Inheritance of War

Empire Rising Book 21

D. J. Holmes

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

d.j.holmess@hotmail.com

Comments welcome!

Cover illustrated by Tom Edwards:

tomedwardsconcepts@gmail.com

https://tomedwardsdesign.com/

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 2025

Prologue

Anaconsada, (Silizzarus homeworld), 3rd July 2513 AD, (three weeks before the 2nd Battle of New Shanghai).

In darkness and silence, the five Judicators of the Silizzarus High Court waited. Pheromones of fear and nerves wafted from each of them. The gentle hiss of the hatch opening caused the Judicators to bow their heads knowing the new arrival would taste the submissiveness radiating from them. In silence, the Supreme Judicator slithered to his podium. The flicking tongues of the others in the room all tasted his displeasure.

“Why have I been disconnected from the meld?” he demanded once he was in place. “And without warning! Worse, why have my requests for an update been so egregiously ignored? If you haven’t summoned me here to inform me that the fault with the Consort section of the hive has been fixed, heads will roll!” To emphasize his words, the Supreme Judicator filled the chamber with the taste of anger and rage.

At first, no one dared speak. Normally, the Judicators were accustomed to making junior agents quake before them. Rarely, more than once a decade, did they ever have to come face to face with the Supreme Judicator. Worse, for most of them, he was their great, great, or even great, great, great grandfather. Yet a greater fear drove the oldest to finally risk her superior’s anger.

“On behalf of this court, I apologize, Supreme Judicator,” she said quietly. “But urgent matters demanded we wake you.”

“More urgent than tens of thousands of our people being cut off from the Collective?” the Supreme Judicator hissed.

“Yes, I am afraid so,” the same Judicator said. “Much worse.”

In an instant, the Supreme Judicator’s pheromones changed. His anger vanished, and instead, the room lost all taste as he held his emotions in check. “Explain,” he demanded.

The Judicator who had first spoken turned to one of her equals and flicked out a tongue, stirring him into speech. “There is no problem with the Cansort section of the hive,” he said quickly. “We disconnected its residents from the Collective.”

Though the Supreme Judicator didn’t speak nor release any more pheromones, a fresh chill instantly filled the chamber, causing the Judicator to pause. After a moment, the Judicator stumbled on. “There has been an attack. We now believe one of our ships was captured by a species who call themselves Humans. They must have been able to decrypt some of the ship's datacores, for they sent a ship into our home system.” Rage washed over the five Judicators. Barely above a whisper, the Judicator tried to continue. “That is not all. They then landed a small force on the homeworld’s surface and discovered the Hive. To escape, they planted explosives and detonated some of them to threaten us. The residents of the Cansort section felt the detonations, which is why we disconnected them from everyone else. We didn’t want panic to spread throughout the Collective.”

Each word from the Supreme Judicator fell on the others like a ton of weight. “You’re telling me, our defenses were breached… and our homeworld was attacked!”

“Yes, Supreme One,” the first Judicator who had spoken said. “It was completely unexpected. There was nothing we could do.”

Disgust wafted from the Supreme Judicator, telling the others what he thought of that excuse. “Cansort section was cut off from the Collective four days ago. When exactly was this attack?”

“At the same time,” another Judicator answered.

“Four days! Why am I only being informed of this now?” Outrage filled the room.

“The Humans told us they had planted bombs throughout the Hive. We needed to check every section before we risked disconnecting anyone from the Collective,” the oldest Judicator said. “As soon as we knew it was safe, we woke you.”

“We have also begun many emergency procedures,” another Judicator quickly explained. “All of our agents and ships have been recalled. Within two weeks, we will have a powerful force defending our system. Work on our new ships has been redoubled, and we have begun ramping up the construction of our defensive automatons. No Human ship will be able to enter our system again. We swear it.”

“That is not enough,” the Supreme Judicator hissed. “These Humans have desecrated our world. They must be expunged from the galaxy. I want every last one of their species exterminated.”

“Our preparations will give us the ability to accomplish this in less than a year, Supreme Judicator,” the same voice replied.

“But there is another problem,” the oldest Judicator said, speaking slowly and delicately. “We fear that before we can strike at them, the Humans will seek to strike at us. Their single ship was sent here to find our homeworld. Now that they know about it and our Hive, we must assume they will send a fleet to destroy us before we can destroy them. That is why we woke you, Supreme One. There are certain precautions we do not have the authority to initiate.”

Silence filled the chamber once more. For several seconds, all pheromones from the Supreme Judicator ceased. Then, to everyone’s shock, they tasted a hint of fear. “You are sure they will send a fleet here?”

“We cannot be sure of anything, but why else would they send one ship here? They likely didn’t know the exact location of our homeworld. Now they do. And if they came looking for us so far from their worlds, it means they know at least some of what we have been doing to their species. And they may have discovered the worlds of our closest neighbors.”

“They will fear we will seek to turn their worlds into nuclear wastelands,” the Supreme Judicator concluded. “They will seek to destroy us first.”

The oldest Judicator bowed her head. “We must take every precaution to protect the Hive. It is the conclusion of the High Court that protecting our legacy requires that we come out of the shadows.”

A new burst of pheromones spread across the room from the Supreme Judicator. Terror, fury, and determination all mingled together. “Begin Operation Overwatch!” he ordered, setting in motion a millennia-old plan. “Begin it at once!”

*

IS Constitution, Excalibur system, 5th August 2513 AD, (nine days after the 2nd Battle of New Shanghai).

Vice Admiral Scott’s teeth ground together as she watched the small Karacknid fleet filter into the Britannia system. For two weeks, they had unleashed an unchecked wave of terror across the Empire’s northeastern colonies. With nearly every Human and Allied warship committed to halting Tanaka-lan’s advance on New Shanghai and Earth, there were too few left to confront this marauding fleet now displayed on Constitution’s holo screen. As a result, four colonies had been attacked. Reports indicated two of them had been nuked. Now they had come for the Excalibur system.

Though the planet Excalibur had been colonized less than half a century ago, its rich valstronium ore deposits meant it already boasted a population of over half a billion. Scott suspected the Karacknids intended to kill every last inhabitant of the former British colony. “Not this time you don’t,” she said savagely for all her officers to hear. As she spoke, her lips trembled, for she couldn’t help but think of why she was able to come to Excalibur’s rescue. Just days ago, the same man who had first discovered the system had sacrificed himself to kill Tanaka-lan and turn back the Karacknid battlefleet intent on conquering Earth.

He died so you could be here, Scott said to herself as her hands tightened into fists. He died so they can all live, she added as her eyes turned to the colony. From the planet, hundreds of freighters and civilian craft were streaming toward the mass shadow away from the approaching Karacknid fleet. And they will live, she promised her friend and mentor. “It is time,” she said more calmly. “Jump us out.”

With the touch of a button, Constitution’s navigation officer jumped Scott’s fleet into shift space as they left the position they had arrived at two hours ago. It had only taken twenty minutes to launch the force they had come to deploy. Yet Scott had waited until the Karacknid raiding fleet was fully committed. It had no way of knowing of Tanaka-lan’s defeat yet, and so the Karacknid raiders had no idea her fleet was not at New Shanghai. When she did reveal herself, she intended it to signal their utter destruction.

After carrying out their micro jump away from the Excalibur system, Constitution and the rest of the ships in Scott’s fleet recharged their shift drives and then jumped back toward a different part of the system. Scott smiled as they now came out of shift space right at the point the Karacknids had entered the system from. That was the beauty of the Void; with no dark matter around the systems within the Void, she could jump her fleet wherever she wished. As soon as all the ships of her fleet had confirmed their arrival via laser COM link, Scott nodded to her Chief of Staff. Seconds later, her fleet slowly began to cruise into the system after the Karacknids.

Unaware of the danger they were in, the Karacknids followed the MO they had developed over the last two weeks. While the main portion of their fleet, totaling six hundred ships, headed toward Excalibur, forty-five warships set off in pursuit of the fleeing freighters and pleasure yachts. For an hour, both groups of enemy ships moved into the system toward their targets.

In orbit around Excalibur, the colony’s meagre defenses prepared themselves. Having been stripped of almost all its battlestations and warships for the defense of New Shanghai, just four battlestations and sixty ships remained. Resolutely they prepared to go down fighting. Scott wanted to send a message to reassure them, but she couldn’t risk being detected. Instead, she waited, knowing the woman she had entrusted with the first phase of the plan would not let her down.

“Detecting new contacts,” a sensor officer called when the Karacknid warships chasing the civilian ships were less than half an hour away from reaching them. “Wing Commander Somerville’s fighters are coming out of stealth.”

On the holo display, fifteen hundred Allied fighters suddenly began to rapidly accelerate. They streaked through the civilian ships on a direct course for the forty-five Karacknid warships. The Karacknids were trapped. They didn’t have any time to decelerate and arrest their momentum. Their demise was already guaranteed. Sure enough, the wave of fighters descended upon them. Multiple missiles hit each enemy warship, blowing them all apart.

Quickly, the Allied fighters formed up and adjusted their heading. Turning, they settled onto an intercept course for the Karacknid fleet. On Constitution’s main display, it became apparent that the Allied fighters would strike the Karacknid fleet just as it entered missile range of Excalibur’s defenders. Georgia was making it clear to their enemy that if they wanted the colony, they were going to have to pay a very heavy price.

Understandably, within minutes, the Karacknid fleet began to change its heading. Slowing, the Karacknid ships turned toward the Allied fighters in order to engage them first. At the same time, they launched three hundred of their own fighters, which immediately raced out to try and thin Georgia’s numbers. Whether the Karacknid pilots realized it or not, they stood no chance. Every one of Georgia’s fifteen hundred pilots was a battle-hardened survivor of the 2nd Battle of New Shanghai.

As both groups of fighters smashed into one another, over two-thirds of the Karacknids were shot down by missiles, plasma bolts, and laser beams. When the groups broke apart, just twenty-seven Allied fighters were missing. The surviving Karacknid fighters began to decelerate and turn in an effort to come in behind Georgia’s fighters as they attacked the Karacknid fleet, but they would be far too late to prevent the savaging Georgia was about to give the Karacknids.

Scott took a deep breath. “It is time. Bring us out of stealth and take us to full military acceleration. Open fire as soon as we come into range. Instruct our screening flotilla they are free to engage the Karacknid rear scouts.”

Moments after Scott’s thirteen hundred warships announced themselves, the Karacknids knew they were in trouble. With Georgia’s fighters approaching from one angle and Scott’s fleet from almost the opposite, there was nowhere for them to run. Worse, as soon as the fighter Wing analyzed the trajectory of Scott’s fleet, they slowed to ensure that they could strike at the Karacknids within seconds of the first Allied missile salvo. By herself, Scott had enough ships to destroy the Karacknids with ease. She outnumbered them two to one in ship numbers, but the difference in missile salvo strength would be closer to three to one. With Georgia’s fighters added to the mix, the battle was a foregone conclusion.

With no hope of escape, the Karacknid warships turned and charged at Scott’s fleet in a vain effort to get some of their ships into energy weapon range. None made it. Scott altered course to keep them at arm’s length long enough to fire four salvos. That was all it took to finish off the Karacknid raiders. The first salvo destroyed one hundred and forty ships as the few bomblet warheads Scott’s ships had left severely disrupted the Karacknids’ defensive cohesion. Then antimatter missiles began to breach the Karacknids’ fire and rip ships apart as they exploded.

Even before the final antimatter warheads detonated, Georgia’s fighters came swooping in. With a savagery that flowed from their Wing Commander, they mercilessly slammed missiles and grazer beams into every capital ship amongst the Karacknid fleet, gutting their strength.

The three follow-up salvos Scott fired ensured every single one of the murderous Karacknid warships was destroyed. No quarter was offered. Though many Karacknids had switched sides after Tanaka-lan’s death, none of the ships in this fleet were given the chance. They would be committing no more atrocities.

An hour later, as the Allied fighters closed with their carriers, Scott hailed Georgia. “Excellent flying as always, Wing Commander.” Scott smiled as she spoke. “That is six hundred more enemy ships we won’t have to worry about coming back to attack us again.”

Georgia nodded but did not smile. “The sooner we can head into The Wilds, the sooner we can add to that number,” she said roughly.

Scott’s face softened as she sensed the grief driving Georgia’s anger. “Patience, my friend. We will begin our hunt for them soon enough. Now is the time to think of yourself and your family.” Georgia nodded but looked away, not meeting Scott’s eyes. “In any case,” Scott said, knowing it would be fruitless to try and reason with her when loss was still so raw, “pass on my congratulations to your pilots. Once again, they have proved themselves invaluable.”

“Copy that, Vice Admiral,” Georgia said formally. “I’ll send you my battle report as soon as all my pilots have landed and my fighters are being seen to.”

“Understood, Wing Commander, carry on,” Scott responded just as formally. She nodded to Georgia and then cut the COM channel. “Pass on my compliments to the fleet,” Scott said, raising her voice so every bridge officer could hear her. “Inform every ship they fought admirably. Then set course for the Sol system,” she added as she caught her Chief of Staff's eyes. “Maximum speed. We have a funeral to attend, and we are not going to miss it.”

“At once, Vice Admiral,” Scott’s Chief of Staff replied before beginning to give out orders to the other bridge officers.

As Scott thought of what was waiting for her back on Earth, her lower lip threatened to tremble again. She fought it as she sensed more than one officer looking at her. The coming funeral was to give the Empire, and especially the fleet, an opportunity to pay their respects to their Emperor and the greatest space commander their species had ever known. Yet for her and Georgia, it would be different. Nothing but an empty sadness would greet them on Earth. But then The Wilds wait, she told herself as she felt a measure of Georgia’s anger bubbling within herself. And revenge.

Chapter 1

What can one say for an Emperor who did so much for our people? Perhaps the words of his family can sum it up best.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

London, Earth, 8th August 2513 AD, (three days later).

Not a cloud could be seen in the sky on the warm summer's day. A gentle breeze kissed Christine’s cheeks. The hooves of the six horses rang clearly in her ears as they trotted across the permacrete road. They were taking her along what had once been Victoria Street. Straight-backed, Christine held herself stiffly as the carriage carried her towards the rebuilt Westminster Abbey.

The backdrop of the city was full of cranes and partially built skyscrapers. Normally, hundreds of shuttles and other construction machines would be thronging the sky as they assisted the cranes. None were visible now. In fact, not a sound could be heard beyond that of the horses. Instead, a deathly silence engulfed the carriage and even the thronging crowds.

Millions had come to line the winding path the carriage had taken through the ruins and rebuilt sections of London. Many carried flags and emblems of the Empire, just as many British and English flags. Not one spoke. All stared in silence at their Empress as she sat in the front of the carriage that carried the two coffins to Westminster Abbey.

Christine didn’t smile or wave. Yet neither did she hide herself. She let her grief touch her face for all to see. Then suddenly, as Westminster Abbey finally came into view, a single male voice rang out from the crowd. “Honor to the Emperor… Honor to the Emperor,” it cried out for a second time.

For a moment, nothing happened, and silence engulfed the crowds once again. Then another voice took up the cry. “Honor to the Emperor.” Before the words were finished, a chorus of voices joined in. When it began to be shouted again, a tsunami of voices took up the cry. Suddenly, a wall of noise struck Christine as tens of thousands shouted out their appreciation for her husband. Along with the shouts, the crowd broke into motion as flags and emblems began to be waved furiously at the carriage as it passed.

Though she kept her back straight, and her eyes never left the approaching Abbey, a single tear ran down Christine’s cheek as she surged with pride in her husband. These were the people he had worked all his life to serve. These were those whom he had died to save.

As the carriage approached Westminster Abbey, the crowds gave way to military personnel. First, battalions of marines lined the street in perfect formations. Next, the carriage rattled past five thousand navy personnel. Every one of them had served personally with James on board one or another of his ships. All stood stiffly as they honored their Emperor while the roar of the crowds behind and beyond them still filled the air. Finally, two rows of senior flag officers formed an honor guard for the carriage. With drawn swords that rested on their shoulders, they stood at attention, ushering their commander’s coffin to his funeral.

When the carriage came to a halt in front of the Abbey, Christine closed her eyes momentarily. Give me strength, she asked. She waited another couple of seconds as she summoned what little reserves she had left, then she stood. The two drivers of the carriage, decorated in their own livery, had already jumped from their seats. They both offered a hand to Christine, and she used their help to descend the carriage’s steep ladder. At the same time, two teams of Navy Lieutenants in full dress uniform appeared and removed the coffins from the carriage. They formed up in front of the Abbey and waited for Christine to lead them into the church.

Before moving forward, Christine turned and looked at the carriage that had carried her and her husband to the Abbey. It was the same one that had taken her to their wedding years ago. A part of her wanted to get back into it and be whisked away from what she was about to face. She longed to lose herself in the joyous memories the carriage had once represented. Yet that was impossible. Not least because the memories evaded her. More than one close friend had told her that in time the happy memories would start to come back, and even overshadow the grief. She did not see how that could be true. But if it was, that time had not come yet.

Steeling herself, Christine turned towards the waiting coffins. Slowly, she walked between them. She couldn’t help reaching up and running her hands along their wooden sides as she passed, as if feeling her husband’s touch. Mentally, she knew the coffins were all but empty. Both contained small fragments of debris from Victory and Slayer. Nothing more had been able to be collected from the remnants of the two massive dreadnoughts after they had slammed into one another. Nothing else remained of the two ships her husband and his niece Emilie had died upon.

