master is no more, Human. Now you go to join him.” James glanced desperately at the officiant. Taranaki had just broken the rules of the combat. Aides-de-camp were not meant to get involved in the fight, but neither were they supposed to be attacked. The officiant looked shocked, yet as Taranaki closed with James, he didn’t move or speak. Within seconds of Taranaki getting close enough to reach James, James knew he was in trouble. With the cut on his right arm and his wrist throbbing with pain, he could barely move it. He also felt his energy quickly being sapped. I need to end this quickly, he realized. He wasn’t going to last much longer if he didn’t. As he ducked and dived, James desperately sought an opening where he could strike. Taranaki didn’t give him one. Twice James tried, but each time he got a blow from Taranaki’s fist or foot driving him back.

In the midst of deflecting another blow, James’ body finally let him down. He wasn’t quick enough with his blade to fully deflect Taranaki’s follow up attack. Two of his claws sunk deep into James’s side just below his rib cage. James shrieked as he felt his insides being sliced apart. Taranaki followed up his strike with a heavy kick to James’ stomach. It sent James flying through the air as he doubled over in pain. James crumpled as he landed on the sand, his knife landing just in front of him.

Taranaki didn’t rush to finish his victory. Instead, he raised both his hands in the air. “You see, my people,” he called out. “I am your true Imperator. With one final blow, I will conquer this Human species and all of their allies. They will be our slaves until the end of time.” Though he was groaning involuntarily and panting heavily as shock threaten to cause him to blackout, James noticed streaks of blood flick off Taranaki as he waved his arms. I did hurt him, he thought surreally, even as he realized his death was just seconds away. Slowly, Taranaki approached James. James was too injured to tell if the Imperator was deliberately dragging out the end, or if his injuries were warping his perception of time. Whichever it was, it felt like an eternity for Taranaki to close the distance.

Though his eyes were fixed on the vile monster coming to kill him, James’ mind drifted away. He didn’t hear the warning shouted by Scott, nor Johnston’s orders for him to get up. Instead, his mind brought him back to some of his fondest moments he had shared with Christine and Jonathan. He smiled as he felt the sand on his feet and the feel of Christine’s embrace on his lips. Joy swelled in his heart as he remembered the look of sheer delight on Jonathan’s face as his son splashed in the waves. He could almost feel Jonathan in his arms as he rushed forward and scooped the boy out of the sea and threw him in the air. Suddenly, his mind jumped to another memory. It was of his own father and mother. They were walking along the grounds of Badminton House beside the brook that babbled by the edge of one of their fields. James was a young boy, running and playing as he watched his parents talk. Another image filled his mind; it wasn’t a memory, but a hope James had long held. He and Christine were walking the same path, Jonathan was there too. He was running and playing with several other children, children James knew were his own. Anguish filled him. He had failed them. He had failed everyone. In an instant, his anguish turned to anger. His vision suddenly snapped to the present. Taranaki was towering over him. He already had a clawed hand pulled back. “Die Human!” Taranaki screamed as he drove his hand forward. No longer caring about himself or his broken body, James screamed Christine’s name as he reached out with his good left hand and grabbed Taranaki’s claws. With all the strength he had he held back the Imperator’s blow even as the claws sliced into James’ hand and wrists.

For a split-second, Taranaki looked surprised. Then he snarled. With a rapid twist of his wrist, his claws spun, tearing James’s hand, wrist and forearm into shreds. James barely felt it. His entire focus was fixed on one point. Taranaki’s throat. Even as his left arm was cut to pieces, James threw himself to his feet. In his right hand, he grasped his remaining knife as tightly as he could with his shattered wrist. Still screaming his wife’s name, he drove it deep into Taranaki’s throat. Without a moment’s hesitation, he twisted it and drove it in further. Using all his augmented strength, he thrust one final time. Blood and flesh enveloped his hand as the knife pierced right through Taranaki’s armor and out the back of his neck. For a couple of seconds, both combatants stood chest to chest. Then silently, they both wavered and fell back away from one another. James’ mind went to the beach one last time, and then his world went black.

Chapter 45

Choosing the next Emperor or Empress is always a delicate time in the Empire’s history. The current Emperor and Empress must make their choice, all three Houses need to affirm the decision, and the other siblings must agree to abide by the succession order. When it goes well, it allows for a smooth transition of power; when it doesn’t, problems inevitably ensue.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Silence engulfed the combat ring and the surrounding sand dunes. Nobody spoke or moved. Time seemed to have stopped in the hollow. Karacknids, Humans, Varanni, Gramrians, and everyone else were frozen in place. Johnston’s hand was clutching his heart. He was as shocked as anyone. He had known James was about to be killed. Then out of nowhere, he had slammed his knife through Taranaki’s throat. Now they both lay on the ground, neither moving. Blood was pouring from James’ side and arm. Johnston could see it soaking into the sand. They are both dead, Johnston thought with dismay. James had done it, but it had cost him his life. With a growing sense of dread, Johnston looked up at the gathered Karacknids. They still weren’t moving. How are they going to respond? If both are dead, will they uphold their side of the agreement? Had James’ death just signaled the death of his fleet?

The faintest of coughs reached Johnston’s enhanced ears. In a flash, he turned back to James. He took half a step back in surprise. James’ chest was moving. It was ever so slightly, but it was moving. Johnston heard another cough. It sounded like someone whose lungs were full of phlegm, or blood, Johnston thought. Then, James rolled over from his back onto his side. He coughed again. The movement shook Johnston out of his stupor. He didn’t know what the rules were, he no longer cared. Taranaki had already broken them. “Come on,” he said as he sprinted past Scott. He snatched the medical kit she had brought and raced towards the combat ring. As quick as his augmented reflexes would allow him, he was at James’ side.

His friend’s injuries were worse up close. There were two deep gashes along his side. Blood was churning out of them. James’ left hand and wrist was gone. Shreds of fingers and flesh were spread around where the stump lay. A glance at Taranaki told Johnston the Imperator was in a worse condition. A far fainter choking noise was coming from him. Even as Johnston watched for a couple seconds, it died away. The flow of blood from the wound in Taranaki’s neck was likewise fading. Johnston was glad. He didn’t know whether he would have been able to resist the temptation to finish Taranaki off if he hadn’t been dying anyway.

Pulling out a hypo-spray, he injected James with a cocktail of emergency medications. They would help his wounds stop bleeding, stimulate his bone marrow to immediately start producing more blood, and give his body an adrenaline rush to keep it fighting. Not being a medic, there was nothing more Johnston felt he could do. Instead, he scooped James up into his arms. Scott had reached his side by then. “How is he?” She demanded.

Johnston turned to show her James’ injuries. Her face went white. “He’s breathing,” Johnston assured her. “We have to get him back to Drake immediately.” Both of them turned towards the thousands of Karacknids who were still looking down on them. Many conversations had broken out, and already some were starting to shout. None had moved to come closer to the combat ring yet.

“Prop him up,” Scott insisted.

“What?”

“Prop him up,” she said, a fierceness entering her voice.

Johnston did as he was told. It brought a grunt of pain from James. His eyes fluttered open, but then fell shut again. “He is alive!” Scott shouted as loudly as she could. “Emperor Somerville is alive. He is the victor. Taranaki is dead. We came here for peace, and we will now leave in peace. We are taking him to our ship.” Lowering her voice, Scott gestured towards where the shuttles that had brought them down were still sitting. “Quickly, before they have time to figure out what they want to do.”

Scooping James up again, Johnston moved as quickly as he could with him. When he hurdled the combat ring’s metal plates, it brought another groan from James. Johnston hated adding to his friend’s pain, but the groans were a good sign. Ahead of him, the sand dune where Admiral Becket and all the others had been watching from was already empty. Becket clearly had the same idea as him. Shifting James slightly, he managed to reach his COM unit. “Pershing, this is Johnston.”

“I hear you General,” Pershing said at once. “We already have our shuttles warmed up and ready to go. All of our ground troops are getting ready to evacuate. We have you covered. If they try anything, we will shred them.”

“Make sure Becket and the others get out as well. And tell our troops not to fire unless we’re fired upon. I do not want to provoke anything.”

“Understood General,” Pershing replied.

Johnston kept moving. He only glanced back when he got to the top of the sand dune Becket and the other Admirals had been watching from. The Karacknids were still all in their places. Only the officiant and Taranaki’s aides-de-camp had moved closer to the dead Imperator’s body. The shouting had gotten much louder, however. In the few seconds that Johnston watched, he actually saw several Karacknids raising claws to one another. He had no idea what would happen now. Taranaki had been a god to many of them. Clearly, not all had been fully convinced, the Karacknid that had pressured Taranaki into allowing James to use his combat knives must have had questions. Will they turn on each other? Johnston asked. The fanatics could end up blaming the doubters. On the other hand, the last thing any who had harbored doubts would want was for the fanatics to seize power. Fralin-yang had said there hadn’t been a civil war in the two thousand year history of their space Empire. In part, that was why they chose their leaders the way they did. A duel typically left one clear winner. Whatever was going to happen though, Johnston didn’t care, as long as it gave them enough time to escape. Turning his back on the combat ring and all the Karacknid clan leaders, he moved over the top of the sand dune. As soon as he did, he broke into a sprint for the nearest shuttle.

Rushing up its rear access ramp, he found Becket was the only commanding officer there. She was surrounded by marine combat medics. At once, Johnston set James down on a medical stretcher they had prepared. He stepped back as they crowded around him. Feeling the shuttle take off, he moved to a seat and sat down. Becket moved to his side. “He is really alive?” She asked.

Johnston nodded. “Barely. But he is.” He glanced at the medics. They were working to patch up James’s wounds and stop the bleeding. “It’s a miracle. It will be another one if they can keep him that way.”

Becket reached out and squeezed his hand. Johnston put an arm around her. They had been close friends ever since they had served together under James on his first ship Drake. Johnston had taken Becket under his wing then. He had even admitted to her once that if she had joined the marines, she would have made a good combat soldier. Now however, they just held one another as they watched their friend fight for survival.

When the shuttle touched down on Drake’s hangar bay, the medics didn’t hesitate to rush James out. Emilie was there waiting. She glanced at Johnston and Becket before moving off with the medical stretcher. Becket and Johnston watched it go. So too did all the other officers who had come up on Drake’s shuttles. Only when James disappeared out of sight did Becket and Johnston turn to look at one another. “What now?” He asked.

“Now we get out of here,” Becket said. “If we can. You need to get in contact with General Pershing again. Make sure all your people are off the surface.” Becket swung around to look at the other officers. “Everyone needs to get back to their ships and to their posts.”