When her hands fell back to her sides, Christine picked up her pace as she approached the Abbey’s two large, ornate wooden doors. On cue, they swung open for her, and she entered the Abbey. Immediately, an orchestral band sprang to life and played her husband’s favorite hymn, "A Mighty Fortress."

At the same time, every one of the four thousand guests stood and turned to pay their respects as the coffins passed them. Almost every member of the Empire’s three houses of Parliament had been squeezed into the Abbey. They were joined by governors and other representatives from every one of Humanity’s ninety-four colonies. Nearer the front, several rows of seats were filled with aliens from twenty-three different species. Finally, in the front three rows, James and Emilie’s closest friends and family sat close together. Many arms were wrapped around one another as they shared the comfort of each other’s presence.

The Lieutenants carried the coffins to the front of the church and then draped them both in the British and Empire’s flags while Christine turned towards her seat in the front pew. As she passed Rachel and Georgia, she tried to smile at them both to give them strength. Rachel tried and failed to smile back. Georgia reached out and squeezed Christine’s hand, filling her with a warmth that she desperately needed.

As she sat between her two sons, each reached out and took one of her hands. First, she turned to Edward, and he leaned in and kissed her cheek. When she turned to Jonathan, he too leaned in, only he whispered in her ear. “He would be proud of you today.” Christine nodded to acknowledge his words but quickly turned away before her resolve broke.

At one of the podiums, the Archbishop of Canterbury appeared and began to speak. Christine was barely able to follow his words before everyone around her was standing and her sons were helping her to her feet. The orchestra began to play again, and the congregation began to sing their first hymn. If Christine had been thinking of all the guests, she would have considered it a strange experience for many of the gathered aliens, but the thought didn’t enter her mind. She only had the mental energy to focus on each line in the hymn as it came along and nothing more.

When everyone was seated again, the first of many speakers made their way to the podium to pay homage to their late Emperor and friend. For nearly an hour, face after face appeared as they spoke of James and Emilie in the highest regard. Most of it passed in a fog for Christine, but some words stood out.

The first person who penetrated through Christine’s grief was Fairfax, the one-time Prime Minister of the former British Star Kingdom and her Chief of Staff. “I know not many of you knew James when he was a young captain, but let me tell you, he was always a risk taker. Both in war and in love. It’s not many a young man who would risk the ire of the King of the British Star Kingdom by courting his daughter without permission. And yet he charged in anyway as he has always done,” Fairfax said and then shook his head and smiled at the memory.

“What I suspect none of you know is that our young Empress was just as fearless,” he continued. “At the time, an interesting report came across my desk that I chose to keep to myself. But I think it is fitting to share now. It involved a young princess tricking her security detail into posing as intelligence agents in order to lure our young James to a secret rendezvous outside of her father’s prying eyes.”

Fairfax looked down towards Christine and met her eyes. “Even back then, our Empress knew how to use the apparatus of power to get exactly what she wanted.” He gave Christine a wink and a smile. A smattering of chuckles broke out from those close to Christine in the first several rows of pews. “You can thank me later for not passing the report onto your father, Empress.”

Fairfax’s face then grew more serious. “Truly, I am glad of that event and all the others that followed. The truth is, Empress, we are forever in your debt, for James would never have become the man and leader he was without you.” Fairfax raised his hands and gestured over all the gathered guests. “None of us would be here without the team that the two of you became.” Fairfax turned and glanced back at James’ coffin and then met Christine’s eyes again. “And so to both of you, I say thank you.”

Christine couldn’t bring herself to smile, though she did hold Fairfax's eyes and gave him a slow nod of thanks for the memories he had brought back to her.

The next to speak was Vice Admiral Scott, who had arrived in the system just a couple of hours ago. Again, Christine struggled to focus, but one part stood out to her. “As I think back on the many decades that I have had the privilege to serve under Admiral Somerville, I feel a great burden as I stand here,” Scott said as she looked down from the podium with moist eyes. “So many faces are not here because they fell protecting our people. Once, James called us ‘we happy few.’ He was right, for around him we all formed a bond that could not be broken. Yet as the years went on, we became fewer and fewer. Now I am the last of us… Yet if they were all here now, I know what they would say. What Gupta, Romanov, Fisher, Becket, and all the others would say.

“They all fell in battle following James as he fought to defend our species. They all fell because they were willing to follow him into death and beyond. Well, they would say this: James died as he lived. Upholding the values that drove him: Loyalty, Love, Honor, and Freedom. That is who he was. That is what he inspired in those who followed him… May this then be his legacy… May the sacrifice he made instill these values within our Empire for generations to come.”

Scott looked out at all the gathered mourners, and as she did, a tear could be seen running down each cheek. “I, for one, intend to live as James would have me live. I will carry on his legacy as I defend his family and his people. This I swear.”

Tears ran down Christine’s cheeks to match Scott’s. Memories of all of James's fallen officers made her grief swell, and Christine lost track of the next couple of speakers who gave their short eulogies.

Then Mark Alveraz, the head of Imperial Intelligence and Emilie’s husband, stepped up to the podium to speak. Two dark bags hung under his eyes, and he looked even thinner than when Christine had seen him just a handful of days ago. Christine’s heart went out to him. It was bad enough for her that James had died, but before her death, everyone had seen the visible signs of the horrible torture Emilie had endured at the hands of Tanaka-lan. Guilt shot through Christine as she realized she had been so caught up in her own grief for James that she hadn’t really faced up to the dreadful things that had been done to her niece.

As Mark spoke of all the things Emilie had accomplished in her life as an Admiral, wife, and mother, Christine couldn’t help replaying the images of Emilie’s execution by Tanaka-lan in her mind. She had repressed the memories in her grief, but now they came flooding back. With closed eyes and clenched fists, she raged at what Tanaka-lan had done to one of her closest friends. Only the mention of James’s name brought her back to the funeral.

“And what more can I say of our Emperor than has already been said?” Mark asked. “Perhaps only this: Among his many other qualities, James contained within him a loving kindness that won over everyone who truly came to know him. Emilie experienced this more than most. Yes, she served and died in the service of the Empire she loved. But more, she served and died for this Empire because of the Emperor she loved.”

“Emilie served James with a devotion like no other. A devotion that grew out of the loving he showed her from the first moment he learned of her existence. Despite her background, despite her childhood, James took her into his heart and into his family, and by doing so made her the woman she became. Samuel and I will always owe James a great debt for the woman he brought into our lives. And so he, like Emilie, will never be forgotten.”

Around Christine, heads nodded, and she found herself doing the same. At least they died together, she found herself thinking as she reflected on the many years James and Emilie had shared. She knew that from almost the first moment they had met, Emilie had come to idolize James. In the end, it had cost James’s niece her life. But where would we be if she hadn’t followed his footsteps into the fleet? Christine asked herself. Likely, Earth would have lost the First Karacknid War, and everyone in the Abbey would have been dead long ago.

As Mark made his way down from the podium, Jonathan squeezed Christine’s right hand. As she turned to him, he gave her a nod and then stood and stepped up to the podium. Placing both hands on the podium, Jonathan took a couple of moments to look out over the assembled mourners. Christine recognized it as a tactic she had taught him. He then took a slow, deep breath. “On behalf of all my family and especially my mother, thank you all for being here,” Jonathan began, sounding far more confident and assured than Christine would have believed. She knew deep down he was grieving as much as she was. But he is giving us the leadership we need, Christine realized.

“There is much I could say about my father,” Jonathan continued. “I could speak of his strategic and tactical genius, of his military accomplishments, of saving our species again and again. Or I could speak of his leadership qualities and how he inspired so many to fight with everything they had for the freedom of our people.” A small smile played across Jonathan’s lips. “I could even speak of his organizational and political skills, skills that he never admitted he had, yet ones that he utilized for the good of all our people many times over the years.

“I do not know how history will remember my father. Whether as one of our greatest fleet commanders, as the one who defeated the Karacknids against all odds in the first Karacknid War, as a leader who turned back Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet, or as the one who forged our species into one political union, the first Emperor of our species...” Jonathan nodded at his own words. “My father did all this and so much more, as all of you gathered here already know.

“Perhaps instead then I can speak of him as a father. My siblings and I can attest that despite all the pressures and demands he faced from leading an empire and forging a fleet to face the Karacknids, he always had time for us. Never did we doubt his love and commitment to us. I have memories of walks, picnics, games, cuddles, wrestles, advice, and guidance that no enemy can ever take from me. Every day, I looked up to him, longing to become the kind of man and father that he was.

"Then, as I grew older and learned of all his military and political accomplishments and the many stories that everyone told about the First Karacknid War and the birth of our Empire, I came to doubt that I could ever be like him. I even came to wonder if half of what was said of him was even possible… But then Tanaka-lan came against us, bringing war, fire, and death. Then I watched as my father went out to meet him. In the last year, I have seen firsthand that all the stories were true, and in seeing, I have come to learn that my father did more than just inspire those around him; he imparted some of himself into them.”

Jonathan paused and surveyed everyone gathered within the Abbey for a second time. He then looked down for a couple of seconds before looking up. When he did, there was fire in his eyes that Christine hadn’t seen before. “I don’t know how much of my father is within me or even how many of his qualities he has imparted to me. But this oath I take today: My father’s last words to me were that I should stay the course. And this is the course that he has set me and our Empire upon. Both the Silizzarus and the Karacknid Empire seek to destroy and enslave everything my father built and everything that he stood for.”

Fire to match his eyes entered Jonathan’s voice as he spoke his next words slowly, one by one. “This will not happen. My father died to bring us freedom, and I,” Jonathan’s eyes flicked to Christine, Georgia, Edward, and Rachel, and then back to the guests, “and my family, will not let our freedom die. We will finish what my father started and bring an end to every threat to the peace, prosperity, and unity that my father brought to our species and to our allies.” Jonathan looked up to the ceiling of the Abbey as Christine saw his eyes moisten. “I will stay the course, Father. That is my oath to you and to your Empire.”

Through the fresh waves of grief and tears Jonathan’s words brought, one thought ran through Christine’s mind. He is ready. Pride welled up within Christine as she saw so many of the traits James had sought to instill in his son put on display. You may be gone, she thought toward her husband. But you live on nonetheless. For the first time since James’s death, Christine realized she felt safe again. Almost all her life, she had known James was out there in his ship or with his fleets standing guard over her and the people who were her responsibility. His death had taken that security from her. But now she felt it returning. He is ready, she repeated to herself.

As Jonathan left the podium, the preacher finally stepped up into the pulpit that looked down over the two coffins. The preacher, the passage of Scripture, and the hymns already sung had been specifically chosen by James when he had set out his funeral requests before leaving for The Wilds to confront Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet. Despite the grief that still raged within her like a tempest, Christine did her best to follow what was said, knowing it had great meaning to James.

“To live is Christ, to die is gain,” the preacher said after reading and explaining the passage. “That is the reality our beloved Emperor now knows. Death for James Somerville was gain. Gain for him as he goes to be with the beloved, and as he sacrificed himself to save us, gain even for us as well. Death therefore was his gain and ours.”

His gain, and ours, Christine repeated to herself. The words broke her. Uncontrollable tears finally came. Christine knew everyone around her, everyone on Earth, and everyone in the entire Empire would be dead or enslaved by now if not for her husband’s sacrifice. And she knew if given the choice, he would do it over again a thousand times to save his family and his people.

And yet, in that moment, she wanted nothing but to have him back in her arms. She felt like she had gained nothing and lost everything. Bending over, she sobbed quietly but uncontrollably into her hands. She didn’t feel the arms of her sons as they both pulled her into a hug. Nor did she remember anything else of the funeral as the full reality of her husband’s death drowned out everything else.

Chapter 2

If history teaches us one thing, it is that even in the most trying times, happiness can still be found. —Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Imperial Palace, 13th August 2513 AD, (five days later).

“Come on, Mother, we’re going to be late,” Georgia said as she led Christine by the hand through the Palace.

“Where are we going?” Christine asked for the third or fourth time.

Georgia grinned. “He wanted it to be a surprise. Don’t worry, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Christine frowned. Like everyone else on Earth, almost as soon as James and Emilie’s funeral was over, she had been consumed with the preparations for getting the two fleets ready. Back at New Shanghai, almost immediately after her husband’s death, a council of the surviving senior Allied leaders had decided that two fleets had to be prepared—one to send to the newly discovered Silizzarus homeworld, and another to pursue the retreating Karacknid battlefleet. With almost every Allied warship having suffered damage in the intense fighting for the New Shanghai system, getting even one fleet ready was proving to be a herculean task.

That was why, when Georgia had invited her for a formal lunch together, Christine had initially refused. Neither of them had the time for such frivolities. But then Georgia had said she wanted to introduce her to a male friend of hers. Christine couldn’t refuse that. Never had her daughter shared anything of her dating life with her. As it turned out, she still wasn’t. It had only been a ploy. And now, dressed in a long, flowing dress entirely unsuitable for the work of governing, she was being led through the Palace to who knew where.

“Who wanted it to be a surprise?” Christine demanded, but Georgia just smiled and picked up her pace.

She didn’t stop until they rounded a corridor and approached the large oak door that led into what had been James’s favorite room in the Palace. “Good, she’s not here yet,” Georgia said. “We can go in.” A tap on the door caused someone on the inside to open it.

Christine gasped as she looked inside. The large library had been decorated in a range of floral colors, dominated by reds and pinks. The two desks and sofas had been removed, and instead, at least twenty seats formed two sections down either side of the room. At its far end, an arch had been erected, and under it, Jonathan stood with the preacher who had spoken at James’s funeral. Christine turned wide-eyed to Georgia. “What is happening?” was all she could say.

Georgia’s grin was even wider than before. “Surely you know, Mother. I know your wedding was a few years ago now, but you haven’t forgotten what one looks like?”

Before Christine could answer, Georgia pulled her into the library. As they were greeted by all of their closest friends and family, her daughter led her towards the front row of seats. When Jonathan saw them, he smiled and stepped away from the flower-covered arch. “How do I look?”

“How do you look?” Christine repeated. “What is happening is a more important question. You can’t be serious. You are the Imperial Heir. You can’t get married like this.”

Jonathan pulled her into a hug. “I think I’m pretty serious,” he whispered into her ear. “But don’t worry,” he said a little louder as he stepped back. “I know a more formal ceremony will be needed one day. But there is no time for one. The fleet is leaving as soon as it can, and we did not want to wait any longer.” Jonathan flashed her what she knew was his best disarming smile. “Besides, we thought we all needed this. After everything, we need something to celebrate.”

Christine tried to process what her son was telling her. She understood the desire to get married; of course she did. But things were never that simple for their family. “Word will get out,” she said. “People will be upset.”

Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to look at the small number of guests. “Who do you think will tell anyone?” he asked. “Who do you not trust?”

As Christine met the eyes of many of her friends, she nodded and smiled at them and reluctantly agreed her son had a point. She was already trusting most of those present with far more important secrets. “And besides,” Jonathan argued with a smile as he looked back at her, “if word does get out, imagine the headlines: ‘Emperor’s Heir Has Secret Wedding Before Dashing Off to Fight the Empire’s Enemies’… the people will love it.”

“Yes, the people maybe, but not Parliament. They are meant to have a say in who the Imperial heir is to marry,” Christine reminded her son.

Jonathan grew more serious. “Well, after everything we have been through, everything we have lost, and everything we’re about to risk, if Parliament decides it wants me to marry someone else, then they’ll just have to find themselves a new heir. I’m sure if it comes to it, Georgia or Edward would make just as good an heir as I would.”

Christine shook her head. “Maybe once that was true. But the Free Karacknids have already sworn to you. You are already their Imperator in their eyes.”

Jonathan flashed her another disarming grin. “Exactly,” he said triumphantly. “So Parliament can’t complain even if they were inclined to!”

She looked around at all the decorations draped over the many bookshelves that lined the room and sighed. There was no arguing with him. She forced her shoulders to relax as she turned back to Jonathan. “Fine, if my son insists on getting married in secret, then I guess I may as well make the most of it and enjoy myself.” Suddenly she found herself smiling for the first time in many days at the prospect of a wedding. She then reached up and kissed Jonathan on the cheek. “I’m very happy for you,” she whispered. “Enjoy your day,” she added as she squeezed his hand.

From off to one side, the small piano that had been brought in began to play. Both Jonathan and Christine spun to look towards the main door into the library. It slowly opened to reveal Becca waiting. Without another word, Christine let go of Jonathan and moved to her seat beside Georgia. Her daughter immediately took her hand in hers. Only then did Christine realize she hadn’t thought of James once since entering the library. Yet as she realized what he was missing sorrow came flowing in to mingle with her joy.

*

When Becca stepped into the library on the arm of her father, Jonathan’s breath was taken away. He had never seen her in a dress before, never mind the long, flowing white wedding dress she was in now. As a marine, she was almost always in uniform, and when not, she liked to wear civilian casual wear that resembled the shape of her uniform. Mouth agape, he could do nothing but stare as she slowly walked down the small aisle between the seats. When he finally looked up to her face, she had a gleam in her eye and a grin on her lips.

“Close your mouth,” she whispered when she came close. “You look like a child.” There was no anger in her voice though, only delight.