“What about you Admiral?” Ivanov asked. “You should remain here.”

Becket hesitated for a second. Drake was James’s flagship. Yet James’ command staff were the best, and they knew the fleet intimately. “All right, to the bridge then.” Gathering Ivanov, Anderson, Petrov, Davenport, and the others who had all gone to the surface, Becket broke into a run as they moved through Drake’s corridors towards the nearest turbo lift. As soon as she got to the bridge, she moved to James’ command chair. For a moment, she simply stared at it, then she forced herself to sit down. The holo display was already showing Gayla and the surrounding space. Hundreds of shuttles were still streaming up from the surface towards the Allied fleet. The entire marine and Gramrian ground force was being airlifted out as fast as possible. Amazingly, there were no missiles streaking in from any of the remaining Karacknid orbital battlestations or warships. Even more shocking for Becket, when she looked at Tanaka-lan’s fleet, it too was still sitting stationary where it had stopped for the ceasefire. This is not going to last, she was sure. “Warm up our reactors, we are breaking orbit as soon as the last shuttle has landed,” she ordered. “Any ships that are too badly damaged to follow us need to be abandoned now. We will not detonate them until we are clear. But they need to be scuttled. And open a COM channel with the fleet’s senior commanders.”

“Vice Admiral Becket,” Shraw said as soon as his face appeared on her command chair’s holo display. “How is Admiral Somerville?”

Becket waited a second for the others to join Shraw. “Somerville is alive, but that is all I can say for now. He is very badly wounded. Very. It will be a miracle if the medics can save him. I’m sorry, but that is all I know, and it is all any of us have time for. James would not want us wasting time worrying about him. We need to evacuate from this system immediately.” She turned to Admiral Fug-sal. “If you are willing, I will assume command of our fleets. We must work together if we are to escape.”

“That is acceptable to me,” Fug-sal replied. “But we must act quickly.”

“James’ staff officers are already making the necessary preparations,” Becket said.

“Then let us get out of here and hope the Karacknids keep the word of their fallen Imperator,” Fug-sal said as it waved a tentacle across the front of its face.

Becket nodded. “Let us hope. Now let’s see to our ships.” Without waiting for any responses, Becket ended the COM channel. There was no time for niceties.

As James’ officers continued to organize the fleet, like a hawk Becket stared at all the Karacknid battlestations and ships that surrounded her ships. She was just waiting for one of them to open fire or to start to move towards her ships. One sign of aggression, and she was ready to give the order to fire. It was very unlikely her ships could escape, but one thing was for sure, she wasn’t going to let them have an easy time of it.

“Admiral, communication is coming from the surface,” Lieutenant Petrov called out. “You’re going to want to hear it.”

“Put it on the main holo display,” Becket requested.

A Karacknid Becket didn’t recognize appeared in front of them. “Karacknid people,” he said. “I am Rumansi-ta, leader of Clan Ta. You have all seen today’s events. Our beloved Imperator is dead. He did not make this public, for he did not want to upset his devoted followers. Many months ago, he declared me his successor in the event of his death. He expected it to be many years from now in his old age. Yet sadly, that time has come. Clan Ta is the greatest of our clans. I will therefore ascend to the Imperator’s throne and lead our people to a new era of glory and conquest.”

“That was quick,” Ivanov said. “A little too quick, I imagine.”

“Someone trying to get ahead of the curve?” Becket responded.

“You saw them after James killed Taranaki, do you think they managed to organize themselves to agree on a new leader this quickly?” Ivanov said. Becket shook her head.

“What about the Karacknids on our ships?” Anderson asked. “With Fralin-yang dead, what are we to do with them?”

Becket’s eyes widened. She had forgotten all about them. A quick look at the main holo display told her there was no way she could send them down to the surface. She needed every shuttle she had to get Johnston’s ground troops up to the fleet. They will have been watching too, she thought. They will have seen Fralin-yang’s death. “Get a hold of whoever was next in charge after Fralin-yang,” she requested.

“I’ve got scribe Huy-res willing to speak to you,” Petrov informed Becket thirty seconds later.

“Scribe, I’m sorry for the High Scribe’s death,” Becket said quickly, “I know he meant for your people to be landed on Gayla, but I’m afraid we cannot do that. We don’t have the shuttles or the time. Your people could attack us at any moment. I promise you though, if we manage to get out of here, we’ll set you down on a smaller Karacknid colony. I’m afraid that’s all I can do.”

“I understand Admiral,” Huy-res said. “Given what happened to Fralin-yang, I’m not sure it would be wise for my people to return to the homeworld just yet. We will not cause you any bother while you evacuate. Can I ask, how is Emperor Somerville?”

Becket was taken aback at the question. She hadn’t expected him to care. “He is being looked after by our best medics. That is all I know for now.”

Huy-res gave Becket a slight bow. “Then we will continue to hope for his recovery. He has done our species a great service by killing the false Imperator.”

Becket nodded. “Thank you. Let’s just hope the rest of your people see it the same way.” Ending the COM channel, she returned her gaze to the main holo display. Still, there were no signs that any Karacknid ships were maneuvering to attack her.

“I’ve got another unencrypted signal from Gayla’s surface,” Petrov announced. “This one is from the Imperator’s palace.”

“I suppose we better hear it too,” Becket said.

Once again, another Karacknid she didn’t recognize appeared. This one was sitting on a large imposing throne. It had exquisitely detailed carvings all over it. From the few that Becket focused on, they appeared to be of Karacknid warriors killing aliens. Lovely, Becket thought. When the Karacknid spoke, she remembered his voice from the combat ring. “I am Fur-lang of Clan Lang,” the Karacknid said. “Today, Taranaki has been proven to be a false Imperator. The charges High Scribe Fralin-yang laid against him were true. His death shows that much to us all. I have therefore assumed the position of Imperator of our people. Rumansi-ta and his Clan were close followers of Taranaki. They were complicit in his evils. He will not lead our people. The clans must unite around Clan Lang. This day has shown us that we have many enemies who wish to destroy our great empire. We must stand together against all threats to Karacknid unity. As your Imperator, I therefore order you not to obey any unlawful commands from Rumansi-ta. Our people cannot afford disunity at this time. Do not succumb to his lies.”

“I’ve got ships powering up their reactors,” Anderson reported. “Twenty of them and counting.”

On the holo display, everyone watched as a number of small groups of ships powered up their reactors. Instead of coming towards Drake and the Allied fleet though, they broke orbit. As fast as they could, they began to race towards the several shift passages that led out of the system.

“They’re bringing news of Taranaki’s death,” Ivanov said.

“And of who is the rightful heir to his throne,” Becket guessed. Even as they watched, a group of three ships opened fire with their laser cannons. Two other Karacknid ships were blown apart. Moments later, missiles erupted from another group and raced after a single light cruiser. Despite her shock, Becket smiled. James had been right. They were turning on one another. She was disappointed when none of the larger groups of Karacknid ships still in orbit opened fire, though they did power up their engines and start to separate. They formed up into at least five different groups. So there are more contenders to the throne than just two, Becket concluded. That was even better news. With luck, they would all be too busy looking at one another to pay attention to her ships.

*

Imperator’s Glory

Tanaka-lan stared at the holographic display of Gayla. More specifically, at the image of the combat ring. It had been five minutes since Somerville had thrust his knife into Taranaki’s throat. Tanaka-lan still hadn’t moved a muscle. None of his bridge officers had. It was impossible to believe, and yet, it had happened right before his very eyes. Tanaka-lan couldn’t help but keep going back to the four times he had had an audience with Taranaki. The Imperator’s eyes had entranced him. Until he had met Taranaki in person, he had never understood the devotion so many had showed. Tanaka-lan remembered once thinking it had to be some kind of trick. He knew the eyes of all the statues of Taranaki were just that. Yet when he had met Taranaki, he had come to understand. The statues were simply meant to communicate the truth. At least, the truth as he had thought it. High Scribe Fralin-yang’s accusations were echoing around in his mind. He hadn’t believed a word of them. Not until Taranaki had died. Now, he couldn’t shake them. And Taranaki did kill Fralin-yang. He broke the rules Trava-klan. Why would an innocent person do that? Tanaka-lan asked. He had no good answer.

Movement from Gayla caught Tanaka-lan’s eyes. Allied shuttles were taking off. They’re trying to flee, he thought. For the first time since the knife struck Taranaki’s throat, Tanaka-lan moved. His arms tightened and he drove his claws into his command chair. The scraping noise of his claws biting into the padded armrest made many of the officers around him jump.

“What are your orders Admiral?” One of his tactical officers requested.

Tanaka-lan hesitated. He was torn. He had sworn to Somerville that he would kill him if he attacked Gayla. Somerville had not just ignored him; he had gone on to kill Taranaki. Yet Taranaki had accepted James’ challenge. He had agreed to James’ terms. Tanaka-lan didn’t know what to do. If Taranaki had been a fraud, then there was no need to honor his agreement. Yet if he wasn’t, then Tanaka-lan’s devotion to his Imperator demanded that he did. There was simply no way for him to know which it was. Not right now. Stuck at an impasse, something else forced Tanaka-lan to a decision. Hatred. As more and more Allied shuttles took off from Gayla’s surface, Tanaka-lan could not take it. The Humans and their allies had desecrated his homeworld, they could not be allowed to live. He opened his mouth to give the order for his fleet to advance.

“We’re getting an open communication from Gayla,” a communication officer reported before Tanaka-lan could speak. Tanaka-lan’s hands clenched into fists when Rumansi-ta began to talk. Clan Ta might be the largest clan by size, but their deeds paled in comparison to those of Tanaka-lan’s. How dare he thinks he can do this. He did not kill the Imperator. He has no right, Tanaka-lan raged. Suddenly, he found himself looking at the warships in orbit around Gayla with fresh eyes. The allies still had three thousand warships and just as many freighters. In a one-on-one fight, his fleet would take serious losses if he tried to engage them. And can I trust you? He thought towards the Karacknid warships. Tanaka-lan had a reputation on Gayla, he knew that. He had been one of Taranaki’s most favored commanders. Whoever succeeded Taranaki might look on him with suspicion. Would they want one of the Empire’s best fleet commanders nearby? No, Tanaka-lan was certain they would see him as a threat. He had no doubts about his fleet, they would be loyal no matter what. But Gayla’s defense fleet. If he engaged the Allied warships, they could refuse to come to his aid. Tanaka-lan was disgusted by the very thought. An hour ago, and it would never have entered his mind. Yet everything had changed. When Fur-lang’s message reached Imperator’s Glory, Tanaka-lan made up his mind. He hated the Humans. He detested Somerville with every fiber in his body. Yet the Karacknid Empire had bigger problems. There was going to be a civil war. With no clear successor, the clans would fight among themselves. It had been centuries since a new Imperator had taken over. Taranaki had even had Tanaka-lan thinking there would never be the need for a new one. The foolishness of that was now clear. And even if it hadn’t occurred to all the Clans that they could seize power, it soon would. As their shock died, their lust for power would grow. Tanaka-lan found himself considering all his experiences afresh. It was now so obvious. Taranaki had ruled by playing one clan off against the other. In the fleet and army, it hadn’t come to dominate inter-Clan relations, but in politics, it had created a cutthroat dominance hierarchy, with each Clan competing for Taranaki’s favor. Now that was crumbling right in front of their eyes. Yet when it fell, all the rivalries would still remain.

They cannot be allowed power, he thought to himself. Neither the Admirals who had led the failed attempts to prevent Somerville’s fleet from reaching Gayla, nor the Clan leaders who had appointed them, deserved to lead the Karacknid people. They were all old or useless warriors who had spent far too long in the core worlds. No, what was needed was an experienced commander. One who could unite the Karacknid people and seek vengeance for the shame the Humans had brought upon his species. Tanaka-lan knew he was the only person for the job. There were other good commanders fighting out in the borders of the Empire. Yet they were not here. Someone needed to consolidate power now, before a useless, incompetent Imperator took over.

On his personal holo display, Tanaka-lan brought up a star map of the local systems. One jumped out at him right away. It was a large shipyard system. His fleet had already taken a lot of damage destroying one of the Allied fleets. If he was going to attempt what he felt he had to, he would need a fleet backing him up. One that could take and hold the homeworld. If he moved in now, either the Allied fleet, or Gayla’s defenses would maul his forces. Then he would have nothing left to defend his claim. We will take that system, he said to himself. From there, we will rebuild what these Humans have desecrated. He fixed his gaze on Somerville’s flagship. And then I will come for you, your family, and your people.

*

IS Drake

As the Allied fleet broke orbit, Becket didn’t take her eyes off the holo display. She was watching the Karacknid fleet in orbit around Gayla and Tanaka-lan’s fleet. It had to be a trick. She was certain of it. Yet as the minutes turned into half an hour, and then half an hour into one and then two hours, she allowed herself to start to relax. Her whole body tensed again when Anderson announced Tanaka-lan’s ships had begun to move. To everyone’s shock, they began to turn end over end. Settling onto a course back towards the shift passage they had come from, they fired up their engines and actually moved away from the Allied fleet. Becket had no answers. She didn’t understand what Tanaka-lan was doing. She was so sure it was a trick. Once again though, as more and more time passed, it became clear it wasn’t. Then, as soon as they reached the system’s mass shadow, Tanaka-lan’s ships disappeared. They had jumped into shift space! Still shocked, Becket let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped. Whatever Tanaka-lan was doing, it didn’t matter now. Her ships were safe. A large smile spread across her face. Turning, she saw Alvarez, Ivanov, and the others were all sharing it. James had done it! He had killed Taranaki. He had broken the false Imperator’s hold on his people. And he has sown discord among their factions, Becket thought as the various groups of Karacknid warships in orbit around Gayla continued their stand off against one another. Please, please may it not have cost him his life, she begged as Drake and the remnants of the Allied fleet jumped into shift space.

Chapter 46

Tanaka-lan is a name that drives fear into the heart of every young Human child, especially along the frontier colonies. That alone speaks to his historical significance. He has been dead for centuries now, and yet, he still lives on in the hearts of his enemies.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake

For three hours, Becket kept the Allied fleet travelling through shift space. When they were far enough away from Gayla that she was sure no Karacknid scouts would stumble upon them, she pulled her ships out. They needed time to carry out more repairs and figure out just what they were going to do next. Though she desperately wanted to go and check on James, she quickly found herself overloaded with tasks that needed her attention. Nearly half of her three thousand warships had suffered some kind of damage. Many needed to carry out emergency repairs or they might not even be able to make it to the next system. The fleet supply condition was a nightmare. Thousands of freighters had been lost. An inventory had been taken of everything that remained. What had been found was not exactly encouraging. The fleet had just three quarters of the fuel it needed to get back to Gramrian space. Almost as bad, there were only enough missiles to give all of her ships ten salvos each. Becket had no time to dwell on how she would handle those problems in the long term though; the immediate short-term demands were already too much for her. Personnel had to be reassigned between ships. Food supplies had to be divided up to keep everyone fed. Essential components for repairs had to be found and shuttled to where they were needed most. What fuel and missiles they had also had to be shared out so every ship could fight together if needs be. Eventually, after several hours, she got the fleet to a condition she was content to leave Ivanov and Alvarez in charge. “I’m going to the sick bay,” she announced as she signed off on her last consignment order. “COM me immediately if you need me.”

“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov said. “Let the Admiral know we are all thinking of him.”

“I will,” Becket promised. If he is even alive, she thought. Immediately, anger swelled up at her own betrayal of hope. Yet she was scared about what she would find. The only reports coming out of sickbay had been that the medics were working non-stop on him. When she entered sickbay, she was met by Drake’s senior doctor, Doctor Flores. The doctor’s face and hair looked haggard. Blood was all over her scrubs. “How is he?” Becket asked, her heart rising up to her mouth.

“Alive,” Flores said. “That much I can tell you. We’re still keeping him unconscious. In fact, we’re about to put him into stasis. You can come and see him before we do.”

Becket’s fear heightened. Stasis was used to keep injured patients alive when a ship’s medical facilities could do no more. Following Flores into a cubicle, her hand went to her mouth. She couldn’t help but gasp. James’ body was mangled. There was nothing left of his left arm below the elbow. The left side of his chest was barely recognizable. Stents were holding several deep wounds open. Flores had been working on James’ internal organs. Though she wanted to look away, Becket couldn’t help but peer through the openings. All she could see inside was a mass of sliced-up body tissues. Forcing herself to look at the rest of James’s body, she saw it was covered in thick gashes. She counted at least five that had cut right through his skin to reveal flesh and bone. They had all been washed clean, yet they were still lying open.

“We had to amputate his left arm,” Flores said gently. “There simply wasn’t enough of it left to do a reconstruction, I’m afraid. His left kidney, much of his stomach, and about a third of his liver have been destroyed. We’ve done what little repairs we can. I already have replacements growing. They will take a couple of weeks or more to be ready. That’s why we need to put him in stasis. We’ll take him out once we’re ready to do the transplants. He’s lost a lot of blood, about two thirds of his full amount. We have replaced it now, and his heart isn’t under so much stress. His implants are what kept him alive long enough to be brought to us.”

“So he can make a full recovery?” Becket asked as she held her breath.

Flores nodded, “I hope so. As long as his body doesn’t reject the transplants. He’ll need a prosthetic arm, of course. But with time, I believe we can mend everything else. It will be a long road to recovery. His whole body has gone through a serious shock. It will take months for him to be back on his feet. Even longer before he can think about doing any kind of strenuous physical activity. I have to go change before we make the final preparations for stasis. You can stay here with him if you like.”

Relief washed over Becket. “Thank you,” she said as she placed a hand on Flores’s clean shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Thank you for saving him.”

Movement to Becket’s right made her realize she wasn’t alone in the cubicle. “Emilie,” she said as she rushed to James’ niece’s side. Emilie had been standing at the back of the cubicle in the corner. She looked even more worn and exhausted than Flores had. Becket pulled her into a hug. “Have you been here the whole time?”

Emilie nodded. As Becket held her, her whole body trembled. Becket could only imagine how horrible it must have been to watch Flores and the others work on James’ broken body. “He’s going to be okay,” she reassured Emilie. “You heard Flores; they’re growing new organs even as we speak. He’s going to make a full recovery.”

“I know, I know,” Emilie said as she began to sob. She shook even more. “When I saw Taranaki pierce him with his claws. Then when I saw him come off the shuttle, I thought…”

“So did I,” Becket said. “So did I. But we were wrong. He is alive.” As she continued to hold Emilie, Flores and several other surgeons returned. Methodically, they started sewing up all of James’ deep cuts. Then they removed the stents from his side. They closed the wounds as best they could. Becket suspected they were also growing skin grafts to properly seal the wounds once they brought him out of stasis.

“We are ready to put him in now,” Flores said as she stood back from James.

Becket nodded, she put a hand on Emilie’s back, and gently brought her to James’ side. She reached out and took his good hand and placed it into Emilie’s. “We all owe him a great debt,” she said as she stared at James’ face. Despite being sedated, it still looked like he was in a great deal of pain. “All of Humanity does. I hope we will have many years to repay him.”

“I intend to see that we do,” Emilie said as she squeezed James’ hand. “I intend to see that we do,” she repeated.

In silence, both officers stared at James for several moments until Flores moved in again. She tapped a couple of buttons on the medical bed’s control panel. It started to retract into the wall of the cubicle. A glass canopy moved over and sealed James in. Then the cryogenic stasis procedure began. Becket stayed with Emilie until James disappeared from sight. Behind her, the sound of someone clearing their throat made Becket turn. Alvarez was standing there. Becket gave him a quick smile. She then gave James’ niece one last hug and turned to leave Drake’s medical bay. Emilie would be needed with her squadron, but Becket intended to give her several more hours yet. Alvarez couldn’t be spared from Drake’s bridge for long, either. Yet she would give them a few moments together. Both of them needed it. She, on the other hand, didn’t have that luxury; the fleet needed her now. There was still much to be decided. I have to get the fleet home, Becket said to herself. I have to get him home. Fuel or no fuel, she had to find a way. Despite the weight of responsibility she now felt, as she walked back to the bridge, she did so with a far lighter step. James was alive. That was something! And we have the hidden Kalassai shift passages. Yet there were still many Karacknid fleets out there. Becket had no idea what would happen if they ran into any of them.

*

IS Drake, 3rd April 2486 AD, (three days later).