Jonathan nodded dumbly, then he remembered he was supposed to take Becca from her father. With a start, he stepped forward and shook Andrew’s hand, then he took Becca’s in his and led her under the arch and in front of the preacher. Even as they stood together, he couldn’t stop looking his bride up and down. For the entire ceremony, unbeknownst to him, he had a wide grin on his face, one that his sisters would tease him about for years to come.

After a brief homily, the preacher invited Jonathan and Becca to exchange their vows. With a sudden depth of seriousness he hadn’t expected to have, Jonathan promised to love and lead, and to provide for, and protect his new wife. She in turn committed to obey and serve him and his Empire. As she spoke her vows, Becca’s voice trembled more than once, and Jonathan caught her glancing at his mother. The significance of their marriage was not lost on Becca. It was something they had discussed right from the first few days of their relationship. She had always known dating him could end up putting her on the Imperial throne alongside him. Jonathan had no doubt Becca could rise to the occasion, but she was not quite so confident.

But she has made her vows, Jonathan thought as his smile widened as the last fragment of doubt that had been in the back of his mind evaporated. They belonged to one another now, and no one could separate them.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher said with a look of happiness on his face. “You may kiss your bride.”

With pleasure, Jonathan did just that. He filled his kiss with as much love and delight as he could.

When they broke apart, the room erupted into applause. Jonathan and Becca both turned and grinned in delight along with their guests.

The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind for Jonathan as their guests enjoyed a secret meal and then spent some time celebrating with their most trusted friends. With the amount of food they ate and noise they made; Jonathan grew to suspect some news of their activities would get out. The palace staff who weren’t in the know would undoubtedly figure out something was happening. In the joy of the moment though, he didn’t care; he simply focused on enjoying his wife’s smile, holding her hand, and dancing with her.

Eventually, the festivities had to come to an end. All the guests simply had too many other responsibilities to be kept from them for too long. After saying farewell to them one by one, Jonathan and Becca retired to his quarters. With a long list of duties waiting for them early the next day, their honeymoon wasn’t going to last even a full night.

As soon as they entered the room, Becca turned and smiled at Jonathan. He immediately closed the distance to her and gave her a deep kiss. “I can still hardly believe this is real,” he said to her.

Becca’s cheeks reddened. “Neither can I. I was so scared this morning. But I am glad we did this. Death is too close. I don’t want to waste any more time.” She leaned in and kissed him again.

“So you have made peace with what this will one day mean for your role in the Empire?” Jonathan asked.

“Made peace might be too strong a description, but I am getting there,” Becca said. “I had a good long chat with your mother while you were dancing with your sisters. Some of her ideas terrified me, but she managed to put me at ease all the same.”

“Ideas?”

“When we get back, she wants me to serve on her staff as a way to start teaching me the ropes,” Becca said. “She also mentioned how she wants to see me in a lot more dresses, among other things.”

Jonathan laughed. “Well, I won’t be complaining about that,” he said with a grin as he gave Becca an obvious look up and down.

“Would you not?” Becca asked mischievously. She then turned around playfully. “You seem to like me in this one, but perhaps you could help me out of it. I’ve never had to take one of these off before.”

Eagerly, Jonathan began to fight with the clasps that ran down Becca’s back as he loosened the dress. When he had enough undone, Becca wriggled out of it. She then turned to face Jonathan, wearing only the negligee she had on underneath.

Jonathan wanted to let out a whistle, but he thought better of it. Instead, he puffed out his cheeks. “I have been dreaming about this night for so long,” he said as he held Becca’s eyes.

“Well, I hope I won’t disappoint,” Becca said as she shrugged and let the straps of her undergarment slip from her shoulders, allowing the garment to fall to the floor.

Jonathan's breath was taken away for the second time that day, and moments later, Becca’s lips were on his as they kissed each other deeply again.

*

Imperial Palace, 16th August 2513 AD, (three days later).

Quietly, Jonathan and Becca slipped out of one of the Palace’s rear entrances and made their way towards the auxiliary shuttle landing pads. Three shuttles were waiting for them. In front of the shuttles, a small group of people had gathered to see them off.

Jonathan nodded to Edward, his younger brother. He was dressed in his Imperial Intelligence uniform and held a small backpack in one hand. “Ready to depart?”

Edward nodded. He had led the mission that had discovered the Silizzarus homeworld and would be serving on Jonathan’s command staff as an advisor during their campaign. “The sooner, the better,” he said. Since returning, he had been constantly pressing upon Jonathan the need for speed. Having seen the Silizzarus capabilities firsthand, he was understandably concerned about what they were likely to face.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be on our way within the hour,” Jonathan assured him. He then turned to his youngest sister and smiled before pulling her into a hug. “I’d say keep yourself out of trouble, but I’m not sure you know how.”

Rachel pouted. She had all but demanded to come on the mission or, if not, to accompany the fleet Scott and Georgia would be leading. Christine and Jonathan had agreed that she was to stay on Earth. There were more than enough injured soldiers and sailors for her to care for. No one would easily forget the shock that had come from learning she had been on New Shanghai when the Karacknid warriors had landed. More than once she had nearly been killed in the fighting that had followed.

Jonathan leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I need you to look after Mother for me. We need her leadership more than ever now, and she will need you when we are all gone. This is important.” His words had their desired effect, as when he moved back, he saw a new resolve in Rachel’s eyes as she gave him a firm nod.

Jonathan smiled as he turned to Georgia. “Give them hell, Wing Commander.”

“With pleasure, Vice Admiral,” Georgia said as she gave him a salute that was more than a little lazy, mocking his new rank.

Jonathan shook his head and pulled her into a hug as well. “In all seriousness, take care,” he said. “We can’t lose you too.”

“Don’t worry, we will send them running back to their worlds with their tails between their legs,” Georgia promised as she glanced at Vice Admiral Scott.

“We will indeed,” Scott said confidently. “We’ll land the first punch, and then you can return to deliver the knockout blow.”

Jonathan hoped it would end up being that simple, but he doubted it. Just both be here when I get back, he thought, but didn’t have the heart to say. Next, he turned to his mother. “I wish I wasn’t leaving you here so soon after the funeral.”

“You are doing what he would have done if he were still alive,” Christine said with a sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You have to go. So go, do what needs to be done, and then come back to us.”

“As you command, my Empress,” Jonathan said seriously. Then he pulled his mom into a firm hug.

“You will do him proud,” she whispered to him. “You already have.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan said as he let her go. He hesitated, wanting to say more. But what could he say to bring her any comfort? Defeating the Silizzarus and then the Karacknids was the greatest comfort he could give her.

“Alright then, let’s go,” he said as he caught General Johnston’s eyes and the marine commander nodded. He shared one last look with Becca, gave her hand a squeeze, and then turned to head for his shuttle while Becca moved to join Johnston as he headed for his. Movement from the group who had come to see them off made Jonathan stop. “You’re both coming?” he asked the two individuals who had started moving with him.

“The Silizzarus are by far the greatest threat my species has ever encountered,” Superintendent Hallock said. “I’m coming to see this through.” Reaching into a pocket in his tunic, he pulled out a small datapad. “And I have this for you. It contains all the technical specifications of our worldships’ offensive weaponry.”

Jonathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Offensive weaponry?” he blurted.

Hallock smiled. “Yes, I finally got permission from my fellow Superintendents to allow their use. It is only for this mission. And only against Silizzarus ships. But I think you’ll find we are just as adept at destroying things as we have been at defending them.”

Jonathan eagerly grabbed the datapad. “This I can’t wait to read,” he said as he shared a glance with Scott and Georgia. Both looked more than a little jealous.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll share a ride up to Sparrowhawk with you and then transfer your shuttle over to Tranquillity,” Hallock said.

“By all means,” Jonathan said with a grin. He then turned to Mark Alveraz, the head of Imperial Intelligence. “You’re coming as well?”

Mark nodded; his face full of determination. “I know more about the Silizzarus than anyone else. And I’ve been hunting them with your mother and father the longest. You’re going to need me before this is over. I have to come.”

“What about Samuel?” Jonathan asked, barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Mark said as a wave of pain flashed across his face. “But he’s used to staying with his grandparents. It’s been more than half a year since Emilie was first captured, and I’ve always worked very long hours. I’m doing this for him. Once the Silizzarus are beaten and the Karacknids driven from The Wilds, I plan to retire and focus on raising him. But I can’t do that until these threats are dealt with.” He turned to face Rachel. “I was hoping you might be able to look in on him while I’m gone.”

“Of course,” Rachel said right away. “I’ll make it a priority.” She reached out and took her mother’s hand. “We both will.” Christine nodded along with her.

“Then I’m very happy to have you coming along,” Jonathan said. Alongside Edward, there was a large complement of Intelligence officers already embedded within the fleet, not to mention the small squadron of modified intelligence stealth frigates that had already been sent out towards Silizzarus space. “Your skills will be invaluable.”

Taking one last look at those who would be staying behind, Jonathan met all their eyes and then nodded. He spared one last glance at his mother and gave her the best reassuring smile he could. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Make sure they can never meddle in our affairs again,” Christine said forcefully. “Never.”

“I will,” Jonathan promised with a nod. His mother was convinced the Silizzarus were the ones who had brought the Karacknids into contact with Humanity. It made them responsible for her husband’s death in her eyes. And I agree, he told himself as he turned swiftly and marched towards his shuttle, not wanting to prolong things any further. Edward and Alveraz followed him while the others made their way to their own respective shuttles.

As he walked up the shuttle’s rear access ramp, he glanced left and met Becca’s eyes as she walked up the ramp of her shuttle. They both shared a smile before they disappeared from one another’s view. Jonathan felt a little part of him shrivel up. Becca had been appointed to serve as General Johnston’s second in command. That meant she was coming with him on the mission to the Silizzarus homeworld. Yet she would be based on the marine assault ship Valkyrie. So close and so far, he thought as he already began to miss her touch and smell.

Chapter 3

The Silizzarus were a threat to the survival of every species in the galaxy; it was only appropriate that the fleet that set out to try and stop them reflected that.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As his shuttle took him up beyond Earth’s atmosphere, Jonathan peered out an observation port at the fleet waiting for him. Eleven thousand warships capable of the trip to the Silizzarus homeworld had been gathered in the last three weeks. Though repairs had been rushed and supplies for the ships scavenged from all across the Empire, they were now ready.

To one side of the fleet, Vice Admiral Reverus’ Eaglaton ships numbered four thousand. Matching their numbers, Jonathan’s Allied ships made up the other flank of the fleet. Though the majority of the ships were Imperial ones, over a third were Varanni, Kalassai and Gramrian. In the center of their formation were three thousand Karacknid warships and the Kulrean worldships. All of the Karacknids that had sworn allegiance to Jonathan after Tanaka-lan’s death were coming with Jonathan.

Though they insisted that they would follow the orders of any Admiral Jonathan put in charge of them, everyone felt far more comfortable with them coming to fight the Silizzarus. The idea of Scott relying on them to defend the Empire’s borders was simply too much for most of the Empire’s senior leadership. In time, Jonathan hoped the two species could come to trust each other, but that day was still far off. Their presence was also one of the reasons why Jonathan was to be the senior Admiral in charge of the fleet going to attack the Silizzarus. No one was confident enough to trust that the Karacknids would obey Reverus or Shraw without question, and so the responsibility to lead the fleet had fallen on Jonathan. Though Jonathan intended to use every ounce of ability both Admirals had.

Arrayed around the warships were thousands of freighters and several hundred troop assault ships. Both Edward and General Johnston had insisted they bring as many marines as they could in case they were needed. Over the last three weeks, there had been much discussion about exactly how Jonathan was to ensure the Silizzarus could never again threaten Humanity. No concrete answers had been found, but having several full divisions of marines along with him would give him options. As Jonathan watched, tens of thousands of shuttles were moving towards the freighters and marine assault ships, bringing up the last soldiers and supplies.

Out beyond his fleet, a second fleet was beginning to gather. It was less than a thousand warships strong, but Jonathan knew it would begin to grow quickly in the coming days. All of the Allied ships still in repair yards would be added to its numbers as they were made battle-ready once again. Reverus had received news that an additional six thousand Eaglaton warships were on their way that would join the fleet, with the possibility of more to follow. At least three thousand Varanni Alliance ships were also less than a week away from reaching Earth. All in all, Scott and Georgia would have a powerful force with which to begin to push back what was left of the Karacknid battlefleet after Tanaka-lan’s death.

But there will be plenty left for us once we return, Jonathan assured himself. He still felt a great pull to head into The Wilds and pursue the Karacknids. He had sworn to his father that he would end the Karacknid threat once and for all. To do that, he needed to invade Karacknid space and bring the war to them. With Tanaka-lan dead, Humanity’s enemy was weakened and divided, but that would not last forever. Jonathan’s hands clenched into fists. He understood the need to hit the Silizzarus first. Even so, it was frustrating.

“Approaching the flagship now,” the shuttle pilot announced.

Jonathan shifted in his seat as Sparrowhawk came into view. Compared to the dreadnoughts around her, the battleship looked small. Several of his commanders had complained that he had chosen to keep her as his flagship. He wouldn’t be as ‘safe’ as he might be in a dreadnought, but that was all relative. If the Silizzarus started targeting dreadnoughts, he could end up faring far better by staying on a ship that would have a far smaller target on its back. More importantly, though, he knew Sparrowhawk’s Captain and crew. If he was to lead his makeshift fleet into action within the next couple of months, they would be invaluable to him.

As his shuttle touched down, he unbuckled himself and bowed to Hallock. “The shuttle will take you straight to Tranquillity. I am thankful that you are coming with us.”

Hallock held out a hand to Jonathan. “You give me the same confidence your father always did. I am glad our security is in your hands.”

Jonathan didn’t know what to say, so he only nodded. “We’ll speak soon.” He turned to Edward and Alveraz. “Let’s do this then,” he said to them both, then he led them down the shuttle’s access ramp.

Jules Iso, Jonathan’s Chief of Staff, was waiting in the hangar for them. “Welcome back on board, Vice Admiral,” she said as she gave Jonathan a salute. Then her normally reserved features broke into a smile. “Congratulations on the promotion.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan replied after returning her salute. He had been promoted well over a week ago, but with all the affairs of state and demands of planning the fleet’s departure, he hadn’t actually stepped foot on Sparrowhawk since before his father’s funeral. “Everyone thought that if I was going to lead this fleet, I needed a rank to match the responsibility. It feels a little undeserved,” he said as he looked at the extra star on his shoulder.

Iso shook her head as she frowned. “Nonsense. No one deserves it more.”

“Though a little humility isn’t a bad thing,” Edward chimed in.

Jonathan rolled his eyes as he gestured to Edward. “You know my brother, of course. And Admiral Alveraz has decided to join us. He will be assuming command of the Imperial Intelligence assets among the fleet.”

“Of course,” Iso said, taking the change of plans in stride. “I will have orders assigned to you immediately, Admiral.”

“Thank you,” Alveraz replied. “I’m sure it’ll take you little time to make the arrangements. In the meantime, Edward, if you could take me to meet the rest of your team.”

“As you wish, Admiral,” Edward replied. He gave a nod to Jonathan and then led Alveraz towards one of the hangar hatches.

“To the bridge for us,” Jonathan said to Iso, and then started walking as well.

As he stepped onto the bridge, every conversation stopped. Every officer stood and gave him a salute. “As you were,” Jonathan said as he looked around at the familiar faces. He then stepped over to Anthony Mathis, Sparrowhawk’s Captain. “Well, how is she?”

“Fighting fit and ready to go, Admiral,” Mathis said confidently. “All our valstronium armor has been replaced and the reactors are functioning at full capacity.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jonathan responded. In the 2nd Battle of New Shanghai, Sparrowhawk had suffered three proximity hits that had battered down her shields and caused a reasonable amount of damage. “And the fleet is ready to depart?”

“Every squadron and flotilla has reported in,” Mathis said as he nodded. “They are awaiting your command.”

“All right,” Jonathan said as he moved over to his command chair to sit down. “Connect me with my senior commanders. I’ll speak with them and then we will get underway.”

Minutes later, holographic images of Jonathan’s immediate subordinates, Rear Admiral Hampton, Vice Admirals Reverus and Shraw, Superintendent Hallock, and Karacknid General Tasata-su were hovering in front of Jonathan. Alveraz had also joined them from the command station he and Edward had set up in one of Sparrowhawk’s auxiliary bridges. “This is it then,” he said to them. “You are all ready to depart?”

“I think we are,” Shraw said as he glanced at the other officers, and they all nodded or made an affirmative gesture.

“Then let us get the fleet underway,” Jonathan said. Turning, he caught Iso’s eye and nodded to her to make the final preparations. As she began giving out orders to Jonathan’s other staff officers, he addressed his admirals again. “We have three weeks until we get to the rendezvous coordinates. I intend to drill this fleet like it’s never been drilled before. We all need to be able to fight with one another like we have been doing it all our lives. We have no idea what the Silizzarus have waiting for us, but we need to be ready for anything. If you have any suggestions for simulations to run or tactics to develop, let me know at once. And make sure all your subordinates know we want their input as well.”

“My people will not let you down, Imperator,” Tasata-su promised. “We will crush these enemies of yours.”

“We will thrust aside anything they throw at us,” Shraw added confidently as his lips peeled back, revealing his long, sharp predatory teeth that were even more fearsome than Tasata-su’s.