When the scouts Becket had sent into the system James had fooled the Karacknid fleet in less than a week ago returned, she was delighted to see the majority of the fleet was no longer there. A day ago, she had met up with Rear Admiral Rivers and his gravity well cruisers. He had reported that the ten thousand warship strong Karacknid fleet had made several attempts to bypass his cruisers in normal space. Yet the Karacknid ships hadn’t been able to catch him. After two days of failed attempts, they had fallen back. Rivers had sent scouts to try and figure out what they were up to, but none had returned. Wherever they have gone, Becket thought as she stared at the scout reports, they are not in the system. There were three thousand Karacknid warships still present which were still a serious threat, but three was far better than ten. They’re probably trying to find a different way to Gayla. Well, they’re going to arrive far too late, she thought. Almost as encouraging, the ships that had been detected in the system looked to be at odds with one another. One thousand ships were defending the colony James had pretended to nuke from orbit. Another thousand were guarding the shift passage the Allied fleet had used to enter the system. Clearly, someone had given them orders to block the Allied fleet’s retreat from Gayla. The final thousand were spread out into six other smaller groups. None of them appeared to be coordinating with one another. There was even some debris in orbit around the second Karacknid colony in the system. The Allied fleet had never attacked it. Whatever had happened there had come from the Karacknids attacking each other. If there had been more debris, Becket would have thought the other seven thousand missing ships had destroyed one another. Yet it looked more like just a handful of ships had been taken out. Even so, they are fracturing, Becket thought with a smile. Just as James predicted. And we can use that. “Jump us in,” she ordered.

As soon as her fleet completed its micro jump, Becket nodded to Lieutenant Salamanca. Turning Drake’s nose towards the colony the Allied fleet had assaulted previously, James’ flagship began to accelerate. It didn’t take long for it to become clear that Becket’s strategy was working. Whatever faction controlled the colony, no love was lost between them and the other Karacknid fleets in the system. Instead of all the Karacknid ships rushing to intercept the Allied fleet, they were idling towards the colony. They’re happy to let us engage the colony’s defenders, and then they will move in, Becket imagined. If they will attack us at all. It was quite possible the various Karacknid squadrons simply wanted to discourage Becket’s ships from attacking any other targets in the system.

For three hours, Becket kept her fleet on an intercept heading with the Karacknid colony. “Now is the time,” she said as she nodded to Lieutenant Petrov. “Salamanca, alter heading as soon as all Karacknid fleets have received Petrov’s message.”

“Ready to record,” Petrov replied.

Becket didn’t know if the Karacknids would take it seriously. Clearly, messenger ships had reached the system before her fleet had. The Karacknid ships all around her fleet would know exactly what had happened to Taranaki. They would also know the deal he had made with James. Squaring her jaw, Becket tried to make herself look as fierce as possible. “Karacknid warships, my Emperor agreed a ceasefire with former Imperator Taranaki. We intend to honor that ceasefire. We also have permission from the new Imperator. With Emperor Somerville’s victory in the combat ring, peace has been declared between our two species. Do not attempt to waylay our journey through the system, or you will face the wrath of your new Imperator.” Finished, Becket gestured to Petrov to send the message. Then she sat back in her command chair and waited. She had no idea whether the various Karacknid squadrons in the system were loyal to Rumansi-ta or Fur-lang or even a third contender. After having a few days to dwell on it, Becket now figured she understood Tanaka-lan’s decision to remove his fleet from the Gayla system. It was very likely he was loyal to neither of the first two Karacknids to claim to be Imperator. He wants to be the next Imperator, Becket was now certain. That was not an encouraging thought. He would be far deadlier than Taranaki. Yet judging from the division between the Karacknid fleets in front of her, it didn’t seem like that was something she would have to worry about for quite some time. And now they are wondering just who I’m referring to, Becket hoped. With luck, each faction would think their ‘new imperator’ was their favored candidate.

“Beginning my maneuver now,” Salamanca said as soon as the holo display showed the message had reached the last Karacknid squadron.

Together with Drake, the Allied fleet turned away from diving deeper into the system. Instead, they put themselves onto a course towards the shift passage they wanted to take out of the system. The one thousand Karacknid ships that had been defending it were currently slowly moving into the system on an intercept course for the colony Becket had been heading towards. Becket nodded to herself as they didn’t immediately respond to her move. That’s it, that’s it, she thought towards the group of enemy contacts. The longer they hesitated, the more chance she would have to slip by them. It wasn’t until ten minutes later that the Karacknid ships altered their headings and began to reverse course. It worked, Becket thought to herself, but just how well?

A moment later, Anderson answered her unasked question. The holo display updated to show the projected courses of both groups of ships. “They’ll get close enough to fire one missile salvo,” James’ tactical officer reported. “That is all. We’ll move out of range within a minute of them being able to open fire.”

“Just one missile salvo,” Becket said out loud. “We can handle that. Let’s make our preparations.” Her fleet outnumbered the Karacknids by more than three to one. With luck, few if any enemy missiles would get through. Her numbers didn’t give her complete confidence though. Many of her ships were damaged and their point defense capabilities compromised. And if any damaged ships are hit, they could be in real trouble, she feared. Still, facing one single salvo was far better than having to try and fight her way through the Karacknid fleet. That would have been far more costly.

Over the next five hours, the tension on Drake’s bridge slowly ramped up. Becket felt it herself. It wasn’t just from facing the Karacknid ships in front of Drake. Every light second they came closer to the Karacknids reminded everyone of just how far they had to go to get home. There were likely tens of thousands of Karacknid warships between them and Gramrian space. The impending engagement was a reality check after the euphoria of James’ victory and survival.

“Entering missile range in thirty seconds,” Anderson reported.

“Hold fire until my command,” Becket replied. She leant forward in her command chair. She didn’t intend to be the one to break the ceasefire James and Taranaki had made. If the war between her people and the Karacknids was to continue, she didn’t want the blame to fall on her fleet. As the Karacknids entered missile range, her shoulders tensed as she waited the launch of their weapons. A second ticked by, and then another. There were no missile launches. Becket’s eyes widened. More seconds passed by. She turned to Ivanov. “They are not firing,” James’ Chief of Staff said. She looked just as surprised. Becket wasn’t ready to jump to that conclusion just yet.

Yet when more than half of the Karacknids’ firing window came and went, Becket broke into a grin. “You’re right. They’re holding to the peace!” She was stunned. Never before had she seen a Karacknid fleet hold its fire. Not when they had enemies under their guns. She didn’t know what that meant for the future. Whether just this faction didn’t want to fire on her ships, or if they didn’t want to risk losing ships to her return fire. Ships they might need to assert their claim to the throne, she thought. Whatever the reason, we’re not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, she said to herself as she repeated the phrase she had learnt from James. “Jump us out of the system as soon as we reach the mass shadow,” she ordered. Then she shared another glance with Ivanov. They were both thinking the same thing. Two more uninhabited systems to pass through and then they could get to one of the hidden Kalassai shift passages. There were still many more dangers to circumnavigate after that. But they were on their way home!

*

IS Drake, 2nd May 2486 AD, (eight weeks later).

At just one third of her fleet’s maximum acceleration rate, Becket approached the first Karacknids she was intentionally targeting since leaving Gayla. Not that some Karacknids hadn’t attacked her. She had been forced to fight two skirmishes with small Karacknid squadrons over the past eight weeks. Both battles had been quickly won, though ships had been lost. There had been several other close calls where Becket had just managed to slip her ships past sizeable Karacknid forces. Admiral Scott, Commodore Somerville and Admiral Shraw had all proven themselves to be worth far more than their weight in gold. Becket had sent each of them forward commanding scouting squadrons. Time and time again, they had been able to bring back word of dangerous enemy formations in time for Becket to avoid contact with them. There had been three times were even their best efforts had failed. Two had led to the two confrontations. Amazingly, the third time Becket’s fleet had encountered a sizeable Karacknid force, the Karacknids had simply held position and not engaged. Like at Gayla, they had been content to let her fleet pass.

Now however, Becket didn’t have the luxury of watching the Karacknids let her pass. Her fleet was entering the Upper Valley. Though there was still a long way to go, the end was in sight. Yet her ships needed fuel. That’s why they were now closing with four gas mining stations that slowly orbited a large yellow-red gas giant. Ten small Karacknid battlestations were protecting them along with thirty warships. Becket had already sent them a warning, informing them that she intended to take fuel from their stations, but that she meant them no further harm. There had been no reply.

As her fleet slowly entered missile range however, none of the battlestations or warships opened fire. Becket sat patiently in her command chair and waited until her fleet came to rest at the coordinates she had selected. The Kalassai city ships were now just within range of the battlestations with their energy weapons. “Fire,” she ordered. From ten of the Kalassai city ships, a hundred and twenty beams raced out towards the gas giant. None of them hit Karacknid targets however. They were warning shots. If the Karacknids had been in any doubt, it was now clear they could all be blown apart in an instant. When there was no aggressive response from the Karacknids, Becket nodded to Anderson. A minute later and a hundred shuttles took off from Johnston’s troop ships. Becket held her breath as they approached the Karacknid stations. If they wanted to, the Karacknid forces could decimate the shuttles with their energy weapons. No enemy fire came, however. As quickly as they could, the shuttles docked with the gas mining stations. Within minutes, reports came back from Johnston that the stations had been abandoned. “Let’s get this done as fast as possible,” Becket ordered.

From the midst of her fleet, a hundred freighters began to move ahead of Drake. They too entered energy weapon range of the Karacknid battlestations and were not fired upon. Becket smiled. It was going to work. The Karacknids were going to let them take the fuel they needed. A week ago, she had dropped off scribe Huy-res’ people on a small Karacknid colony. Getting enough fuel to get home had been her final hurdle. Now her fleet was clear to make a straight run down the Valley and to safety. And with luck, any fleets we do meet will give us a wide berth. It was still a very strange feeling to have Karacknids not actively pursuing her, yet it was an experience Becket knew she could get used to.

*

IS Drake, 16th June 2486 AD, (six weeks later).

Not for the first time, Becket was surprised by what her fleet found as it continued down the Lower Valley. They were now just two weeks away from reaching the edge of Karacknid space. In all the time since they had left Gayla, they had lost only three hundred warships. Amazingly, only one hundred and fifty of them had been destroyed in several scuffles with Karacknid forces. The other half had been scuttled due to suffering too much damage. Three weeks ago, those scuffles had come to an end, however. For instead of finding Karacknid garrison fleets, every system they entered was completely empty. It was as if the Karacknids had disappeared. Despite that, she had been expecting to find some ships in the system the Allied fleet now accelerated into. It was a large supply hub that the Kalassai believed served as a command headquarters for all of the Karacknid fleets that guarded the edge of their space within the Valley. It too was completely empty. Yes, there was a Karacknid fleet base orbiting one of the planets. Yet none of its stations were omitting much energy. It seemed their reactors were all in a low power mode. It’s been abandoned, she thought as she shook her head. There was only one explanation for that, the warships had all headed deeper into the Karacknid empire. They are going to have their say in who is the next Imperator, she was certain. That meant only one thing. A full civil war was brewing within the Karacknid empire. If they were abandoning the frontiers of their space, it meant the various factions were preparing for a full-on conflict. Thousands of Karacknid ships could be destroyed, she hoped. It could set them back decades. That wasn’t what brought the smile to her lips though. In the long term that was great, yes. But right now, the abandoned Karacknid fleet base meant one thing; her fleet’s path out of Karacknid space was clear. There would be no more fleets trying to engage them. “We are going home,” she said to Drake’s bridge officers as her smile widened. Sitting back in her command chair, she thought things couldn’t get any better. She was wrong. A ping from her datapad told she had a message from Doctor Flores. It made Becket sit up straight again. James had been brought out of stasis more than a month ago. After Flores had successfully completed all the transplants she had needed to do, she had kept him unconscious to let his body do most of the healing. Now however, she was ready to wake him up. Becket immediately sent the news on to Emilie and jumped out of her command chair. “Alvarez, you have the fleet. James is waking up.”

“Aye Aye, Admiral,” Alvarez said as he and everyone else on Drake’s bridge broke into a grin of their own.

When she got to Drake’s sick bay, Becket felt a little guilty that she was there before Emilie. A quick check of her datapad told her Emilie was already in a shuttle on her way to Drake. Not wanting James to wake up and just be surrounded by medics, she went on in. Flores was there waiting for her. “He’s still quite groggy. I was just going in to speak with him though. You can join me if you like. It will probably be reassuring.”

“Of course, his niece is more than five minutes away though, should we wait?”

Flores looked down at her datapad. She shook her head. “No, his vitals are picking up very quickly. Someone should be with him now.”

“All right, let’s go,” Becket said.

When they entered the medical bay, the door swished closed behind them, it caused James’ eyelids to flutter. Touching a dial, Flores increased the brightness of the room. Both of James’s arms rose up to cover his eyes. His right hand covered his right eye. His left arm simply waved about in the air. James’ left eye flickered fully open. He groaned, surprised by the light and then shut it again. “Wher..” He croaked.

“Here, take some water,” Flores said as she picked up a cup and leaned in offering James the straw.

He drank deeply, rolled his mouth around and then tried again. “Where am I?” He was just barely intelligible.

“You’re on board Drake, Admiral. I am Doctor Flores. I’ve been treating you since your fight with Taranaki.” Flores said loudly. “I have Admiral Becket with me, and your niece Emilie is on her way.”

“My side,” James said as his left elbow pointed towards his side.

“It’s sore, I know,” Flores said. “It will be for quite some time yet. But you’re on the mend. We had to regrow some of your organs. They are all functioning well now.”

James looked around, clearly still in distress. “Becket?”

Becket moved around to James’ right side. She took his hand into hers. “I’m here, James. You are safe. Doctor Flores has worked miracles.”

“I’m back on board Drake?” James asked. He waived his right hand down and his eyes cracked open a little bit more.

“Yes, you are, we brought you here after the fight. What do you remember?”

“Pain,” James said as his head fell back into his pillow. “Lots of pain.” Then his eyes snapped open. “Taranaki! I was fighting him!”

Becket smiled to try and reassure him. “You were, but you’re safe now.”

“Did I kill him?” James asked, his eyes were now fixed on hers.

Becket nodded slowly. “You did. You won, James. We’re all still alive because of you.”

James’ eyes widened as he remembered more of the battle. His head snapped around as he raised up his left arm. His teeth clenched together at the sight of the stump that greeted him. “We had to amputate,” Flores said. “I’m sorry Admiral, but you suffered too much damage. You will be able to receive a fully functioning prosthetic when we return to Earth. I expect you to make a full recovery.”

James tried to prop himself up to take a look at the rest of his body. Forgetting about his left arm, he tried to use his hand to shimmy up the bed. Instead, his stump slammed into his mattress soliciting another groan. Flores moved in and helped James back onto his back. “Don’t move Admiral, your bed can do this.” Tapping a button, she moved James into more of a sitting position. Both Flores and Becket watched as James explored his body with his right hand. He traced the scars along the left side of his abdomen. Then he found the ones on his legs and torso.

“I must have been quite a mess,” he said as he looked back at Flores.

“That would be one way to put it Admiral,” Flores said with a smile. “It actually looked far worse than you can probably imagine. But we put you back together. You’ve got a new kidney and stomach, and we’ve regrown about a third of your liver. They are all as good as new. Give your body another six months or more to recover, and you’ll be even better than before.”

James let out a deep breath. “From what I’m feeling at the moment, I find that hard to believe.” He turned to Becket. “How long have I been under?”

Flores answered before Becket could. “We had you in stasis for six weeks while we grew the organs. It took another week of surgeries to put everything in place. We’ve kept you unconscious for an additional seven weeks. We wanted to give your body plenty of time to heal before waking you up. It would have been much more painful if we had done it sooner.”

“And the fleet,” James asked, not looking away from Becket. “Where are we now? How are our ships doing?”

Becket reached out and squeezed James’ shoulder. “You shouldn’t be worrying about that now.” James raised an eyebrow at her. Becket laughed. It was good to see he was quickly regaining his sense of authority. “We are almost out of Karacknid space. We’ve had to fight a few small battles, but by and large, the Karacknids have been leaving us alone. It seems your deal with Taranaki is holding up. Another two weeks, and we will be out of their territory. Though from what our scouts can detect, the Karacknids have already abandoned all the systems between where we are and the edge of their space.”

“Abandoned?” James asked, confusion filling his face.

Becket laughed again. “There is much to catch you up on. We don’t really know for sure, but at least two Karacknid Clan leaders claimed to be Taranaki’s true successors before we left the Gayla system. I suspect Tanaka-lan has similar ambitions. His fleet actually left Gayla before us. He didn’t even try to engage us.”

James shook his head. “After the threats he made… I don’t suppose he has forgotten about them though.”

“No, I imagine not,” Becket agreed. “But with Taranaki’s death, all of the Karacknids have more important things to worry about than our fleet or their war with us. I hope it is the same when we get back to Earth.”

“Earth,” James said as a wide smile spread across his teeth. “I didn’t think we’d ever be getting back there. Yet you say we are almost out of Karacknid space? Then we are well on our way.”

“We are indeed,” Becket said as she squeezed James’ shoulder again. “We are all going home to our families. That’s because of you. You beat Taranaki. Of all the things that have happened, that’s still the hardest to believe. Yet I saw you do it. You were amazing. Even Johnston has said so.”

“He has?” James asked as his voice perked up. “That would be something. I don’t suppose he’ll admit it again, at least not to me.”

Becket chuckled. “You might be right Admiral. I had to get a few drinks into him for that to come out.”

Suddenly behind them, the door to the medical bay swished open. Emilie almost barreled into Becket as she rushed into the room. “Uncle,” she called out as she moved forward and leaned into him. She was careful to avoid the left side of his abdomen and chest, yet her embrace brought a grunt from James even so. He was smiling however. Becket raised a hand and waved to James, then she slowly backed out of the room. Flores had already proceeded her. She would have plenty of time to catch Somerville up on everything that had happened. Now was a time for James to have family with him. And no doubt he’ll ply Emilie for information as soon as she lets him go, Becket thought with a smile.

As she walked out of the medical bay, she found herself humming a marine marching tune Johnston had taught her years ago. She smiled when she realized. For the first time in what seemed like many years, she was genuinely happy. All the sacrifice, all the lost friends, it now all seemed worth it. Somerville’s hare-brained Operation Hail Mary had actually paid off!

Chapter 47

It is my experience surviving a war leaves one with so many ‘what if’ questions. ‘What if I had done this differently?’ ‘What if he had survived?’ ‘Where would he be now?’ ‘What would our Empire look like with all those we lost still here?’ We who survive will always carry around such questions.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

IS Drake, 18th August 2486 AD, (two months later).

Setting his mug down, James let the last sip of his coffee roll around his tongue. Swallowing, he placed his right hand on the table in front of him. It was time. Not wanting to wait for Fox to return to clear away his breakfast dishes, he lent forward, putting most of his weight onto his arm. With the smallest of grunts, he stood to his feet. Most of the deep cuts Taranaki had sliced into his right arm and legs were fully healed. They gave him almost no bother now. His side was another matter. As he stood up straight, he felt the skin along the left side of his torso stretch. Shooting pains passed through his stomach and up to his diaphragm. James stood still and took several deep breaths waiting for them to pass.

“Admiral, you’re not meant to be doing that on your own,” Fox said as he hurried over to James’ side.

“Today I am,” James replied. “If you want to help me, pull out my dress uniform. We are going to pay a visit to the bridge.”

“Are you sure that’s wise Admiral? We’ll be jumping out of shift space soon, what about the reversion tremor?”

James shot Fox a wry look. “How many times have we entered or exited shift space in our careers? It must be tens of thousands by now. I think I can handle one more.”

“Yes Admiral, of course,” Fox said as he turned and headed towards James’ wardrobes. If he thought he had hidden the slight shake of his head, he was mistaken. James rolled his eyes. Fox had always fussed over him. Since his injuries though, his steward had taken it to a whole new level. He knew if Christine saw it, she would have been amused. Both by the care Fox was showing him, and by James’ frustration. When Fox returned, they set about getting James dressed. He was starting to get proficient with being able to do so with one hand, yet his dress uniform provided a new level of challenge. Eventually, after a couple of attempts and a few more grunts of pain, James was happy with how he looked. Standing in front of one of his quarters’ reflection screens, he couldn’t help but think of Lord Nelson. Since joining the Royal Space Navy, he had become a hero to James; largely thanks to the books his uncle had once shared with him. Now we are more alike than ever, James thought to himself. Fox had pinned the empty sleeve of his left arm to his chest just below the many medals that hung there.

“You look as dashing as ever,” Fox said.

James smiled. If Fox thought he was fretting about what Christine might think, he needn’t be concerned. James had no fears on that account. “I think we are ready. Let’s go.” When Fox moved closer to James to put a hand under his left shoulder, James held up his right hand. “Not this time, I will be fine on my own.”

“Yes Admiral,” Fox said, giving James a quick bow.

For the last six weeks, James had been slowly starting his rehabilitation. His muscles had atrophied during the time he had been under sedation and then consigned to bedrest. He was slowly regaining his strength, but Flores had told him it would be a long process. The pain he was still feeling from his left side and arm slowed everything down. He had been walking several lengths of his quarters for the past three days, but always Fox or Flores had been there to support him. That was not happening today. James intended to walk onto Drake’s bridge solely on his own strength. Clenching his teeth, he turned towards the hatch that led out into the corridor to the bridge. Every time his left foot came down, it sent jolts of pain up his side. Ignoring them as best he could, he tried to walk as straight as possible. After the first six steps, his implants kicked in and started to release more pain reliever. It allowed James to unclench his jaw and stand a little straighter. “Come on,” he called after Fox. “You deserve to see this as much as anyone else.”