Jonathan had to hide a smile at the competitive tones in both aliens' voices. Both were extremely aggressive species. In a one-on-one fight, Jonathan’s money would be on the Gramrian. Yet the Karacknids were truly fearsome in their own right. Since Tasata-su had learned about Shraw and his Gramrian ships and warriors, Jonathan had detected a hint of jealousy. The Karacknid warriors who had sworn to serve Jonathan had thought they would be the most fearsome warriors who fought at his side. They had quickly learned that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“I am not quite so confident as that,” Reverus said in a more cautionary tone. “The Silizzarus have proven themselves to be a formidable enemy. But I am sure we will be as prepared as we can be by the time we reach the rendezvous site.”

“Speaking of which, with your permission, Admiral,” Alveraz began to ask, “once I am on top of things with my agents here on Sparrowhawk, I’d like to take Pytheas on ahead of the fleet to the rendezvous coordinates. I could be there in a couple of weeks. Then my team and I can begin going over the reports as they come in. It will allow us to have a full report ready for you once you arrive.”

Jonathan nodded to Alveraz. Even before their return from the mission, Hallock and Alveraz had sent a squadron of Imperial Intelligence frigates to Kulrea to be upgraded with Kulrean reactors, engines, and sensors. They didn’t have the same stealth field generator, but they were far faster than any other ship in Jonathan’s fleet. Three weeks ago, they had been dispatched to begin spying out the systems near the Silizzarus homeworld. “A great idea. You may leave as soon as you feel you can.”

“In that case, may I ask to take one of my worldships with Admiral Alveraz to join him in carrying out his analysis?” Hallock said.

Jonathan paused for a moment. “It could be risky, Superintendent. If any of the frigates were spotted, they could be followed to the rendezvous coordinates.”

“I understand, Admiral,” Hallock responded. “So far, Alveraz and I have worked closely on understanding our enemy. I would like to join him in this.”

“Then by all means,” Jonathan said as he gave Hallock a small bow. Hallock bowed back to communicate his thanks. “Now, are there any other suggestions that need my immediate attention?” Jonathan asked. When no one spoke, he nodded to his subordinates. “Then let us begin this.” Once again, Jonathan caught Iso’s eye. “Commander, take the fleet out of orbit. Set course for the rendezvous coordinates.”

“Aye, Admiral,” Iso responded. With a single tap on her command console, she sent the order to the rest of the fleet and gave permission for Sparrowhawk’s navigation officer to begin the maneuver.

As his flagship broke orbit, a shiver of nerves ran down Jonathan's spine and seemed to wrap around his waist to settle in the pit of his stomach. He had spent his entire life preparing to fight the Karacknids. Over the last year, he had proven he was up to that challenge. Yet never before had he led a fleet of such size, and there was still much about the Silizzarus that remained a complete mystery. But we are going to face them, and no matter what they have prepared for us, we have to defeat them! Jonathan told himself as he remembered the images of the worlds the Silizzarus had turned into radiated wastelands. As he looked down at Earth, it wasn’t hard to imagine what their enemy would do to his species' homeworld if they could. We have to, Jonathan repeated to himself.

Chapter 4

In the First Karacknid War, we did not understand how fragile the Karacknid Empire’s cohesion was. By the second, James Somerville used this weakness to save Earth. His son Jonathan would exploit it to its utmost.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Beta Fort System, Impaler, 25th August 2513 AD, (nine days later).

Admiral Jastaka-san smashed a clenched fist into the table he and the other fleet and Clan leaders were seated around. “We cannot continue to sit here. Every day we wait gives the Humans and their allies more time to repair their ships. We must advance once again.”

“We cannot advance until we have a clear line of command,” General Kartu-su insisted. He led one of the smaller clans allied with Jastaka-san’s. “We must pick a commander to replace Tanaka-lan. Only then will our battlefleet be able to fight as one.”

“Exactly,” Jastaka-san agreed. “Too much time and too many resources have already been wasted because of our petty infighting. We must share all our supplies and work together as one once again.”

“But no one can replace Tanaka-lan,” a different clan leader said slowly. “He was our Imperator. We cannot choose a new Imperator. Less than half the Clans are represented by our fleet.”

“There would be more if the others hadn’t already run!” Kartu-su sneered.

Jastaka-san spat on the ground between his feet. Run home to stake their own claims, he knew. More than twenty thousand warships in several fleets had left the system the Humans had called Beta Fort in the last several days. As soon as they had completed enough repairs to make the six month-long journey back to Karacknid space, they had fled. Jastaka-san was sure they were all on their way to their clan homeworlds in an effort to gather up more ships and prepare for the civil war most of his fellow officers feared was about to descend upon them all.

“But they have left,” the same clan leader said. “And so will more if we cannot come up with a plan between us. But we cannot choose a new leader, that is too dangerous.”

And therein lies our problem, Jastaka-san told himself. Those who hadn’t already left the system Tanaka-lan had started building into a supply hub, had stayed because they felt the Humans had to be defeated. Their enemy had now killed two Karacknid Imperators. The only way to wipe away the shame was to reduce their homeworld to rubble and ashes. Only then could the battlefleet return to their Empire with their heads held high. The problem was, whoever led them to victory against the Humans would become the de facto prime candidate to succeed Tanaka-lan as Imperator. Looking around the room, it was clear no one wanted to give that privilege to someone else. It was a minor miracle that Jastaka-san had even managed to get the others to agree to meet on his dreadnought.

“Which is all the more reason why you all must accept my claim to become our new Imperator,” Hara-khan suddenly demanded. “I command the largest fleet and I’m the most senior admiral. Tanaka-lan entrusted me with command and so I should be his successor. Unite behind me and no more ships will leave. I will lead us to victory. And then we will crush the traitors who have joined the Humans.”

Jastaka-san stared at Hara-khan in shock. Hara-khan had commanded the largest fleet after Tanaka-lan’s death, but then he had proceeded to get it ripped to shreds by the Human forces who had counterattacked after the Human Emperor had sacrificed himself. The idea was so absurd that he couldn’t help himself from laughing.

Eyes bulging Hara-khan spun around towards him. His claws shot out of their sheaths and were pointed across the table. “Do you want to challenge me to Trava-klan?” Hara-khan demanded.

Jastaka-san’s laughter came to an immediate halt. “You are no Imperator, so I could not challenge you. To imply otherwise is blasphemous.” Jastaka-san paused as he met Hara-khan’s gaze. “Or do you presume you can crown yourself Imperator without consulting the clans?”

At that suggestion, Hara-khan looked down. It was only for a second, but Jastaka-san took it as a victory. “I thought not. You have shown us all your command capabilities already. I would not let you command a frigate, let alone a fleet.” Jastaka-san shook his head authoritatively. “No one will follow you.”

Hara-khan let out a dangerous growl, but with a wave of his hand, Jastaka-san dismissed him as if he were a juvenile and instead looked at the other officers. “Yet we need a leader. Not a new Imperator, of course.” Jastaka-san had no intention of making Hara-khan’s mistake. But he knew that if he was patient enough, one day he could truly make a bid for the title. First, though, he needed a battlefleet and a victory. “So, how are we going to solve this problem?”

“You must accept my claim,” Hara-khan nearly shouted, not knowing when he was defeated.

“I think,” another Admiral said disparagingly, “we have heard quite enough from you. Interrupt your betters again, and our fleets will turn their guns on what is left of your fleet. We would be better off splitting your supplies between us anyway.”

Hara-khan opened his mouth to release a biting reply, but he stopped himself short as he finally started to read the room around him. More than one Admiral was snickering at the rebuke he had just suffered while none looked friendly to his cause. For a couple of seconds, several emotions passed across his face. First, his anger gave way to shock, then fear, and finally shame. Slowly, he hung his head and did not speak again.

“It seems to me,” another leading Admiral said, “that if we are going to choose a new commander and resume our offensive, our new leader needs to solve two pressing problems. One, our supplies have been seriously depleted repairing our ships and restocking after the battle at New Shanghai.

“And two, the unrest within our ranks must be put to an end once and for all. Doubt, division, and mistrust are causing our warriors to turn on one another. None of us know how many of these Free Karacknids still remain amongst our ships. I, for one, am eager to hear how these problems can be overcome.”

Silence followed the Admiral's questions. A far deeper silence than Jastaka-san would have expected. He had been shaken as much as anyone else by the thousands of ships that had defected to the human side. Two of his most promising captains had been among those who had abandoned him. Yet he had been suppressing his own fear at what that meant. Now, all around him, he could see the same concern on the faces of his peers. Their worry only deepened his own.

Quickly, he answered the first question in an effort to avoid the second. “Supplies should not be a problem,” he said, trying to sound as confident as possible. “Once we take the New Shanghai system and then the Humans’ homeworld, we can repurpose their supplies for ourselves. They have more than enough fuel production facilities to meet our needs and, if nothing else, I’m sure our warriors will be happy to feast on their flesh in recompense for what they did to our Imperator.”

“So you presume to lead us into battle then?” a Commodore asked, the tone of his voice making it clear what he thought of that idea.

“We must choose someone,” another officer said. “We will never choose one that all of us are happy with. None of us have left yet because we know we must finish this war. Yet we cannot get our way.”

“What about a Trivium?” the first clan leader who had spoken asked. As he spoke, he looked only at Jastaka-san. “I would be willing to share command with Admiral Jastaka-san. Then we would only need one more. We could decide on a strategy together and each command a third of the battlefleet. Together our victory would be assured.”

Jastaka-san held back a snarl, knowing exactly what his rival was doing. On his own, the clan leader could never win enough support to lead the fleet. But if he could get Jastaka-san to share command, then Jastaka-san wouldn’t get nearly as much glory from the victory. If he agreed, Jastaka-san knew any chance he had of one day becoming Imperator would disappear in an instant.

“That would never work,” he said as he tried to think on his feet. “If one of the three fleet elements refused to support the others, they could be destroyed. We would be risking disaster.”

“So you will not share power then?” the clan leader scoffed. “You want it all for yourself… Or how else do you propose we decide? Do you want us to hold an election like the Humans? Would you have us sink that far?”

Jastaka-san snarled in anger at the suggestion. Other voices showed their disgust at the idea. More than one officer began to shout back to defend Jastaka-san’s honor. Just as Jastaka-san feared the meeting was about to fall apart, an alarm began to blare. Everyone recognized it and immediately stopped shouting. It was a contact alarm.

“What is going on?” Jastaka-san demanded as he tapped his COM unit.

“Allied ships are jumping into the system; they are heading straight for us!” a voice that sounded far too panicked for Jastaka-san’s liking said from Impaler’s bridge.

Pandemonium broke out in the meeting room. Every Karacknid jumped to their feet. Many began to wrestle with one another as they rushed towards the hatches. None wanted to be caught on Jastaka-san’s dreadnought if their fleets were about to come under attack.

Jastaka-san instinctively stepped back to allow the others past him. His moment to seize control of the fleet was slipping through his fingers with every Karacknid that fled from the meeting room. Yet he knew he couldn’t stop them. Nor could he risk even trying. It was more important that the battlefleet survive the Humans' attack. He needed the fleet intact if he was to return to Gayla and proclaim himself Imperator.

Already, his mind quickly began to adapt to the new situation. If his fleet could be the one that turned back the Humans' attack, then he would have a far stronger claim to take command of the other fleets. And while they are rushing to their ships, my fleet will already be preparing, he thought confidently. Movement to his right suddenly caught Jastaka-san’s attention. One Karacknid wasn’t rushing towards the nearest hatch. Instead, he was shoving his way past several other officers straight towards Jastaka-san. It was Hara-khan!

With a roar, the disgraced Admiral threw himself into the air as he pounced on Jastaka-san. With extended claws, he swiped Jastaka-san’s neck with both his hands. Jastaka-san saw it just in time. As Hara-khan came flying in, he threw himself backward. It gave him just enough time to raise his left hand to deflect the decapitating blows. Then, his back slammed into the wall of the meeting room. As he bounced off it, he used his legs to add more momentum to the change in direction. In a split second, his fist slammed into Hara-khan’s stomach. Immediately, Jastaka-san extended his claws and began to rip upwards as he sliced vertically through Hara-khan’s abdomen. The foolish Admiral let out one gasping cry before he crumpled to the ground.

For a couple of seconds, Jastaka-san stared down at the body in shock. Then he looked up wide-eyed at the other officers who were all frozen in place. “His attack was unprovoked,” Jastaka-san said as his shock started to give way and he rapidly assessed the changing situation. “I claim his ships for my own. They will serve me now.” Reaching out a hand, he pointed his bloody claws at Hara-khan’s second-in-command. “Submit to me now or die.”

The nearest officers loyal to Jastaka-san immediately unsheathed their claws and moved to surround Hara-khan’s subordinate. The officer looked at them and then back to Jastaka-san. He then quickly fell to his knees and bowed before his new master. Jastaka-san allowed himself a small smile. Then he looked at the other officers. “Get back to your ships, all of you,” he ordered as if he was their superior. Many snarled at his tone, yet all obeyed, for all knew they needed to get off Impaler as quickly as possible.

When they were gone, Jastaka-san contacted Impaler’s bridge. “Prepare the fleet to attack Hara-khan’s fleet,” he ordered. “If they will not join us, they will die.”

Several of the surviving dreadnoughts in Hara-khan’s fleet were commanded by his immediate family. I will make examples of them and then the rest will fall into line, Jastaka-san told himself as a new path to ascend his people’s throne began to form in his mind. If he couldn’t convince the others to join him, then he had to make sure their fleets couldn’t be used against him when he made his move to take charge of his species' Empire.

*

IS Constitution

With five thousand ships arrayed around her flagship, Scott charged her fleet into the Beta Fort system. Outwardly, it looked like suicide. Forty-one thousand Karacknid warships and twice as many freighters filled the inner system. Yet they were spread out in a wide formation that had no cohesion. Scouts Scott had tasked with watching the system over the last two weeks had confirmed that many of the groups of ships were intentionally keeping their distance from one another. Forty-one thousand divided warships were a very different enemy to fight than a single unified force.

Within minutes of her fleet beginning to accelerate at full power, the Karacknid fleets and squadrons began to react. “Look at that!” Georgia said excitedly. “It’s like we kicked a nest of rats. They’re scattering in every direction.”

“So it seems,” Scott said with a nod. “You were right,” she added as she bowed slightly to the advisor Jonathan had assigned to her. Commodore Rack’na was one of the most senior Karacknid commanders among the Free Karacknids.

“They will find it impossible to agree upon a leader,” he said, repeating the advice he had shared more than a week ago. “They will not trust one another.”

Scott couldn’t disagree. The evidence was right in front of them. The Karacknid force looked to consist of at least twelve different fleets that varied greatly in size. All of them were beginning to move away from her ships and yet at the same time, appeared to be equally prioritizing getting away from one another.

Alarms blared as weapons fire was suddenly detected. Just a couple of seconds later, a handful of massive explosions erupted amongst one of the Karacknid fleets. “That was heavy laser cannon fire,” a sensor officer called out. “Ships amongst Hara-khan’s fleet were destroyed. Seven dreadnoughts were taken out.”

“What is happening?” Scott asked Rack’na.

Rack’na didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he conferred with his two officers who had been assigned consoles on Constitution's bridge. “We believe each of those dreadnoughts was commanded by members of Hara-khan’s immediate family. They were just all killed. We must assume Hara-khan has been killed as well. The ships that fired are part of Vice Admiral Jastaka-san’s fleet. He has just tried to absorb what was left of Hara-khan’s fleet into his own.”

Sure enough, as Scott watched, many of the ships that had made up the remnants of Hara-khan’s fleet began to move to join the fleet that had just fired on them. However, not all did. As they watched, more fighting broke out as some ships fired back and others tried to flee. Scott couldn’t help smiling as the Karacknids fought amongst themselves.

Over the next several minutes, the holo display continued to be updated as Rack’na’s officers began to identify the other Karacknid fleets. Quickly, Scott had a breakdown of the makeup of the Karacknid battlefleet’s different elements along with Rack’na’s best guess for their differing allegiances. The Karacknid system of clans and families was an intricate one with loyalties that often shifted quickly. Rack’na was, of course, intimately familiar with it and so was able to give her an invaluable perspective on the enemy fleet.

If what she was seeing was right, no one faction had enough ships to confront her directly and have any chance of winning a one-sided victory. Jastaka-san’s fleet was one exception, but Scott doubted he would want to try and fight her when a quarter of his ships had just joined his fleet minutes ago. They have to run, Scott realized as she felt her desire to avenge James’ death swelling up within her. Which means they are vulnerable. With a fresh eagerness, she began to study the fleeing Karacknid fleets and squadrons looking for weaknesses.

“Georgia?” Scott asked a minute later.

“I see it,” Georgia said as she studied the same part of the holo map that had drawn Scott’s attention. “I can have my Wing there in fifty minutes.”

“Do it, launch now,” Scott ordered. “We’ll maneuver against these two fleets here and see if they give us an opening.”

“Understood, Admiral,” Georgia said formally. She then barked a series of orders to her command staff before standing and rushing to Constitution’s main hangar.

Scott wished she would command her wing from the safety of the flagship’s bridge, but she knew there was no arguing with her. Georgia wanted revenge even more badly than Scott did and she intended to get up close and personal to get it.