With Fox following closely behind, James walked through the hatch as it swished open and then along the length of the corridor to the bridge’s main hatch. He paused just before the point where it would open to catch his breath. Then after a glance and a nod at Fox, he continued forward again. As the hatch swished to one side, James stopped again. Drake’s bridge was full of officers. Rather than sitting at their posts, they were all standing at attention, their hands at their foreheads, holding a salute.

“Welcome back Admiral,” Becket called out from amidst the officers. “It is an honor to have you rejoin us. Please come and take your proper seat.”

James smiled at her as he stepped onto the bridge. “The honor is all mine. You have all done a most excellent job getting us home. For that, I thank you all.” Moving forward slowly, James made sure he smiled and nodded at each of his officers. When he came to Ivanov, Alvarez, and then Becket, he shook each of their hands. “The fleet is still yours,” he said to Becket. “You have the honor of bringing Drake home. I’m only here to observe.”

Everyone waited until James sat to return to their posts. Becket took the command chair next to his. “Update our ID transceiver, show Admiral Somerville is commanding Drake,” Becket requested.

“Show that Admirals Somerville and Becket are commanding,” James corrected. Showing two Admirals commanding from one ship was technically against regulations, but James didn’t care. One of the perks of being Emperor, he supposed.

“Exiting shift space in thirty seconds,” Anderson reported.

James gripped the armrest of his command chair with his right hand and tensed his body. As Drake reverted to real space and a tremor ran through the dreadnought, it shook James’ insides. He had to keep his mouth firmly shut to fight back a groan. When he spotted several of his staff officers watching him closely, he raised his chin. “Let us get a good look at her,” he requested.

Seconds later, Drake’s main holo display updated to show the Sol system in all its beauty. Earth and Mars were lit up like Christmas trees as thousands of contacts moved back and forth between them and many of the other habitats or orbital facilities within the system. The Empire’s economy looked to be thriving. Copious amounts of energy were being detected from the shipyards around Earth. Clearly, they were still working flat out. James was filled with a sense of pride. Everything was just as he had left it. And so it will stay, he promised himself. No one knew how much of a respite the Karacknids turning upon themselves would buy the Allies, but James didn’t intend to waste one second of it.

A brief sadness assaulted James as he settled his eyes on a group of four hundred warships in high orbit above Earth. Home Fleet, he thought. They had learnt of Tanaka-lan’s invasion of Human space from the Gift forts when the fleet had passed through the wormhole from Conclave space. Lightfoot’s loss had hit James hard. Since the beginning of their careers, James had seen Lightfoot as both a friend and a competitor. They had risen through the ranks of the Royal Space Navy and then the UN Navy together. It seemed both of them had been fated to face the Karacknids together. And now we have won a measure of peace, and you’re no longer around to enjoy it, James thought towards his friend as he stared at the fleet Lightfoot should have been commanding.

“We’re being challenged by a patrol frigate,” Petrov reported.

“Inform them the Emperor has returned home,” Becket said before James could say anything. She turned to James, “Shall we proceed?” James nodded. “Set course for Earth, take us in,” Becket ordered Salamanca.

For an hour, James was content to sit in his command chair and take in all the sights of the Sol system. He couldn’t deny that he had seen quite a number of more impressive systems throughout his career, yet none had the beauty Sol held for him. It’s because it’s ours, he knew. We have built it all. We have bled to defend it. And we will improve it even more. Humanity’s future depended upon it.

“Look at that,” Anderson suddenly said. He was pointing at Earth on the holo display.

James’ eyebrows rose as he turned. Thousands of ships had suddenly come to life in Earth’s orbit. Together, they started to move away from Humanity’s homeworld. Almost, it looked like they were forming up to attack James’ fleet. Nothing was further from the truth. Over the next half an hour, it slowly became clear what they were doing. “They’re forming an honor guard,” Alvarez said as he shared a glance with James.

“It’s a welcoming party,” Becket said with a nod. “And look, more ships are joining them.” Over the next half an hour, it became clear that every ship that was within the inner system was moving to participate.

James smiled. He could guess who was behind it. Fairfax or Christine, or probably both of them. They were always thinking about the optics. Even so, it warmed James’ heart. More than seven thousand military and civilian ships were lining up to form two rows on either side of his fleet’s trajectory. As soon as he had come through the Gift, he had sent several frigates ahead to bring news of everything they had accomplished to Earth. James had no doubt this was just the beginning of the celebrations Christine had planned. As his ships passed through the honor guard, each ship wobbled along its axis in a sign of respect. Then they moved and fell into formation behind the Allied fleet. By the time Drake settled into Earth orbit, she was surrounded in a cloud of ships. All of them had sent messages of congratulations and thanks. James didn’t envy Petrov’s job of acknowledging them all.

“Were getting a priority signal from the Imperial Palace,” Petrov said as soon as all of James’ ships were in a stable orbit. “All senior officers have been invited to the Palace for a feast in our honor. Empress Christine is also sending up fresh food and supplies for the crews of all our ships.”

Becket clasped her hands together. “That sounds like my cup of tea,” she said as she smiled. “Acknowledge the request and pass the news onto the rest of our ships. Make sure all our crews know about the extra supplies as well.”

“Perhaps we could double the alcohol allowance, just for today,” James suggested. “And we may begin allowing home visit rotations as well. Let’s double their quota and increase their duration by fifty percent.” With so many of his ships’ crews heading to Earth’s surface, it would leave them all with skeleton crews, but James wasn’t concerned. No doubt many would stay on board long enough to feast with their comrades, but there would be plenty of others who like him, wanted nothing more than to see their families.

“I’ll see to it Admiral,” Becket replied. “If you like, you may head down to the hangar bay. We’ll sort things out here and join you momentarily.”

James gave his friend a nod of thanks. Given how slow he was, he knew he would need a little extra time. “I’ll see you all presently,” he said as he stood and smiled at his staff officers. Taking his time, he crossed the bridge and stepped out of it. As soon as he did, the hatch to his quarters opened and Fox appeared. James hadn’t noticed him leaving the bridge. In front of him, he pushed a hover chair.

James opened his mouth to protest, but Fox beat him to it. “Once we land at the Palace, I assume you don’t want to stumble and fall in front of everyone?” He said as he raised a hand. “Better to save your energy for then, don’t you think Admiral?”

James knew there was no sense arguing. Though it hurt his pride, he moved over and gently eased himself into the hover chair with Fox’s help. Then at a brisk pace, Fox began to push him through Drake’s corridors. Long before they got to the hangar bay, they started to encounter some of Drake’s crew. In twos and threes, they lined the corridor. Each one saluted James as he passed. By the time they got near the hangar, the corridors were thick with crew members who had come to see him off. Many started calling out well wishes. James replied as best he could. A part of him didn’t want his crew to see him having to be pushed around, yet a far larger part swelled with love and gratitude for the men and women who had risked everything to follow him into the very heart of their enemy’s empire.

When the large hatch to the hangar bay opened, James was surprised to see it jam-packed with Drake’s crew. Someone called a command. Everyone turned in his direction and snapped to attention. Then a pathway opened as the crew parted to allow him to approach his shuttle. When Fox had pushed him up to the top of the shuttle’s access ramp, he gestured for Fox to turn him around. James raised his hand and returned his crews’ salute. Together they all dropped their hands and stood at attention. Silence filled the hangar. James knew they expected him to say something. Words came easily. “All of you have done something no one believed possible. Your deeds will go down in Humanity’s history. Every single one of you has done me proud. I would lead you all into the maws of hell itself without hesitation. Never has a finer fighting force been forged than the fleet we have all been a part of. It has been and will always continue to be an honor to be your Admiral and your Emperor.” Snapping his hand up, James saluted them all again. Immediately, cheers and roars erupted from them all. James looked around at them all, a smile on his lips. Eventually, he raised a hand and gestured for them to quieten down. “I have to go and greet our Empress now; I hear she has sent up a gift for you all. Enjoy it in my absence.” His words brought just as many cheers again. James waved at them all and then gestured for Fox to bring him on into the shuttle.

By the time Fox helped him into his seat and he was strapped in, James’ staff officers began to appear. Becket and Ivanov were the last two to enter the shuttle. Once they were strapped in, it took off and raced towards Earth. James was content to silently look out the observation port as he watched his homeworld grow larger and larger in front of him. He soaked in the beauty of the blue skies and green continents below. Then as they descended down over Europe and towards the Swiss Alps, he delighted in spotting cities, valleys, and mountains that he recognized. Yet in many ways, it felt strange to him. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what felt off. Everything looked just as he remembered it. Nothing had changed. Then he realized: it was him who had changed. After everything he had gone through and seen, it felt weird that Earth was the same. His homeworld had not gone through all he and his fleet had. It made him feel distant from the people he was looking down on. But that is a good thing, he said to himself. For his whole career, he had fought to keep Britain, and then all of Earth, safe. Protecting Humanity’s homeworld and all its colonies from the horrors of war was worth whatever personal toll it took on him.

As the shuttle flew up the valley to the Palace, James saw that the Palace’s landing pads were thronging with people. Three groups were immediately identifiable. It looked like all of the houses of Senators, Commoners, and Servants were all present. Each was dressed in the formal attire of their house. They formed another honor guard leading from the only open shuttle pad to the Palace’s main entrance. Behind them were many hundreds more people who had obviously been invited to greet him.

“After you Admiral,” Becket said as the shuttle touched down. “They’re here to see you.”

“They’re here to see all of us,” James assured Becket and the rest of his officers. “But I saw Christine out there, so if you don’t mind, I will take the lead.”

Becket smiled at him. Fox unbuckled himself and came and helped James to his feet. As soon as he was steady, James gestured for Fox to step back. Then he tentatively made his way through the shuttle. He was even more careful moving down its access ramp. As soon as his feet touched the landing pad though, his head shot up. Suddenly, a thunder of applause washed over him. Everyone was clapping furiously. James raised a hand to them all as he looked around. Eventually, his eyes fell on Christine. He smiled widely when he saw her. She did too. To the holo news recorders or those who didn’t know her well, it might look like she was perfectly in control. Yet to James, it was clear she was fighting a desperate battle not to break into tears of joy. Just one glance at her had James fighting the same battle.