Chapter 5

Traveling across a thousand light-years of unclaimed space can be dangerous even in our day; back then, there were many risks to be wary of. Trying to do so while pursued by a vengeful enemy would prove even deadlier for the fleeing Karacknids.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

“All pilots, I’m sending you targeting data now,” Georgia said to her attack group after her squadron formed up and rocketed away from Scott’s fleet. “Our priority is the enemy fuel freighters. Without them and their fuel, the warships are going to struggle to make it back to their space. But if they want to send anything else our way, we’re going to blast them apart as well. All Squadron Leaders, check your targets and confirm.”

Come on, come out and fight, Georgia then thought towards the Karacknid fleet that now claimed the freighters she was charging. With Hara-khan’s fleet having been attacked and absorbed, it had left his freighters out of position. As the two groups of warships moved to merge with one another and leave the system, they had given Georgia an opening. Over two thousand freighters were relatively unguarded. They could be protected, but either the Karacknid admiral who had taken charge of them would have to turn his ships back and risk coming into range of Scott’s fleet, or he could send out his fighters. Georgia desperately wanted a fighter fight. She needed to blow up something that shot back.

To her delight, five minutes later her modified Talon fighter began to detect launches from the carriers in Jastaka-san’s fleet. Sixteen hundred Karacknid fighters formed up and turned towards her. Georgia grinned in anticipation. She had two and a half thousand fighters, and most were veterans of 2nd New Shanghai. They would tear through the Karacknid fighters and then strike at the freighters. Quickly, she worked to assign new targets to her squadrons.

Yet the Karacknids only moved on an intercept course for her force for four minutes, then they stopped accelerating. Georgia cursed when she realized what they were doing. The fighters had no intention of engaging her, not if she just struck at the rearmost freighters of what had been Hara-khan’s supply fleet. They had simply launched to cover Jastaka-san’s main freighter fleet. He doesn’t want to risk his freighters or his fighters, Georgia realized. She cursed again. Damn their infighting. They are holding back their strength so they can fight each other. Come and fight me!

She didn’t get her wish, however. As her fighters charged into the rear of the fleeing freighters, no additional help came their way. With ease, Georgia directed twenty of her squadrons to take out the small group of escorts that were guarding the freighters. Then she led over two thousand fighters into the midst of the freighter formation. The result was a bloodbath. Not a single freighter survived the antimatter missiles released by the Allied and Eaglaton pilots. Georgia scored two kills herself, yet it was so easy that it brought her no satisfaction.

Far more slowly than was strictly necessary, she formed her fighters and then set course to rejoin Scott’s fleet. She lingered in the hope some of the nearby Karacknid forces would come seeking revenge. But none did. With a sigh, she relaxed her body and refocused on Scott’s fleet. Another time, she promised the fleeing Karacknids.

*

IS Constitution

“Take us to maximum speed,” Scott ordered as soon as she saw Georgia’s fighters were on their way back to her carriers. Georgia’s attack had demonstrated that the different Karacknid factions would not come to one another's aid. That was all she needed to know. “We will take this fleet,” she decided as she highlighted one of the smaller fleeing Karacknid fleets.

“Aye, Admiral,” her Chief of Staff acknowledged.

On the display, the courses of her fleet and her target were projected. One hour and five minutes before the Karacknid squadron would reach the system’s mass shadow and be able to jump into shift space, her fleet would bring them into missile range. The Karacknids’ problem was their freighters. They clearly needed the fuel the freighters carried if they were going to make it back to their systems, yet the fuel freighters were far slower than their warships.

Time to choose, Scott thought towards the Karacknid commander. According to Commodore Rack’na, a General named Far’tan was likely to be leading the smaller Karacknid fleet. He and his clan were supposed to have the weakest links to the other clans that made up the battlefleet, which was the second reason why Scott was targeting him.

For an hour, Scott’s fleet raced after their target. The other fleets actually altered their headings slightly, moving away from Scott’s quarry. Their course changes meant that it would actually take them longer to reach the safety of the system’s mass shadow, but it ensured Scott couldn’t come after them after she had dealt with the fleet she was pursuing.

“They really will not stand together,” Scott said as she gave Rack’na a nod of approval.

“It has always been the case with our clans. Without an Imperator, there is more that divides us than unites us,” Rack’na explained. “Taranaki made things far worse. Before his death, more than two hundred years had passed since we had to choose a new Imperator. Our people have forgotten how to do it peacefully… at least relatively peacefully,” he added when Scott made a face.

The idea of one challenger beheading another was not Scott’s definition of a peaceful way to appoint a new leader. “And now, what will happen if and when Jonathan Somerville dies?” Scott asked, voicing a fear that had been slowly growing within her as she learned more about Karacknid society.

Rack’na peeled his lips back, revealing his teeth in a gesture she chose to take as his best attempt at a smile. “That depends who you ask, Admiral… We, who you call Free Karacknids, wish to find a truly peaceful method of exchanging power. That is in part why we were keen to accept Jonathan as our new Emperor. Your species has mastered this process, and as long as your Emperor is our Imperator, then it ensures a peaceful handover of power.”

“But those who joined us after Tanaka-lan’s death?” Scott asked, coming to the point of her concern.

“Some have come around to seeing our point of view, but not nearly as many as I might like. Most are following Jonathan because his father killed Tanaka-lan and Tanaka-lan had no designated heir. If someone was to kill Jonathan in Trava-klan, then their allegiance would switch to him.”

“And what if Jonathan died in other circumstances, but had a son who we recognized as his heir?” Scott asked.

“If he was a recognized warrior who had already earned their respect, like Jonathan did before his father’s death, then most would likely follow him. But if the son was still a child, then it would be a different matter.”

Scott nodded as her suspicions were confirmed. For better or worse, Jonathan had tied the Karacknids who had joined them to him personally. Scott feared their newfound allies were likely to be a double-edged sword. At least they are heading in the opposite direction, Scott thought. Against the Silizzarus they couldn’t cause too much trouble. Could they?

“Fighter launches,” a sensor officer called out, cutting off Scott and Rack’na’s conversation. “Multiple squadrons launching from the squadron we are pursuing.”

“They have decided they don’t want to let us get into missile range,” Scott guessed. Short of turning and facing the offensive power of her fleet, the only way the Karacknids could try to slow her was to send a fighter strike against her. “Wait to deploy the rest of our fighters until theirs are committed.”

Twenty minutes later, the second half of Georgia’s fighter wing began to launch from their carriers even as Georgia’s fighters began to land. Fifteen hundred fresh pilots raced out to meet the eight hundred fighters the Karacknids had tried to throw against Scott’s fleet. A short, savage fight broke out between the two groups. The vast majority of the Karacknids were shot down by missiles or laser beams. Just eighty broke through the Allied pilots and tried to charge Scott’s warships. Flak frigates and PD cruisers moved ahead to meet them, shooting them all down, for the loss of just seven ships.

“Your pilots have proved themselves again,” Scott said to Georgia as she rejoined her on the bridge.

Georgia nodded. “They need to match our numbers or better if they are going to have any hope of defeating one of our fighter forces.” She then paused for a moment to study the holo display. “They’re going to have to turn some of their ships against us if they are to have any hope of their freighters getting away.”

“Indeed,” Scott agreed. “They have no choice now.”

It took the Karacknid commander another six minutes to come to the same conclusion. When he did, fifteen hundred warships, half of his entire fleet, turned to face Scott’s fleet. They immediately went to full acceleration, making their intentions clear. If they could, they were going to close to energy weapon range and savage Scott’s ships.

If Scott wanted, she could let them. She doubted many of their ships would be left after enduring two salvos from her much larger fleet. If she didn’t alter her heading, she would still be able to catch the rest of the Karacknid fleet and hit them with a couple of salvos before they jumped out. For a moment, she weighed the decision. Ever so slightly, she shook her head. It wasn’t worth it. With so many Karacknid fleets heading into The Wilds, she needed to conserve her strength to hunt them down.

“We will slow to ten percent acceleration in fifteen minutes,” she ordered. “We will let these ships commit themselves to a missile duel and then we will make it impossible for them to get into energy weapon range. When we slow, turn us onto an initial heading of seven-four-one point one.”

“Understood, Admiral,” Scott’s Chief of Staff confirmed.

Outnumbered more than three to one and with no fighters to aid their first salvo, the Karacknid ships stood no chance. Yet they served their purpose. As Scott’s ships turned and slowed, the rest of the Karacknid fleet they had come from, and their precious fuel freighters, reached safety and jumped out of the system. Their comrades fought valiantly as Karacknid warriors always did. Even so, it did them little good. In just six salvos, they were overwhelmed and completely destroyed.

In the engagement, less than a hundred missiles penetrated the Allied fleet’s defense. Scott lost just forty-seven ships and another thirty that would have to be dispatched back to Earth for repairs.

As soon as the Karacknid ships were no more, Scott turned her fleet towards the planet Beta Fort had been built around. Only a handful of Human orbital stations remained. Tanaka-lan had destroyed all but those he had deemed worthy of being converted to service his own ships. Scott didn’t have the time or resources to try and retake them. She did, however, come close enough to blow up the partially built Karacknid supply stations that Tanaka-lan had started constructing.

At the same time, she dispatched a small fleet of frigates and destroyers after the various Karacknid fleets to monitor them all. She wanted to know where they were all heading, for she was far from done with them.

Once the last Karacknid ships jumped out, Scott signaled for her supply fleet to enter the system. At the moment, her force was made up of Allied ships that had been repaired after the Second Battle of New Shanghai and three and a half thousand fresh Varanni Alliance ships that had come east from their system of border forts. In days, the next Eaglaton Protectorate fleet should be joining her, and then she could resume her pursuit of the Karacknids.

As her subordinates oversaw the repair and resupply of her fleet, Scott pulled up a map of The Wilds. On it, she projected the different supply routes they had observed the Karacknids using to move ships and material south through The Wilds over the last several months. They were the most likely routes the fleeing fleets would take north again. She then overlaid the hidden FOBs and artificial shift passages she and James had constructed over the course of twenty years in preparation for the resumption of hostilities with the Karacknids. Many of the FOBs had been discovered and destroyed by Tanaka-lan, but not all. And most of the artificial shift passages still remained undiscovered by their enemy.

And one or two of our surprises were never used, Scott reminded herself as a couple of systems caught her eye. You will be striking back from beyond the grave, my old friend, she thought towards James. The artificial shift passages had allowed her and James to dance back and forth in front of the Karacknid battlefleets as they had advanced south bent on conquering her species' systems. Now they would allow her to outmaneuver the Karacknids as they retreated north.

“What do you think, Admiral?” Georgia asked as she studied the map with her superior.

“I think the chase is far from over,” Scott said as she nodded to herself. “Far from over.”

Chapter 6

Never let your enemy choose the field of battle; it will not end well for you.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Constitution, Shofar System, 5th September 2513 AD, (ten days later).

Thanks to the scouts she had deployed in front of the Karacknid battlefleet, Scott knew to the hour when to expect the first enemy squadrons to arrive. No one on Constitution’s bridge was surprised when fifty contacts suddenly started accelerating into the Shofar system.

“They are Karacknid drive signatures,” a sensor officer reported.

“They’re starting to fan out,” Scott’s tactical officer added.

Scott said nothing. Her fleet was on the far side of the system, near Shofar’s northern shift passage. The Karacknid scouts could spread out as much as they wanted; they would never find her. Four days after the promised Eaglaton reinforcements had arrived at Beta Fort, she had set out in pursuit of her enemy. Thanks to two artificial shift passages, she had easily moved in front of their line of retreat. Now, with nine thousand warships under her command, she had almost a quarter of the strength the Karacknids had. If they chose to fight together, they would still easily beat her, but the plan she was about to enact was designed to make sure that could never happen.

For four hours she watched as Constitution’s passive sensors detected and identified the Karacknid forces as they entered the system. After ten days of traveling, the various Karacknid fleets had become strung out in a long disjointed line. Each fleet kept a good distance from one another and none appeared in any great rush. By the time the last fleet entered the system, the scouts from the leading fleet were almost at the system’s northern shift passage.

Scott shook her head at what she was seeing. It was utter foolishness. The Karacknids had to know she would chase them. They had killed her Emperor and nuked several of her worlds. No Human Admiral or fleet was going to just let them lazily head back to their systems.

“Signal the fleet, instruct them to make their final preparations,” Scott instructed her COMs officer after the last Karacknid squadron entered the system. Its appearance marked the beginning of her plan. Soon the first stage would begin.

*

Not for the first time, Georgia eyed the slowly moving asteroids around her fighter nervously. For the past sixteen hours, she and her entire attack force had been holding position deep within one of the thickest asteroid fields she had ever entered. Scott had assured her that her fighter and her people would be safe. They were in a narrow opening near the center of the field. The field had been explored and the opening discovered over a decade ago by her father’s scouts when they had been looking for possible ways to attack a Karacknid force heading south.

After Scott’s scouts had confirmed the clearing was still there a day ago, she had been confident that it wasn’t going to close over within the next thirty-six hours. As Georgia stared out of her cockpit at the massive slowly rotating asteroids less than ten kilometers from her, she wasn’t so sure. But she was here, nonetheless. And it will be go time soon, she told herself to ease her tension. Being cramped up in a fighter cockpit for the best part of a day was never a fun experience.

At the far side of the asteroid field, she had left a handful of stealth recon drones to watch the inner system. Four hours ago, the first had returned to her position with news that Karacknid ships had finally started jumping into the system. Two more had come since then, keeping Georgia updated. Given the rate at which the Karacknid fleets had been appearing, she expected the final one to arrive any minute. Already she had warned her forces to prepare themselves. Now they were just waiting for her go order.

Just a handful of minutes later, Georgia’s COM unit beeped at her. Her Talon’s laser COM was being flashed. With a tap on her console, she accepted the incoming data. She smiled at what she saw. The last Karacknid squadron had entered the system. With another tap, she activated her own laser COM. “All pilots and ships, it is time to begin our attack. Let’s get out of this asteroid field. Take your time and be careful, but let’s get on our way.”

Matching actions to words, Georgia powered up her Talon’s reactor to five percent and then, with a very gentle acceleration, led her attack force out of the asteroid field. It took twenty minutes to weave their way out. As soon as she reached the last two stealth recon drones she had left outside the field, she downloaded their data and then assessed the enemy fleets. As they were all accelerating hard through the system, she was able to see almost every one of the thirty-nine and a half thousand Karacknid warships and even more freighters.

Scott had given her precise instructions regarding what she was to seek to accomplish. How exactly she went about that, though, was up to her. By the time the rest of her force had followed her out of the asteroid field, she had chosen her targets. Activating her COM again, she contacted Rear Admiral Yamato. “Can your lead squadron take out these scouts here?” she asked as she highlighted the first ships she wanted destroyed.

“Of course, Wing Commander, that should be no problem,” Yamato assured her.

“Then I want the rest of your ships to make it look like you want to hit this group of freighters,” Georgia explained. “That should draw out enough of the enemy. We’ll take it from there.”

“Understood, it will be as you wish,” Yamato replied. “This will attract a lot of attention. What will we do then?”

Georgia paused. Attracting a lot of attention was her mission. But if more Karacknids came against her, it would be tempting to engage them too. You have to remember Yamato’s ships aren’t as maneuverable as yours. If she got the Rear Admiral’s ships into a prolonged battle, they would struggle to escape. As much as she wanted a fight, she had to remember not to get her ships destroyed. That would not be the kind of revenge her father would want.

“Once you take out the scouts and get their attention, you can begin to pull back,” Georgia said. “We will do our part and then make sure we can still support you in case you are chased.”

Yamato visibly relaxed as he nodded. “A sound plan, Wing Commander. I will instruct my captains and then we are at your command.”

Once her force was ready, Georgia gave Yamato the go-ahead to begin moving his ships out beyond the asteroid field. When they were clear, Georgia followed with her fighters. Half an hour passed before the Karacknids got the first sign that they were not alone in the system.

Six Allied frigates and destroyers suddenly came out of stealth and charged a flotilla of three Karacknid frigates that had been guarding the flank of the rearmost Karacknid fleet. In a short battle, the three Karacknid warships were destroyed while Yamato’s ships took no losses. Understandably, nearby Karacknid light ships came rushing into the area as they released hundreds of active recon drones, trying to figure out how many Allied ships were present.

In a series of small engagements, Yamato skillfully released more and more of his ships to fight off the newcomers. Each time, he revealed just enough of his force to decisively defeat the Karacknid scouts without giving away just how many ships he had. At the same time, his warships slowly came closer and closer to the Karacknid fleet’s position and their vulnerable freighters.

Eventually, the commander of the Karacknid fleet got his act together. Four hundred warships managed to gather together and place themselves between Yamato’s force and the Karacknid freighters. Yamato responded by revealing his full strength of three hundred ships. He then tried to maneuver around the Karacknids to get at the freighters behind them. The Karacknids reacted by charging Yamato in an effort to force him into a fight.

That was Georgia’s cue. “All pilots to full acceleration. Let’s get at them!” she shouted to her fighter force. As if appearing by magic, two thousand Allied fighters sprang into life just behind Yamato’s warships. With ease, they raced past them and straight towards the Karacknids that had been coming for Yamato. In desperation, the Karacknid fleet scrambled its fighters and rushed as many as they could to aid their warships. Only a couple of hundred made it in time, however.