With as much speed as he could muster, James moved towards Christine. Her face changed when she saw how slowly he moved. Concern and compassion overcame her joy. Setting forward, she met James more than halfway. Ever so gently, she pulled him into a hug. The applause around them doubled in volume. “My love,” James had to nearly shout into her ear as he squeezed Christine with his right arm. “It is so good to see you.”

Christine moved back and stood on her tiptoes to bring her lips to his. The applause increased even more. James didn’t hear it. His other senses were overwhelmed instead. When Christine broke their kiss, James smiled at her, wrapped his right hand around her and lent down pulling her into another hug. “Welcome home sailor,” she said as she beamed up at him when they broke apart again. “You’re making quite a scene for the holo recorders.”

James picked Christine up into the air and spun her around. It sent waves of pain through his side, but he didn’t care. He shook his head as he sat down. “I don’t care a lick about them. I’m just happy to see you. You and Jonathan, you are my world.”

“And you are mine,” Christine said before hugging him again. When she released him, she took his hand. “I think that’s enough public affection for now. If we don’t stop, we’ll start to turn some people off us. Come on, let me take you home. Jonathan is waiting to see you. I have a room ready where you can rest a little before the feast.”

“That sounds perfect,” James said with a smile. He allowed Christine to take his right hand and support him as they walked across the shuttle pad and along the palace’s front courtyard. As they walked, the applause continued. All the way, James smiled and nodded at the different politicians and civilians he recognized. When they entered the Palace, James wasn’t surprised to see all of the Palace staff were there. They too were clapping. James let go of Christine’s hand for a moment to wave to them. Then they continued on through the foyer.

“We are just in here,” Christine said as she pointed to a nearby door. “Wait just a moment.” Letting James go, Christine turned and went back towards the foyer. James turned to see where she was going. He smiled when she pulled Becket into a hug and then whispered something in her ear. Then she hugged Ivanov and Alvarez as well. Shaking the hands of James’ other officers, she quickly returned to his side. James raised an eyebrow. Christine winked at him. “Before they left, they all made me a promise. I was just thanking them for keeping it. I need to speak to Johnston and Scott as well, I suppose.”

James shook his head; he could guess what she had made them promise. “What is it?” He asked when Christine’s face darkened.

“I was just thinking of Ya’sia,” Christine said. “I wish she were here; I owe her the most thanks.”

“And Lightfoot, too,” James said. “I thought when I left him here, I was protecting him from the risks we would face going to Gayla.”

Christine hugged him again, then she led him through the door. Closing it behind her, she pulled him into a fiercer hug and raised her lips to his again. “I have been so worried,” she said between kisses. “It’s been so long. This was far worse than any time before. And then your frigates arrived. Everyone on Earth went crazy. We had been so scared. After Lightfoot’s death, we thought another attack was coming at any moment.”

“I’m here now,” James assured her. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

When Christine moved a hand down James’ side as she cuddled him, James grunted. At once she sprang back from him. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” James said as he raised his right hand.

Christine shook her head. “No it’s not, you’re in pain and I’m only thinking of myself.” She cautiously moved closer to him. “I asked Jonathan’s maids to wait a moment. I read Flores’ report that was sent with your other reports. Can I… can I see?”

James smiled. “Of course you can. It’s alright,” He added when she hesitated. “Here, help me with my tunic.”

Far more cautiously than she needed to, Christine reached up and helped James remove his dress tunic. Then she unbuttoned James’ shirt. When she saw the scars across his arm and chest she gasped. Silently, as tears began to run down her cheeks, she traced them out with her hands. Here and there, she kissed some of the smaller ones. When she reached James’ left elbow, she paused. “Does it still hurt?” She whispered as she ever so gently moved her hand around the stump.

“Phantom pains, Doctor Flores calls them,” James said. “She says I’m likely to have them for the rest of my life. Once I get a prosthetic, it should help. I am always forgetting it’s not there.”

Nodding, Christine lowered her gaze to James’s left side. Turning slightly, James allowed her to see all the work Flores had done. The scars were all a fraction of the size they had once been, but it still looked bad enough. Christine shook her head. “It must have been so painful when it happened.”

James chuckled. “To be honest, I don’t really remember much. Becket, Johnston, and Emilie were there with me when I was taken on to Drake. If you really want a first-hand account, you’ll have to ask them.”

“I’m sure she was beside herself.”

“She was, she didn’t leave my side for several hours,” James said of his niece. “Becket says she practically had to drag her away to send her back to her squadron. Now… You can have a closer inspection later, Mrs. Somerville,” James said as he swatted her hand away. “I’m well on the mend, there’s no need to fret any more. I believe I have a son you’re keeping from me.”

“You’re right, how selfish of me?” Christine said mockingly. “What a travesty it is that a wife wants some time alone with her injured husband.”

“If I have my way, you’ll have all the time alone you want, my dear,” James assured her.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Christine said as she beamed up at him. “Now, let’s get your uniform back on, you’re going to need it for the feast.”

James groaned. “Can’t we skip it? I’d much rather just eat with you and Jonathan.”

Christine shot him a grin and waved a finger in front of his nose. “Now listen to me, Mr. Big Shot Admiral. You maybe don’t realize it yet, but if you weren’t famous before, you are now. You single-handedly stood up to the Karacknid Imperator and defeated him in single combat. What greater vision of a romantic hero is there? You realize you’re going to have to live with this the rest of your life. I think the public love you more than me now.”

James lowered his head into his hand. “I didn’t think of that when I was fighting him. Maybe I made a mistake.”

Christine gently punched the shoulder of his good arm. “Don’t even joke! Now, straighten yourself up, I’m going to go get Jonathan.”

Slipping out of the room, Christine returned moments later holding Jonathan. As soon as Jonathan saw James he began to beam. He wriggled out of Christine’s arms and ran across the room towards him shouting, “Daddy!”

“Careful,” Christine called out. Neither James nor Jonathan cared. Falling to his knees, James allowed Jonathan to crash into his chest. It brought a grunt to his lips, but he barely noticed. Wrapping Jonathan up with both his arms, he pulled his son in tight. As Jonathan rested his head on James’ shoulder, James felt a warm glow descend down through his body. Opening his eyes, he gestured for Christine to join them. Moving over, she lowered herself to her knees and wrapped her arms around James and Jonathan. James held both of them and lost himself in the feeling. He was home. For the first time in years, finally he felt at peace.

Chapter 48

And so we have finished our great historical overview of the War of Doom Era and the Empire’s founding. In this account, I have strived to give my readers an insight into momentous events and individuals without whom none of us would be here today. In many ways in our society, the characters who saved our species and founded our Empire have passed from memory into myth. Yet for aspiring naval students who wish to play their role in forging a safe and free future for our people, the sacrifices of the past cannot be forgotten. In a small way, I hope I have contributed to this need.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

Jaranna, 15th January 2488 AD, (eighteen months later).

With a weight James hadn’t felt for months, he ascended the stairs onto the stage. As he walked to the podium, he noticed for the first time that it was a lovely day on Jaranna. Its twin suns were both a couple of hours away from setting together. Though much of the area around him was a wasteland, green vegetation was regrowing everywhere. A fitting motif if ever there was one, he thought as he set his datapad onto the podium. Instinctively, he tapped his left fingers on the structure. It had become a habit of his. It was as if he wanted to make sure they were still there and working. Only after clearing his throat, did he look out at the large crowd that had been gathered. Christine had told him there were over fifty thousand invited guests from across the Allied civilizations. Even a cursory glance told him there were far more. Beyond the guests, tens of thousands of Mindus had gathered. There could have been no better place, he said to himself as he looked beyond the crowds towards the remnants of what had once been the Mindus capital city. In the distance, there were many cranes and other large vehicles. They weren’t working today, but James knew by tomorrow they would be back at it. All of the Allied civilizations had come together to help one another rebuild. No species needed it more than the Mindus and their homeworld Jaranna. After being nuked from orbit and then suffering several years of harsh occupation, the Mindus were having to rebuild from the ground up. In part, that was why the crowd below James had been gathered. In a desire to honor all those who had fought and died fighting the Karacknids, one of the first buildings the Mindus were constructing was a monument to all those lost in the war. Behind him, still under a cover, was a large marble cube, sixty feet long and high. James hadn’t seen it yet, but he knew that upon it were written the names of all the Mindus and Allied fighters who had died fighting in the Jaranna system during the three battles that had been fought here. From across the Allied civilizations, similar blocks were being constructed. They would be shipped to Jaranna and combined to form a pyramid that would stand as a testimony to all who had paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms the Allies still enjoyed.

A cough from someone in the front row of onlookers drew James’ attention away from the rebuilding work. Christine was eyeing him with a knowing stare. It was time for him to stop daydreaming. He took a deep breath. A part of him had been dreading having to give the address. He had wrestled with what to say for weeks. There were no words that could sum up everything that had happened, and do justice to all those who had been lost. At the same time, as the weeks of no Karacknid activity along the borders had turned into months, he had felt a strong sense of survivor’s guilt kicking in. So many millions had died fighting the Karacknids across all of the warzones. It had started to feel wrong that he and Christine had been able to enjoy such a long period of quiet. Now at least James was getting the chance to acknowledge those who had died to buy him the pleasures of friends and family. Clearing his throat for a second time, James began, he didn’t want to get another stare from Christine.

“Esteemed leaders, politicians, fleet officers, soldiers, and citizens of our great peoples, I thank you all, and especially our hosts, for the invitation to speak to you this evening. Gathered here, we have representatives from sixteen different species.” Looking up, James gestured towards the massive ship that was in such a low orbit that everyone could easily see it. “And of course, our Kalassai friends are watching on as well… A century ago, many of us did not even know each other existed. Now we are gathered here together, not just as allies, but as friends. The Karacknids cast a long shadow of doom across each one of our species. Rather than run, or simply giving in to their overwhelming strength, we fought. We banded together, combined our strength, and resisted our common foe at every turn. The last years have been the toughest for all of our species. The threat of extinction has hung over us all. And yet, here we are today. Our enemy is not finally defeated, but we have won a great victory nonetheless.

“Every one of you gathered here played a part in that. We should all be proud of what we have achieved for the futures of those whom we love and of those who will come after us. But most of all, we should be proud of those we have come to pay homage to today. Of those who paid for our freedoms with their very lives. Every one of us here has suffered loss. Every one of us knows what the Karacknids took from us. Today, with the beginning of this monument, we say publicly that we will not forget them. That their names, their faces, and their accomplishments will not pass away into history.”