Though they tried to retreat, the Karacknid warships were not able to join up with the rest of their fleet quickly enough. Georgia directed a handful of squadrons to engage the enemy fighters, then she led the charge against the warships. With well-practiced ease, she slipped into her trancelike state as she began her evasive maneuvers. Intentionally, she pushed her fighter out ahead of her attack wing in a deliberate attempt to draw the Karacknids' fire.

For a couple of seconds, a massive wave of laser beams came zipping her way, yet she dodged all but one. Her shield easily deflected it. Then the Karacknid fire lessened as they switched to target the rest of her fighters. Georgia barely registered the fire that continued to come her way as she focused on her twisting and weaving. Moments later, many of her fighters fired their missiles. Then, as soon as she got into range, Georgia fired her Talon’s grazer cannon at a light cruiser. Without waiting to see if she scored a hit or not, she pulled down and away from the enemy squadron along with the rest of her fighters.

Explosions rocked the Karacknid ships as many were destroyed or crippled by energy weapon fire. Then three thousand one hundred and thirty-six missiles raced in towards them. The Karacknids immediately switched their fire onto the missiles to try and save themselves. With a flight time of just nine seconds, it would have taken four times the number of Karacknid ships to stand a chance of shooting them all down. Half made it into attack range, and the Karacknid squadron disappeared as it was engulfed by far too many overlapping antimatter detonations for Georgia to count.

As Georgia turned her fighter back towards the asteroid field she had come from, she saw Yamato already had his warships falling back. A glance at her scanners told her a much larger force was maneuvering to block any attempt to get at the Karacknid fleet's freighters. There were also hundreds of recon drones chasing after her in an attempt to locate the carriers she had likely sortied from. Further along the long line of Karacknid fleets, thousands more recon drones and light ships spread out in every direction as they searched for similar threats.

Well, Georgia thought towards Scott. I’ve got their attention for you. Now it’s over to you.

*

IS Constitution

With the Karacknids' eyes on Georgia’s attack, Scott started her fleet moving forward. Her attack plan was simple; she was going to drive her warships into the second Karacknid fleet traversing the system and obliterate them. The quicker she killed them, the better.

Initially, she moved her fleet forward with just five percent of their maximum thrust. For as long as possible, they remained in stealth as they closed on their target. Georgia’s appearance had all the Karacknids nervous though. It was clear from the direction of her attack that Georgia’s fighters had been in the system before the Karacknids had arrived. That was bound to have the Karacknid leaders asking questions.

With so many active recon drones and scout ships filling space with active sensor emissions, it was only a matter of time before Scott's ships were detected. “Admiral, two frigates are turning quickly towards Shraw’s lead squadrons,” an officer called out.

“They are powering up their active sensors even further,” another added.

“All ships to full acceleration,” Scott ordered. “Launch all fighters. Let’s be at them.”

As her nine thousand warships came out of stealth, their target was clear for all the Karacknids to see. Scott held her breath. The second fleet moving through the system was commanded by a Rear Admiral Gron-tan. It numbered just four thousand warships. The fleet ahead of them was already too far through the system to reverse in time to support them. However, not too far behind them, Admiral Jastaka-san’s eleven thousand ships were in prime position to come to Gron-tan’s aid. However, Rack’na assured Scott that there was no love lost between the two leaders.

We will crush Gron-tan’s ships, Scott thought towards Jastaka-san. Then you will have to face seven to eight thousand Allied ships by yourself. What will you do? As Gron-tan’s fleet began to maneuver in a vain effort to avoid action, Scott snapped out a series of course changes. Then she returned her focus to Jastaka-san’s fleet. Still, it hadn’t increased its acceleration rate. Many of the fleets behind Jastaka-san had, but his ships continued on as if nothing was happening.

“What do you think, Admiral?” Constitution’s Captain asked.

“He is waiting,” Scott decided. “He wants to see how we fare against his rival.” She turned to Rack’na for confirmation.

The Karacknid Commodore nodded. “He won’t alter his heading unless he absolutely has to. It would be shameful to turn from an inferior enemy. But equally, he won’t come to Gron-tan’s aid.

“Then let’s give him a reason to turn tail and run,” Scott said viciously. “I want this to be a quick battle.”

Gron-tan’s ships quickly stopped trying to maneuver away when it became clear they would just end up leaving their freighters behind and be stranded anyway. With no way of escaping a fight, they turned to face their enemy and give battle.

Scott sent in all but a few of her squadrons of fighters with her first missile salvo. She also packed the salvo with nearly half of the Shadow and Bomblet missiles she had with her. She needed the other Karacknid fleets to see how deadly her force was.

As the Allied missile salvo approached the Karacknid fleet, eight hundred Bomblet missiles accelerated out ahead of the rest of the salvo. Detonating in stages, they released a massive wave of small, stealth bomblets. Having faced the missiles before, the Karacknid fleet fired off over a thousand antimatter warheads they had held back from their own salvo. The warheads detonated in a staggered pattern as they tried to engulf the thick wave of bomblets. Millions of the small munitions were taken out. Even so, half came ballistically crashing into the Karacknid fleet.

Just half a percent of the bomblets actually struck their targets. Yet it was enough. A quarter of the Karacknid ships were struck. Small explosions peppered their armor. While the damage was light, the explosions severely disrupted the ships’ targeting sensors and firing patterns.

Into the compromised defensive fire charged the rest of the Allied anti-ship missiles. One hundred and seventy thousand warheads tried to dodge the small laser beams fired by the Karacknid defensive gunners. The vast majority were shot down, but hundreds survived to strike at their targets.

Everywhere a Karacknid ship was hit, it suffered serious damage or was destroyed outright. The Shadow missiles were even deadlier. When one detonated, it caused a miniature black hole to form for a fraction of a second. The inertial dampers of any nearby ships were instantly overloaded. Where a ship was carrying out evasive maneuvers, the sudden G-forces turned their crews into pulp.

To maximize the carnage, five thousand fighters came flying in right on the heels of the missiles. Having already dispatched the weak fighter force sent to intercept them, they charged in with devastating effect. Defensive fire shot down nearly a thousand of them, yet the rest all released their missiles or fired their heavy laser cannons. Hundreds of additional Karacknid ships were crippled or destroyed.

By the time the attack was over, Constitution’s main display showed nine hundred and seventy of the initial four thousand Karacknid ships had been taken out of the battle. Scott suffered losses of her own as a handful of Karacknid missiles breached her defenses, but the number didn’t rise above fifty.

In three follow-up salvos, the Karacknid fleet was reduced by another thousand ships. After that, the battle turned entirely one-sided. Scott kept the Karacknid fleet at arm’s length while she systematically hammered at it until every ship was turned to debris.

“Turn us onto an intercept course for Jastaka-san’s fleet,” Scott ordered as soon as the last Karacknid ship was destroyed. "Get our fighters back ASAP. We may need them again very soon.”

As her ships turned, Scott watched the tracks of the various Karacknid fleets. Now we will see, she thought to herself. She had just taken out four thousand Karacknid warships for the price of just two hundred and fifty of her own. Now she was playing chicken with Jastaka-san to see if he wanted to test himself against her. She had enough Shadow and Bomblet missiles to hit him with one powerful salvo. After that, though, any fight would come down to numbers and the skills of each fleet’s crews. With two thousand more ships, Jastaka-san had the upper hand. But even if he wins, we will savage him, Scott knew.

If it came to it, Scott would try and extract her fleet from a prolonged battle. Yet with the order she had just given, it would be hard. With what she was trying to accomplish though, the risk is worth it.

As they charged the next enemy fleet, the joy at such a one-sided victory on the bridge started to give way to a nervousness that enveloped the more junior officers. Behind Jastaka-san, all the other Karacknid fleets were still continuing forward, albeit a little more cautiously. The implication was clear. Even if by some miracle they blasted their way through Jastaka-san’s fleet, their momentum would take them under the guns of the next fleet and then the next. No one would survive that.

“He will turn,” Rack’na said confidently. “He will not risk his chance at becoming Imperator. Or at the very least, of having a fleet that could stop someone else from ascending to the throne.”

As another minute ticked by without anything happening, Scott’s confidence didn’t feel so strong. Yet suddenly she sat forward in her command chair. The noses of Jastaka-san’s fleet looked like they were turning! In seconds it was confirmed. As if a wave had just broken, Jastaka-san’s actions rippled back through the rest of the Karacknid fleets as they too all began to change their courses. What had been a reasonably uniform line of fleets suddenly broke apart. Alongside its southern and northern shift passages, the Shofar system had three other passages that led to nearby systems. Karacknid fleets began to head for all three of them as they split up in an effort to race for safety.

Scott broke out into a wide grin. She had just shattered the Karacknid battlefleet. Once the various fleets had left the Shofar system, they would all be alone and isolated. She intended to fill The Wilds with scout ships and flotillas of small warships. There would be no way for them to communicate with each other and coordinate their forces even if they decided they needed to work together.

“Signal Wing Commander Georgia’s force to rendezvous with us at once,” Scott said as she continued to watch Jastaka-san’s fleet run. “We need her back as soon as possible. Our enemy is ripe for the picking.” The only question before her now was, which fleet was she going to pursue first?

Chapter 7

The death of James Somerville sent shockwaves through the Imperial fleet and populace. Yet in his replacement, the people quickly found solace. That in itself is a testament to James’ legacy.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 8th September 2513 AD, (three days later).

After passing through one of the Gift’s wormholes and quickly making their way to the Haven system, Jonathan and his fleet spent the next three weeks heading southeast across the galaxy. Their first week of travel had been aided by portable shift gates that had been sent out ahead of them. After that, they continued on their own steam. For most, including Jonathan, once they left the portable shift gates behind, they were already farther south than they had ever been before.

What followed was a busy two weeks for Jonathan. Between managing his fleet’s supplies and coordinating live fire drills and many simulated battles, he barely had a moment of free time to himself. All too aware that almost anything could be waiting for them, Jonathan had driven himself and his fleet as hard as he could to get them ready.

When Sparrowhawk jumped out of shift space far from the outer edge of a system they knew to be inhabited, Jonathan was relieved to see Pytheas and several other stealth frigates waiting for them at the rendezvous coordinates.

“We’re being hailed by Pytheas,” Lieutenant Rossi informed Jonathan almost immediately.

Jonathan nodded. “Put them through.” A moment later, Admiral Alvarez, Superintendent Hallock, and Captain Cortez’s heads appeared in front of him.

“Vice Admiral,” Alvarez said as he gave Jonathan a salute. “You have made good time. May Hallock and I rejoin you on Sparrowhawk and brief you on what my scouts have discovered so far? Time is of the essence.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Jonathan responded. “Come over immediately.” He then bowed to Hallock. “I am eager to see what you and the Superintendent have learned.”

Hallock returned Jonathan’s bow, but he did not smile, telling Jonathan clearly enough that he wasn’t pleased by what the scouts had found. Knowing he would find out soon enough, Jonathan instead smiled at Cortez, his former First Lieutenant. “I trust Pytheas served you well?”

Cortez nodded vigorously. “Most certainly. She is a wonderful ship. I have no doubt she and her crew will prove invaluable as we continue further south.”

“Very good,” Jonathan said as he gave Cortez a nod of respect. “I wish we had more time to speak with you, Captain. But the needs of the fleet are pressing, as you can imagine. Hopefully, another time.”

“Another time,” Cortez agreed. “At your convenience, of course, Vice Admiral.” She then gave Jonathan a warm smile before the COM channel was cut.

“Signal Hampton, Reverus, Shraw, Hallock, Johnston, and Tasata-su and request that they join us forthwith,” Jonathan said to Rossi. Then he stood and gestured for Iso to join him. “Let’s retire to my briefing room.”

Half an hour later, Jonathan’s senior commanders, along with his brother Edward and Becca, were all seated around the briefing room’s oval desk. Becca’s appearance had surprised him, causing General Johnston to chuckle. “I thought my second in command’s input would be useful for this meeting,” he had said as he winked at Jonathan when they had walked into the briefing room. “And if she needs to linger a little while after the meeting is finished, I’m sure I can take my time walking back to my shuttle.”

“It seems I will owe you one, General,” Jonathan said as he slapped Johnston on the back. He then gave his wife a hesitant smile and, ignoring protocol, pulled her into a hug. She smiled back, and then they parted, their eyes promising each other they would say more after the meeting.

When Alvarez entered, Jonathan was glad to see the bags under his eyes had shrunk a little and a bit more strength had returned to his handshake. He needed this to take his mind off Emilie, Jonathan realized. “Admiral, please proceed,” he said as he gestured to his father’s friend once everyone was seated. “If there is no time to lose, you may come straight to the point.”

“Thank you, Vice Admiral,” Alvarez responded. He then tapped a button on the datapad he was holding, and a holo map was projected above them all.

It showed every system between Sparrowhawk’s current position and the Silizzarus homeworld. Jonathan leaned in with interest. He was now intimately familiar with the systems his brother and Captain Cortez had explored with Pytheas, but many of the systems closer to Sparrowhawk had been completely unknown to him. Even as Alvarez began to explain what they were looking at, his eyes quickly read the information displayed by each system.

“So far, nine of the modified scout frigates we sent out have returned to the rendezvous site,” Alvarez began to explain. “Some I have already dispatched to survey more systems, while the rest I kept here until we decide on our next steps. The situation is this: every inhabited system south of us has gone on high alert. If we wondered how many were under the Silizzarus influence, now we know. Every civilization that has a military capability is mustering their forces, and even those that appeared to have been pacifists are being encouraged to arm themselves.

“Let me show you two examples. First, here is the latest intel on the system we are on the edge of.” With another tap on his datapad, Alvarez changed the image to show a zoomed-in picture of an inhabited and industrialized world. A sizable fleet of what were clearly warships was sitting in high orbit.

“This is the Tarx homeworld. Their civilization is contained to their home system, and they are not nearly as advanced as us, but they are gathering a fleet nonetheless. As of six hours ago, it numbered over a thousand warships. They have also deployed several hundred out along the three shift passages that lead into the system, though most are deployed along the northern shift passage that we are in.

“We haven’t landed any operatives onto their homeworld’s surface, but signal intercepts have told us all we need to know. The news reports are full of claims that several of their outlying mining outposts have been attacked and destroyed. Their leaders believe these actions are a precursor to a full invasion of their system by a species intent on destroying their world. Every aspect of their civilization has been mobilized for war. They are currently arming every civilian ship they can while they attempt to construct more military ships.

“We can only conclude that whatever mechanisms of control the Silizzarus have over the Tarx civilization have been put into action to ensure they attack us if we try to pass through their system. It is clear the Silizzarus fear that after discovering their homeworld that we would send a fleet to invade it. They are doing everything they can to stop us.”

Alvarez changed the image again, bringing back the holo map, except this time the boundaries of several civilizations were now marked on the map. “The same is happening in all of these civilizations,” Alvarez continued. “They are all preparing for war and all are feeding propaganda to their people that is roughly the same: an evil invading species will soon attack their worlds and destroy them if they do not prepare to defend themselves.”

Jonathan groaned to himself. This was exactly what he had feared and exactly what he didn’t want. The Tarx were not his enemies. He had no desire to fight them. Yet he had never had any desire to fight the Eaglatons either, and the Silizzarus had manipulated things to force his father and Reverus to fight one another.

“As another example,” Alvarez said, all too aware of the feelings his report was producing amongst the gathered commanders, “let me introduce you to the Jantotos. This is one of the species Edward and his team encountered during their mission,” he added as he nodded to Edward. “They appeared to have been manipulated into becoming a pacifist species. Well, that is coming to a sharp end.

“Intercepted propaganda indicates that they too are being militarized and far more quickly than we might have imagined. By the time we reach their system, they will likely have a force of armed freighters. We will easily brush them aside. Yet the fact that the Silizzarus are willing to abandon what was likely a millennium of work shaping their society into a pacifist one tells us how desperate our enemy is. We should expect the Silizzarus to throw anything and everything they can at us once they figure out our fleet is here and on its way to their homeworld.”

When Alvarez finished speaking, no one responded. Nearly a minute of silence followed as everyone processed what they had heard. “This is indeed grave news,” Vice Admiral Reverus finally said. “No matter what route we take south, it seems we may have to fight several large battles before we even get to our enemy’s homeworld. This will delay us while giving our enemy more time to prepare their defenses.”

“And yet we have little choice,” Rear Admiral Hampton said. “To go around so many systems or to try and sneak through these civilizations’ space would take us weeks if not months. We have no idea what the Silizzarus could accomplish given such extra time.”

“Indeed,” Reverus nodded. “So what do we do? I have no desire to fight those that are not our enemies. My species’ Protectorate was founded on the protection of less advanced species. Now we are faced with the prospect of invading many such peoples.”

“If these civilizations stand between us and our ultimate goal, then they should be swept aside,” General Tasata-su said harshly.

Jonathan had to hide a wince. Though he could tell Tasata-su was trying to soften his tone, he doubted any of the others could hear the difference.

“Even if they are not naturally our enemies, they have allowed themselves to be taken over by the Silizzarus and so have been turned into our enemies. We must accept this fact and treat them as such… And,” he added in an even more conciliatory tone that was still lost on the others, “by destroying the Silizzarus, we will be freeing them, which will be for their long-term good.”

“Surely we can try and reason with these peoples,” Superintendent Hallock pleaded. “They may be under the Silizzarus’ control to one degree or another, but many of them should still be reasonable. Once they see the size and power of our fleet, and if we show them we mean them no harm, we could try and negotiate safe passage through their systems.”

“And how long would you give for these negotiations?” Shraw asked. “A week, a day, even just an hour? You know the technological capabilities of our enemy better than the rest of us, Superintendent. If they completed construction of an extra ship in the space of that hour, how might that change our chances of success?”

Hallock looked like he didn’t want to answer Shraw’s question, but as every head turned toward him, he eventually did. “One of their ships is likely to be worth fifty or even a hundred of ours.” Shraw nodded in a very human-like way as did several other commanders. Hallock opened his mouth to try and argue his point further but closed it again when no words came to him.

Though Jonathan hated himself for what he was about to say, he could see no other choice. “I am afraid General Tasata-su is right.” With a hand, he gestured towards the map outlining the systems they had to travel through. “We have no quarrel with any of these species. But if they choose to pick a fight with us, we cannot waste time avoiding them. We have to go through them.” Jonathan paused, expecting someone to complain or try to argue him out of his conclusion. When he looked around, no one made to do so. Instead, heads nodded to show their agreement and even Becca gave him a slight nod of encouragement as well.

“In that case,” Jonathan continued as he turned back to Alvarez, “we will need as much information on all the species that are preparing to fight us as possible. We’ll need to know the size and capabilities of their fleets as well as any political or military weaknesses they may have that we could exploit. We’ll make as many ships available to you as you think you will need to gather this information for us. Though we will not be able to slow the fleet's advance, you’ll have to gather this intelligence as we go.”

“I understand, Vice Admiral,” Alvarez said as he nodded. “That is why I have already dispatched several of my stealth frigates. As we speak, they are already gathering this information on the nearest civilizations.”

Jonathan turned to Hallock. “I know this is not what you want to hear, Superintendent. But this is the reality of what the Silizzarus have done and what they will do to the entire galaxy if we do not stop them. I have to know; will your ships be willing to use their offensive capabilities against these species if they seek to interdict us?”

Hallock didn’t answer right away. Jonathan could see on his face he was wrestling with the moral dilemma. If the other Kulrean Superintendents were present, Jonathan was all but certain the answer would be no. Hallock was by far the most liberal among them when it came to their species' commitment to pacifism. Even knowing that their pacifism might have been influenced by the Silizzarus, they could not abandon it. Even Hallock still greatly struggled with the idea that his species ancient past, once considered barbaric by all their historians, might actually be who the Kulreans truly were.

“My ships have committed to fight with your fleet to stop the Silizzarus,” Hallock said slowly. “If that means we must fight these species as well, then so be it. I will make it clear to my captains and their crews that I alone bear the moral responsibility for this decision.”

“Thank you, my friend,” Jonathan said in relief. “I know how difficult such an action is for you and your people.”

For several moments no one spoke as they all reflected on what Jonathan’s decision would mean. Then Reverus broke the silence again. “What of the Silizzarus themselves, has there been any indication of what else they may be doing?”

Alvarez shook his head. “None of our stealth frigates have observed any sign of the Silizzarus openly operating on any of the worlds we have spied out. Nor have any of their ships been detected. The two frigates we dispatched to their homeworld haven’t returned yet, but we would not expect them for another week or so anyway. Whatever they themselves are preparing, we know nothing about yet.”

“Whatever they are preparing, that is a problem we will have to face in the days ahead,” Jonathan said, sensing his commanders were about to get waylaid worrying about the unknown. “Right now, we need to keep the fleet moving. The quicker we move through the systems of these civilizations, the less time they will have to prepare a welcome for us. That means we need to face the Tarx right now. I’d like to pass through their system today if we can. So, Admiral, Superintendent. How much can you tell us about them?”

For the next half an hour, Jonathan and his commanders listened to and discussed the intelligence Alvarez and Hallock shared with them. Then they quickly came up with a plan before breaking up their meeting and returning to their fleets to share what was about to happen with their subordinates. Jonathan stole a few precious moments with Becca as he slowly walked her back to her and Johnston’s shuttle. Then he rushed back to Sparrowhawk's bridge, ready to face the first obstacle the Silizzarus had put in their way.

Chapter 8

In war, morality can often be a liability. But who would we be if we simply abandoned ours?

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

The moment Sparrowhawk and Jonathan’s fleet jumped into the system; the battleship began transmitting a message Jonathan had recorded. In a few short sentences, he explained who they were and why a multi-species fleet had entered the Tarx’s system. After assuring them he meant them no harm, the transmission finished by sending Jonathan’s proposed flight path through the system.

Without waiting for the transmission to reach the Tarx’s homeworld, Jonathan nodded to Iso. At once, his Chief of Staff started the fleet accelerating into the system. Their heading already made it clear the fleet wasn’t heading towards the Tarx’s world, but the system’s southern shift passage. Jonathan hoped that once his message reached the locals, they would understand they were in no danger. Understandably, though, he knew they would be nervous. If a fleet of eleven and a half thousand warships and just as many freighters showed up in the Sol system, no one would think they had good intentions.

In less than a minute, the fleet of eleven hundred Tarx warships showed they could detect the gravimetric waves given off by Jonathan’s fleet, for they began to break orbit. At about half the acceleration rate Sparrowhawk could produce, they moved away from their homeworld.

“They’re not heading directly for us, that’s something at least,” Harte, Jonathan’s tactical officer, said. “It looks like they’re just trying to get maneuvering room in case we turn towards their world.”

“We’ve certainly set the cat among the pigeons throughout the rest of the system,” Rossi responded from her COM station.

Jonathan winced at what she was referring to. Though the Tarx had developed their own version of the shift drive, they hadn’t yet colonized any other systems. What they had done, though, was build orbital stations around every planetary body in the system. From all of them, hundreds of ships had begun to race back to their homeworld. Analysis of their drive suggested they were all civilian craft fleeing for safety.

“They have been told we already attacked some of their outlying mining posts,” Iso reminded Jonathan’s staff. “I imagine we’d be running too if we were in their shoes.”

For half an hour, Jonathan and his officers watched as the Tarx fleet cautiously left their homeworld and closed with the Allied fleet. Every stray emission from the Tarx warships was carefully analyzed to assess their potential capabilities. At best, it looked like the Tarx weapons systems were approximately equivalent to where Humanity had been a hundred years ago. Against an equal number of Allied warships, the Tarx stood no chance. But Jonathan knew he couldn’t just ignore them. If they somehow found a way to get to his freighters, they would cause devastation and put an end to his campaign before it had even begun.

“They should have received our message by now,” Rossi informed everyone.

“They haven’t changed course,” Harte pointed out.

“If they keep on their current trajectory, they’ll be here when we pass them,” Iso said as she manipulated the main display, and a set of coordinates began to flash. “If they wanted, they could make a run at our freighters. They might just be able to catch our rearmost squadrons.”

“If a Silizzarus is commanding them, that’s exactly what they would want them to do,” Matthis, Sparrowhawk’s captain, said.

Jonathan nodded. “Alter our heading by a couple of degrees, turn us towards the eastern part of the shift passage. Let’s see what they do.” Jonathan’s course change meant the distance between his fleet and the Tarx would be slightly larger as they passed one another. If they were going to make a move on his freighters, they’d have to alter their heading.

Jonathan started to relax after nearly ten minutes had passed and the Tarx didn’t move. It looked like they were just coming out to make sure he didn’t make a move on their world. Then several alarms suddenly blared, snapping his attention back to the main display. The Tarx fleet was accelerating and altering their heading.

“They’re coming at us!” Harte said, his voice full of surprise.

As the display changed to show the updated flight path of the enemy fleet, there was no doubting their intentions. It looked like the aliens wanted to slam their warships straight into the middle of Jonathan’s fleet. Instantly, Jonathan got nervous. It didn’t make sense. “Double our shell of recon drones and launch an additional twenty squadrons of fighters,” he ordered. “If there are any hidden forces out there, I want to know about it.”

Charging like they were, was suicide for the Tarx. But if they had another fleet in hiding, then their attack made sense. Or if there are Silizzarus ships preparing to hit us, Jonathan thought. It was something that he had discussed with his subordinates several times. The Silizzarus would know the weak fleets of the species they had infiltrated and taken over couldn’t stop Jonathan’s fleet. That being the case, their best use would be to distract Jonathan’s fleet while a powerful force of Silizzarus delivered a killing blow. One solution Jonathan’s team had come up with was to position Kulrean worldships around the outer edges of the fleet. They had by far the best sensors and stood the best chance of catching any Silizzarus ships that tried to catch up with them. Still, Jonathan was nervous.

“All drones on station and the fighter squadrons are spreading out now, Admiral,” Iso reported fifteen minutes later. “No sign of anything untoward yet.”

“Admiral, look!” Harte said as the Tarx fleet began to break up. Eight hundred ships were still charging Jonathan’s fleet, but three hundred had split from them. They were altering course quickly. Within a minute, their target became clear. They were trying to loop around behind Jonathan’s main fleet and strike at the squadrons escorting the fleet’s fuel freighters.

Jonathan ground his teeth together. It was a fool’s errand. Yet he was sure they were not going to give up. Their masters won’t let them. They won’t care how many die… Very well, Jonathan said to himself. “Signal General Tasata-su. Inform him I want one of his two fleets to fall back and destroy the smaller Tarx fleet. Tell him I want minimal losses. Have Wing Commander Hawthorne launch an attack wing and coordinate with Tasata-su as well.”

“At once, sir,” Iso responded.

“Then prepare the rest of the fleet. If the main force of Tarx comes at us, one half salvo should do it. I don’t want to waste any more missiles than necessary,” Jonathan added. Looking at the two enemy fleets, he was already beginning to suspect the main attack was just a diversion. Yet if there really was a Silizzarus agent leading the Tarx fleet, they might very well throw away all the Tarx warships and crews just to get Jonathan to waste a portion of his missiles.

Ten minutes after Tasata-su dispatched a force of fifteen hundred Karacknid ships towards the rear of the fleet, Jonathan felt a measure of relief as the main Tarx force turned away refusing battle. He would not have to kill them all today. The smaller force was another matter, however. Whether they thought they could break past Tasata-su’s ships and try and get the freighters or not, they were going to try.

The battle was short indeed. Tasata-su fired just one missile salvo. With penetrator aids and stealth capabilities far beyond anything the Tarx had seen before, two-thirds of the salvo’s missiles breached the Tarx’s defensive fire. Never before had a Tarx ship seen an antimatter missile detonate. Barely a handful of the three hundred survived the experience. Before they realized what was happening, Wing Commander Hawthorne’s fighters were amongst them. They quickly picked off the stragglers.

The Tarx’s return fire was easily handled. Only by sheer chance did a missile manage to close with a Karacknid screening ship. It failed to get a hit but did detonate close enough to pepper the frigate with some of the nuclear energy given off by the fusion warhead. The frigate was too badly damaged to continue on towards the Silizzarus homeworld, but it would easily be able to return back to Earth.

Just moments after the battle ended, Shraw hailed Jonathan on a private COM channel. “Those Karacknids are proving themselves useful already,” he said as he gave an approving nod. “As much as I don’t like admitting it.”

“I’m certainly glad they are with us rather than against us,” Jonathan agreed. He then paused, sensing Shraw had more to say than just complimenting their former enemies.

“These Tarx, they are wise to pull their fleet back,” Shraw said more slowly. “I wonder though, what are they thinking? Have you seen the data we have on their gas mining and refining capabilities? And all the fuel freighters they have? If they wanted, they could follow us. On their own, those eight hundred warships would hardly cause us a problem. But if they show up in our rear when we are engaging someone else…”

Shraw didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to. Jonathan could picture it easily enough. Jonathan wanted to groan or better yet, berate Shraw for pointing it out to him. Yet Shraw was right, and it was something he couldn’t permit. “All right, I’ll draw up a plan and get back to you,” Jonathan said. He then forced a smile. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

Shraw actually chuckled. “That is my duty, Vice Admiral. Your father wouldn’t have liked my implications either. But that is why our species work well together.”

Jonathan nodded to Shraw and then cut the COM channel. Swiveling in his command chair, he caught Iso and Harte’s eyes. “We can’t leave the Tarx in our rear to come after us. We need to cripple their ability to leave the system with their fleet. But I don’t want to waste the time it would take to bring the fleet into the inner system and take their orbitals.”

“You want fighters?” Harte asked. Jonathan nodded.

“We’ll draw up plans right away… How much of it do we hit?” Iso asked.

Jonathan hesitated. “All of it,” he answered. He had to take the risk off the board completely. He couldn’t think about the collateral damage.

Less than ten minutes later, four groups of fighters launched from their carriers, heading into the system at full acceleration. With the Tarx fleet now far from their homeworld, there was nothing the far slower warships could do to interdict the nimble fighters.

Half an hour before the first attacks hit home, Jonathan opened an unencrypted COM channel and transmitted systemwide. “People of the Tarx civilization. I am Jonathan Somerville, heir to the position of Emperor of my people. Within this fleet, there are also representatives of thirteen other Allied sentient species. Together, we go to put an end to the Silizzarus control over the species in this part of the galaxy. Whether you realize it or not, they have infiltrated your civilization and co-opted you for their purposes. We do not consider you our enemies, but they have turned you against us.

“For this, I forgive you. You have my word that my allies and I will not hold today’s actions against your species in the future. However, your warships and your industry cannot be used to hinder my fleet’s progress. As we speak, elements of my fleet are about to strike your gas mining facilities and fuel supplies and transports. For this, I am sorry, but I cannot allow your fleet to follow mine. I hope that in time you will come to forgive us as we have forgiven you.”

The message reached the Tarx homeworld just as the first group of Allied fighters assaulted the gas mining facilities built around the system’s largest gas giant. In squadrons, the fighters swooped in and destroyed almost every orbital station the Tarx had built. Gas mining and storage facilities were ripped apart. Only one gas mining station was left intact to provide the Tarx with enough fuel to keep whatever reactors they had on their homeworld going.

Minutes later, the second group of fighters repeated the actions of their comrades as they systematically destroyed the second gas mining operation that had been constructed around the system’s smaller gas giant. Ten minutes after that, the final two fighter groups attacked the orbitals of the Tarx’s homeworld. One group destroyed anything that looked like an orbital fuel storage facility, while the other took out every fuel transport they could find. When they were all done, just seven fighters had been lost to the planet’s orbital defenses.

Watching made Jonathan feel dirty. Too many Human colonies had been mercilessly attacked and ravaged by overwhelming forces of Flex-aor or Karacknid forces for him not to see the similarities. But what choice do I have? he asked himself. He knew he was acting in the Tarx’s civilization’s best interest as well as his own. One day you will be free, and then maybe you will understand, he thought towards the people whose home system he had just wrecked and whose sense of security he had just destroyed. One day, he hoped.

As his fleet neared the system’s southern shift passage and scouting squadrons began to jump out, Jonathan turned his attention back to his own fleet. His commanders had all carried out their orders perfectly, and as much as he hated to admit it, it had been good to give the Karacknid warships a chance to coordinate with an Allied fighter wing. As he surveyed his fleet, Jonathan’s eyes came to rest on the massive squadrons of freighters that were tucked in behind his warships. They are going to be our weakness, he thought to himself as he felt his nerves from earlier in the day return. The Tarx had gone for them because their Silizzarus overlords understood the importance they played. Without the fuel and missiles they carried, his fleet would be impotent.

If they can destroy ours like we did the Tarx’s, we will never make it to their homeworld, Jonathan knew. Every fleet we encounter is going to be gunning for them. As Sparrowhawk neared the system’s mass shadow and prepared to jump out, Jonathan started to think of additional ways he could protect his precious freighters. He needed to be ready for anything.

Chapter 9

The problem with facing an unknown enemy is that you cannot anticipate every tactic or technology they may use against you.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 12th September 2513 AD, (four days later)

For three days, Jonathan and his fleet continued south through two uninhabited systems. As Sparrowhawk approached the mass shadow of the second system, Jonathan sat in his command chair, going over the latest intelligence reports Alvarez’s scouts had brought back. His fleet was now approaching the space of two large civilizations. Thankfully, neither had weapons systems as advanced as his fleet, but what they lacked in advanced weaponry they more than made up for with numbers. In two more days, they would reach the first civilization’s space, and already a fleet of over two thousand warships had been gathered in the first system they would enter. Worse, the aliens knew they were coming, for his screening squadrons had chased off several enemy scouts.

Jonathan had no doubt his fleet could blast their way past the first alien fleet, but Alvarez’s reports said there were at least ten thousand more ships behind them. Jonathan had no desire to have to fight and destroy so many alien ships. Yet if he hesitated or delayed, there was every indication the two civilizations would be able to gather even more warships as they appeared to be desperately working to concentrate their forces. As he studied the reports and the star map of the two civilizations' systems, Jonathan was desperately looking for a way to avoid a full-scale battle.

After nearly an hour, he shook his head in frustration. Nothing was coming to him. If they try to block our progress, they will have to be destroyed, Jonathan concluded reluctantly. A full-scale battle would likely delay his ships by a day or even two, maybe more if they had to pause to carry out serious repairs. Yet skirting around the two civilizations' space would take at least a week. And even then, they might still try to interdict us… no, they would most certainly try, the Silizzarus would make sure of it.