Pausing, James couldn’t help but focus in on the crowd. He’d been avoiding doing so until now for he hadn’t really wanted to see all their faces. Now he forced himself to. Each face brought back memories that gripped his heart. Georgie Gupta’s parents were just beside Christine. They were holding each other tightly. Ya’sia’s husband was in the second row. Many times, Ya’sia and he had talked about when she would finally get to introduce him. They had met for the first time just a couple of days ago. The blonde hair of Romanov’s widow blew in the wind. James could easily remember the first time he had met her when he had hunted Romanov down in a small Scottish village when he had sought him out to become his first Lieutenant on Titan. Beside her, Commander Chen’s wife and young son stood. Both of their faces revealed no emotion, but James knew it was just for show. Both Lightfoot’s and Koroylov’s families were together a row further back. The two men had been different in so many ways, yet they had been the greatest strategists James had ever known. Back at the front of the crowd, on Christine’s other hand, stood Tak’ar, the President of the Vestarian people. James knew he missed Jil’lal terribly. Even before they had met, back when Tak’ar and Jil’lal had been fighting the Overlords who had taken over Vestarian society, he had come to think of her as the daughter he had never had. James had to look down at his podium to cut off a tear. There was nowhere he could look without a face reminding him of someone he had lost. And then there is Susanna, he couldn’t help but say to himself. He blamed the Karacknids as much for her death as the corrupt UN officials who had tried to use her against him. All died needlessly, James thought fiercely as his hands tightened into fists. If the Karacknids had just left them alone, they all would still have been alive. Looking back up, James focused on Christine’s face. He needed her strength to continue.

“And so, it is with a great sense of thankfulness for all our loved ones who gave the greatest sacrifice for us, that I now unveil the first block that will form the pinnacle of the Pyramid of Names that all our peoples are building. This is our promise that we will not forget them. And, for any Karacknid who one day hears my words, this is our promise that we will never take their loss for granted. This Pyramid will remind us of the ever-present need for vigilance; of the ever-present mandate that we who value freedom cannot lower our guard. Those whom we have lost demand nothing less from us.”

Knowing he had finished; Christine gave James a small smile and then a nod of encouragement. James held her gaze for a second and then stepped back from the podium. Turning, he took hold of the lanyard that was attached to the block’s covering. Pulling hard, he removed the covering from the large marble cube. At once, he was confronted by thousands and thousands of names intricately carved onto the cube’s surface. He knew all six sides of each cube would have names written on them. The design of the pyramid would allow each cube to rotate every twenty minutes to bring another side out where it could be examined by any who visited the memorial. However, the cube in front of him was different. Upon its top were seventeen statues. Each was several times larger than James. It was immediately apparent what the Mindus had done. Each one represented one of the Allied species. They were all in various poses showing defiance. James’ hand went to his heart when he set his eyes on the Human figure. Her face was instantly recognizable. Gupta, he said to himself as his mind was flooded with memories of one of his oldest friends. She had died fighting in the Jaranna system itself. James smiled despite his grief. There could be no better way to honor her memory. With a nod, he stepped back from the cube. “Let us honor them,” he called out as he raised his hand and began to clap.

His actions were taken up and repeated by many of the aliens around him. Others began to howl or whistle to show their appreciation in their own species’ way. For several minutes, James stared unblinkingly at Gupta’s statue, clapping as hard as he could. He only began to stop when his right hand started to feel the repeated impacts from his prosthetic. Turning back to the crowd, he sought out Galica. The Mindus had held no formal elections on Jaranna yet, but Galica had led the free Mindus who had fled with the Allied fleet after their civilization had been conquered by the Karacknids. He had returned with the Allied fleet to liberate his worlds. Since then, he had taken up a leading role amongst his people. He was the one hosting the memorial service. James saw as much emotion on his face as he felt himself. Xui-le, his daughter, had been killed by the Karacknids. More than once, Scott had told him she had been the greatest physicist Scott had ever met. With a nod to Galica, James moved to the end of the stage. He took a seat with the other speakers. Whilst he had been given the honor to give the first address, representatives from each species had been offered the opportunity to say a few words. James tried to listen dutifully to each as they took their turn, but his mind was elsewhere. A steady stream of faces passed him by as he mourned afresh all those he had lost in the war.

When the speeches were over, Galica led all the invited guests to a massive pavilion that had been set up. Food and refreshments for every species had been prepared. James quickly moved through the throng of people to find Christine. He needed to be by her side. For several hours, they spent time moving from group to group, speaking to everyone they knew. Despite the sorrow of the day, James found himself enjoying the reception. Since getting back from Gayla, he had spent the vast majority of his time on Earth organizing the continued build-up of the Imperial Fleet and the defense of her borders. The reception gave him the opportunity to reconnect with many friends he hadn’t seen for months. Superintendent Hallock, Admiral Shraw, and Carma Mashar were just a few of those whom he greeted warmly.

When things began to calm down, James got Christine another drink and led her out of the pavilion. He took her over to the stage and up onto it. “Look,” he said as he pointed out across the rubble that had once been the Mindus capital city and all the construction vehicles. “What do you see?”

Christine put her hand around James’ side and leaned into him as she looked. “Rebirth,” she said after a few seconds. “And hope.”

“A future,” James agreed. Putting his arm around her, he pulled her in tighter. They stood there together looking out over the broken city that was slowly being rebuilt. What our friends died to buy for us, James thought to himself. Instinctively, he knew the first chapter in the history of the Empire was coming to a close. What the next years would hold for Christine, himself, and his family, he had no idea. James was certain of one thing though, the freedom they had won for their families would not easily be handed over to any who might try to wrestle it from them.

Epilogue

Imperial Palace, 12th January 2489 AD (one year later).

James was sitting in one of the Imperial Palace’s briefing rooms. He had the holo display on, showing a map of Varanni Alliance and Human space. The wait had been getting to him and so he had left Christine to find something to distract himself with. He had already been in the briefing room when an urgent report from the Kalassai’s new homeworld have arrived. On the display, the current strategic situation dominated the view. Since Taranaki’s death, the Karacknid empire had splintered. There were seven known warlords, each who claimed to be the Imperator’s true successor. For nearly three years now, they had been fighting among themselves. To date, all of them had been too busy trying to stake their claim on the Karacknid throne to worry about Humanity and her allies. In that time, the Allied fleet had not been idle. Humanity had annexed thirty new systems that had formerly been a part of the Karacknid empire. Beyond them, thousands more systems lay in a belt between Allied space and the nearest areas controlled by the Karacknid warlords. They had all been abandoned by the Karacknid fleet. Left to themselves, the many inhabitants of the colonies were struggling greatly. As much help as the allies could spare was being sent to them, but with most of their industries and culture eradicated by the Karacknids, they were starting again from scratch.

Just on the edge of what had become known as The Wilds, a system of forts were flashing. They represented a defensive line that was being constructed by the Allied fleets. If the Karacknids ever tried to retake the systems they had abandoned and then advance into Allied space, they would come up against some very formidable defenses. Five other systems on the edges of Human space were flashing blue. Each marked out a new world that was currently being colonized by Humanity. At least, they marked out the official ones. All but one were on the far side of Human space to the Karacknid empire. According to intelligence reports James had been receiving, they were just the tip of the iceberg. With all the star maps the Kulreans and Varanni had shared with Humanity, there were now hundreds of new systems near Human space that hadn’t been known about before. Fear of renewed hostilities with the Karacknids, and Humanity’s inbuilt desire for new experiences and opportunities, were leading millions to leave their homeworlds to seek their fortunes on newly established colonies. The five that the Empire had officially endorsed were receiving a substantial amount of help getting started. One day, when their populations reached the required amounts by the Imperial Constitution, they would be admitted formally into the Empire and able to send representatives to the Houses of the Senate, Commons, and Servants. The majority of the other fledgling colonies were openly saying they had no such intentions. James knew it was going to cause a headache down the line. Whether they were part of the Empire or not, he already felt a responsibility to protect them. Even now, he had Imperial warships making regular visits to each system to check in on the colonies.

Those were all thoughts that James had been contemplating for many months now. The Kalassai’s latest report was far more concerning, at least in the long run. Since establishing their new homeworld, they had been using the hidden shift passages they knew about to send scouts into Karacknid space to keep an eye on their enemy. It was from them that James and the rest of the Allied leaders received most of their knowledge about the ongoing Karacknid civil war. It was how James now knew that Gayla had fallen to a new warlord. Tanaka-lan had retaken his homeworld. The High Admiral didn’t control the largest swath of territory. He was also surrounded by four other warlords, warlords he had fought a number of battles with. They hadn’t all been victories, but for the past three years, he had been holding his own. And now he has Gayla, James thought. He will rally more supporters to his banner. James didn’t know how long it was going to take, but he had no doubts. Tanaka-lan would win out in the end. Sooner or later, he would be accepted as the new Karacknid Imperator by all of the Karacknid clans. And then he will come for us, James was certain. It was easy for him to recall the venom in the High Admiral’s words when he had sworn to wipe out Humanity if James attacked Gayla. The fighting might have ended for now, but James feared the war was far from over. When it resumed, Humanity had to be ready. Reaching for a datapad, James paused to think about what he wanted to write. He needed to send word to his fellow leaders. The news about Tanaka-lan would worry them as much as it did him.

“Emperor,” a voice said gently before James got to write anything. “Empress Christine is calling for you. She says it is time.”

James jumped to his feet, his datapad, and Tanaka-lan instantly forgotten. “Lead the way.”

Sensing his urgency, the aide moved quickly through the Palace as they both worked their way down to the medical facilities on one of the lower levels. As soon as Christine saw him, she waved James over. “Get over here you!” James rushed to her side. Taking her hand, he let her squeeze it as hard as she wanted. Her contractions had finally started speeding up!

Three hours later, and James was smiling from ear to ear. Christine had two healthy screaming babies resting on her chest. A boy and a girl. They had already picked out names for each. Leaning in, James gave Georgia and then Edward a kiss on the forehead. Georgia in memory of Gupta, and Edward in memory of Christine’s father. Then he kissed Christine. Turning, he waved for one of Jonathan’s nannies to bring him in. “Come and see your little baby brother and sister,” he said as he lifted Jonathan up so that he could look down upon them. As Jonathan reached out and gently stroked Georgia’s head, James shared a glance with Christine. Though she looked exhausted, she smiled. James knew what she was thinking; after all the fighting, they had the future they had always wanted.

The End.

Though this is the end of the War of Doom story arc, it’s certainly not the end of the Empire Rising Series. The tale of James, Christine and all the others will continue in book 14 where old and new enemies will threaten the peace so many sacrificed everything to buy for the Human Empire.

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