A contact alarm suddenly began to blare. Jonathan’s head shot up to the main display. Two dots were flashing bright blue to indicate Sparrowhawk's gravitational sensors had detected ships exiting shift space. Jonathan stared at the display in confusion for a couple of seconds. The ships had jumped out of shift space far deeper into the system than ships normally could. Then he swore. They had to be Silizzarus warships! And they had jumped right into the middle of one of the screening squadrons that was leading the fleet to the system’s shift passage.

Moments later, more alarms went off as energy from weapons fire started to be detected. In seconds, a handful of contacts marking out as Allied warships disappeared from the display. New contacts appeared as ships from the screening squadron began to fire missiles. Then more energy bursts were detected as they fired their heavy laser and plasma cannons. The two bright energy signatures that marked the two Silizzarus warships easily dodged the energy beams fired at them. They also shot down every missile that closed with them.

“Move every warship and fighter we have in the area to support that squadron!” Jonathan ordered. Even as he shouted, Silizzarus missiles and energy beams struck out at more Allied warships. In the space of just four minutes, nine ships were destroyed. Then the gravitational sensors picked up two more flashes, and the Silizzarus ships were gone.

Jonathan stared at the display open-mouthed. He had known the Silizzarus warships were strong, but they had just savaged his squadron. And they can do it again, and again, he realized as his mind began to grasp just what an advantage the Silizzarus advanced shift drive was. They could jump into a system’s gravity well far deeper than even Hallock had suspected.

Suddenly feeling a sense of concern, Jonathan looked beyond the squadron that had been attacked. In front of it, there were two smaller flotillas that had been scouting the final approaches to the system's shift passage. Now, the nearest one to the squadron that had been attacked was reversing course and charging back to help their stricken comrades. That was understandable, but now it left the lead flotilla isolated!

“Signal Commodore Jennings immediately,” Jonathan nearly shouted. “She is to turn her flotilla around and rendezvous with Commodore Jac’sar. Jac’sar is to fall back as well! And direct our nearest squadrons to join Jac’sar.”

“At once, Admiral,” Iso replied.

A fresh alarm and two blue flashes on the holo display told Jonathan he was already too late. Immediately, two new Silizzarus warships tore into Jac’sar’s flotilla of twelve Karacknid ships. The Karacknids fired everything they had at the Silizzarus, but it was to no avail. One by one, the Silizzarus struck the Karacknids with their exotic energy cannons, blasting them apart. It took them just five minutes to wipe out the flotilla. Then, before Commodore Jennings and the fighter squadrons Jonathan had dispatched had joined her reached the scene of the battle, the Silizzarus ships disappeared as they jumped out of the system.

“Pull all our screening forces back beyond the point where the first attack happened and bring the fleet to a halt,” Jonathan ordered as he fought to keep his voice expressionless. “Combine our screening squadrons as well. Every squadron is to be at least a hundred ships strong. Then begin analyzing every millisecond of those two battles. I want to know what just happened and how they destroyed so many of our ships so quickly.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Iso said, sounding as shaken as Jonathan felt.

*

An hour later, Jonathan had called a holo conference with his senior commanders for Iso to brief them. After playing a quick replay of the two battles, she began to outline what they had learned.

“Their missiles we can shoot down, but it’s bloody hard,” Iso said as she zoomed in and ran a short sequence where two Varanni destroyers fired everything they had at three missiles that were closing with them. Two were shot down, but the third struck one of the destroyers. The resulting explosion shattered the warship into a thousand pieces.

“Their energy weapons are another matter,” Iso continued. “Hallock’s best scientists are still not sure how they work, but our shields are almost ineffective against them, and even a grazing hit causes catastrophic damage.”

“I’m sorry my people cannot do more,” Hallock interjected. “If we could figure this out, maybe we could adapt our shields, but we have failed you all so far.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Shraw growled. “We are all doing our best.”

“Though it initially looked like our ships scored no hits,” Iso said, getting back to her briefing, “we did manage to hit two of the four enemy ships. Our missiles were all shot down and they easily dodged all the plasma bolts and mass driver rounds fired at them, but our laser beams were another matter. Their ships are very maneuverable and small, but they cannot dodge weapons fired at the speed of light.

“The problem is, they have impressive shields.” A new image showed a laser beam piercing towards one of the Silizzarus ships, only to be stopped several hundred meters from the warship. A faint red haze appeared as the laser’s energies were reflected along the edge of the shield. The shield then visibly retracted, yet only by a little.

“We don’t know how much of their shield’s energy was depleted by deflecting that shot, but this ship took four laser beams and its shields weren’t taken out. Our best guess, judging by how much each hit caused the shield to retract, is that it would take at least ten beams to knock them out. But even then, we do not know how quickly they can recharge their shields, nor how good their armor will be at shrugging off energy beam hits.”

Reverus shook his head. “This is not good. Just four ships have caused all this damage, and we didn’t cause them a scratch. They could harass us like this all the way to their homeworld. And we have these other civilizations' fleets to worry about as well.”

Shraw hissed. “And what if they have more ships? We could have a squadron of them jumping in on our heads when we least expect it.”

Jonathan couldn’t keep his eyebrows from rising at Shraw’s words. Normally the Gramrian was the optimist among his father’s senior commanders. But the prospect of having overwhelmingly powerful enemies jump out of nowhere right on top of you would throw off even the most experienced officer, Jonathan told himself. He certainly felt a knot of fear tightening within his belly. But we must go on. There is no other choice now.

“It is what it is,” Jonathan said to his officers, cutting off any chance for more negative comments. “It is because they are so powerful that we are here. Either we stop them now, or we will forever lose the opportunity. And we must keep moving forward. We can’t let the civilizations in front of us have any more time to gather additional forces. So, we need solutions. How are we going to prevent another attack?”

For twenty minutes, the gathered commanders went back and forth over several tactics. Iso even ran a few simulations based on their ideas and the data her team had collated. In the end, it was agreed that they would significantly strengthen their screening squadrons. All would be at least a hundred ships strong, would include one Kulrean worldship at its nucleus, and be accompanied at all times by four squadrons of either Varanni or Eaglaton fighters. Both species’ fighters were armed with directed energy weapons as their main antiship weapons. It was hoped the nimble fighters would be able to get up close to the Silizzarus ships and have a good chance at battering down their shields.

Within the main fleet, the freighter squadrons would be moved up and surrounded by the rest of the Allied warships. The idea of a Silizzarus ship jumping in amidst his freighters sent a shiver down Jonathan’s spine. If they could do it, Jonathan was sure they would try. He intended to surround his freighters with so many warships that it would be suicide to jump in on top of them. Even so, he was still concerned. He knew all too well from the last several months battling Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet that when an enemy fleet was charging down on your homeworld, you would do anything to stop them.

With their new tactics agreed upon, Jonathan dismissed his commanders to make the necessary preparations. When everyone was ready, Jonathan nodded to Iso and the fleet started moving again. As the leading scouting squadron passed the point where the first two Silizzarus warships had appeared, Jonathan tensed. Yet nothing happened. Three more powerful screening squadrons passed the same point, and still nothing happened. Next, the leading squadrons began to cross the system’s mass shadow and jump out to scout the next system. Still, there was no sign of another attack.

When Sparrowhawk and the main fleet came to the point where the Silizzarus had jumped into the system, Jonathan took a deep breath. Here we go, he said as he prepared for what now seemed likely to be an attack on his freighters. Again though, nothing happened. Jonathan looked around at his officers. Iso and Harte shared his surprise.

“Maybe they don’t want to waste their ships so far from their homeworld,” Matthis suggested.

“Maybe,” Jonathan said, though he wasn’t so sure. If he had such an advantage, he would use it now. Why take the risk of waiting until an enemy reached your home system?

For the rest of the twenty-minute flight time to the system’s mass shadow, Jonathan and the rest of Sparrowhawk’s officers were on tenterhooks as they remained ready for an attack to come at any moment. Yet nothing happened. Without incident, Sparrowhawk and all her consorts crossed the system’s mass shadow and then together jumped into shift space.

*

The day-long journey through shift space to the next system felt like it took an eternity. Jonathan went over the two brief battles again and again, looking for some additional tactic or trick they could use against the Silizzarus if they attacked again. At the same time, he couldn’t stop his nerves from growing as they approached the next system. It was the last uninhabited system before they had to start crossing the space of the next civilization the Silizzarus had taken over. If Jonathan commanded the Silizzarus warships, he knew he would launch an attack.

As a small tremor ran through Sparrowhawk, signaling the battleship had exited shift space, Jonathan’s body tensed. In just a couple of seconds, the holo display updated to show the space around the warship. Thousands of ships appeared around Sparrowhawk as she detected the rest of Jonathan’s main fleet. Then more formations appeared as the scouting squadrons that had preceded Sparrowhawk into the system were detected. At the same time, reports from the various squadrons were received and their data added to the display.

Jonathan’s eyes darted back and forth, looking for the Silizzarus warships or signs that a battle had already taken place. He couldn’t find any sight nor sound of them, however. “Status update?” he requested.

“All screening squadrons are reporting no enemy contact, Admiral,” Iso confirmed. “Several ships have been detected on the far side of the system. They appear to be Hafalan, though. Some jumped out when our first scouting squadron began to move into the system.”

Jonathan nodded. The Hafalans were one of the two species whose territory they were approaching. They are still a threat too, he had to remind himself. There was every chance they would try and launch some kind of attack in this system too. I’m sure they’d much rather fight here than in their own systems. “Deploy the screening flotillas around the main fleet and then take us in,” Jonathan ordered.

It took ten minutes for over a hundred small flotillas to arrange themselves around the main fleet. None were so far that they could be attacked without help being quickly at hand from the main body of Jonathan’s ships. Yet they were far enough out to give Sparrowhawk ample warning if a large force tried to sneak in and launch a sudden attack. Once everything was in position, Iso started the main fleet moving into the system towards the shift passage the Hafalan scouts had fled down. Behind the main fleet, two final screening squadrons formed up to watch the rear of Jonathan’s force.

Twenty minutes passed without anything happening. Just as Jonathan started to think the Silizzarus ships were waiting to fight alongside whatever force the Hafalans were gathering in the next system, fresh alarms went off. Two blue dots began to flash right next to one of the rearguard squadrons. Immediately, energy bursts were detected as the Silizzarus ships opened fire and were fired upon in return.

The squadron commander reacted exactly how Jonathan had instructed. Every Allied ship fired its missiles at one of the two Silizzarus ships while they brought their energy weapons to bear on the second. Forty-eight fighters also charged the second Silizzarus ship as the squadron tried to overwhelm its shield and take it out.

With the fight happening much closer to Sparrowhawk, Jonathan was able to see much more of the battle in real time. His hands quickly gripped the armrests of his command chair, and his knuckles turned white. It felt like every handful of seconds one of the Allied ships took a hit from a missile or energy weapon. Fighters were also shot down unbelievably quickly as the Silizzarus point defenses proved as effective against them as they were against the missiles.

Even so, the Allied numbers began to pay dividends. First, a laser beam from a cruiser struck the shield of the Silizzarus warship, then two Talon fighters both fired their grazer beams, scoring glancing blows. Jonathan leaned forward in his command chair. “Come on,” he found himself saying as he urged the squadron’s gunners on. More laser beams and energy bolts zipped past the warship, but somehow it dodged them all.

“It’s stopped firing its weapons,” Harte noticed. “It’s just trying to survive!”

Harte’s words gave Jonathan hope. Then another two beams hit the same ship in quick succession.

“I think its shield has lost at least half its strength,” Harte reported. “It’s certainly shrinking.”

As if they had come to the same conclusion, the two Silizzarus ships suddenly veered away from the squadron they were attacking. They both rippled off another salvo of missiles and then rapidly increased their acceleration rates. Immediately, the remaining fighters dove after them as the squadron’s warships continued to pour fire in their direction. Jonathan saw the problem immediately, but once again, the Silizzarus struck before he could even begin to shout a warning.

Two new blue flashes materialized on the display as two fresh Silizzarus warships jumped into the system. Appearing at exactly the opposite side of the squadron from the other two enemy ships, the fresh Silizzarus warships tore into the exposed flank of the squadron’s ships.

To his credit, the Rear Admiral commanding the squadron reacted at once. His ships ceased firing on the Silizzarus ships that were running and began to engage the new threat. At the same time, the Kulrean worldship rushed to place itself between the new enemy ships and the rest of the squadron. Already the engagement had shown that the few missiles the Silizzarus ships could fire couldn’t beat Kulrean point defensive fire. The worldship easily took out the first missiles fired by the Silizzarus and then used its impressive maneuvering capabilities to dodge their energy blasts. The worldship wasn’t the only ship targeted by the Silizzarus, however, and soon other ships began to die.

Mimicking the tactic they had already used, the Allied ships sought to concentrate their energy weapon fire on one of the newcomers while they distracted the other with their missiles. From the second rearguard squadron, half of their fighters raced to join the fight while several hundred from Jonathan’s main fleet did the same. Yet it would take both groups of fighters five minutes to come to their comrades' aid.

The Silizzarus used the time well. As they danced around the Allied energy weapons fire, taking the occasional hit, they engaged and destroyed as many ships as they could. The Kulrean worldship did its best to protect its smaller companions, but the two Silizzarus ships split up and circled around it, destroying any ship that they could isolate. Only when the first squadrons of fighters raced in did the Silizzarus ships turn and flee. Then, as easily as they had appeared, all four enemy warships disappeared as they jumped back into shift space.

Jonathan bit back several swear words. Thirty-one ships had been destroyed and they had nothing of substance to show for it. “We need to hit them with more weapons fire!” he complained. “We need to destroy those ships or they will be harassing us all the way to their homeworld!”

Full of frustration, he shook his head. Within minutes, his two rearguard squadrons would pass the point where they thought the Silizzarus could no longer jump into the system. But they still had the rest of the system to pass through, and the Hafalan might very well have a surprise waiting for them. And even if they don’t, when we reach the other side of the system, the Silizzarus can jump in against us. Jonathan was almost tempted to pull all his scouting squadrons back and keep his fleet together. Yet that would invite the Hafalans to ambush him. Jonathan wanted to curse again. He had to keep his screening squadrons out in front of his main fleet, but as long as he did, they would be vulnerable.

“Admiral, I think I have an idea,” Harte said, sounding far more confident than Jonathan did.

“What is it?” Jonathan asked immediately, hoping Harte had seen something he hadn’t.

Chapter 10

The problem with any novel tactic is that it may only work once; for once your enemy has seen it, they will undoubtedly come up with their own counters. With this being the case, any novel tactic must be used ruthlessly and to full effect on its first try. Yet this brings its own risks, for how can a commander ever know whether his new tactic will truly work?

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 14th September 2513 AD.

As the Allied fleet cautiously moved into the system, Jonathan worked with Iso and Harte to covertly put Harte’s plan into action. Once they were sufficiently past the system’s mass shadow that Jonathan was certain no Silizzarus ship could jump on top of them, he also began to spread out his fleet. Five hundred light ships and as many fighters spread out in smaller squadrons and flotillas as they scouted out the route the fleet would take through the system. If there were any Hafalan forces waiting to pounce on them, he wanted plenty of notice.

For six hours, the fleet peacefully passed through the system. No Hafalan ships beyond the ones that were waiting at the system's southern shift passage were detected. They too jumped out an hour before Jonathan’s lead screening squadrons reached their position. Minutes later, a stealth frigate jumped into the system and transmitted a report to Sparrowhawk.

“They’re not trying to be coy about their intentions,” Iso commented as they read the report.

“No,” Jonathan agreed. The stealth frigate had detected three thousand Hafalan warships waiting for them at the far end of the shift passage they were heading towards. It wasn’t hard to guess their intention. “That fleet will seek to engage us, and then the Silizzarus ships will jump in on top of us at some point.”

“Should we try going around them?” Mathis asked.

Jonathan checked the star map of the next system. If he wanted, he could jump his fleet out of shift space early, then fly around the outside of the system. Yet it would add another two days to their journey, and if the Hafalan detected them, they could race their ships through the inner system and intercept Jonathan’s fleet. Which is exactly what they would do, Jonathan was sure. Even if he thought he could sneak his fleet past the Hafalan, the Silizzarus would detect them for sure.

“If they won’t move aside, we will have to fight them,” Jonathan decided. “We have no choice.” He glanced at Harte. “It looks like we may actually get a chance to try out your idea.”

“Then I hope it works,” the tactical officer said, suddenly sounding a little nervous.

“Me too,” Jonathan agreed. “Me too,” he repeated as he turned to stare at the main display that currently showed the path ahead of his fleet.

For another half an hour, Jonathan kept his force spread out as they approached the southern end of the system’s mass shadow. Then he gathered in his scouting forces once again and formed them up into powerful squadrons, ready to fend off a Silizzarus attack.

As his ships continued on, Jonathan felt weird hoping they would come under attack. If the Silizzarus did jump in, it would almost certainly mean he would lose more ships. Yet they needed a chance to try and hurt the enemy. Better now than when we are fighting three thousand other ships as well!

Almost predictably, the Silizzarus did show up. This time, just one ship jumped in just outside of energy weapon range of one of the scouting squadrons. It rippled off a salvo of missiles and then began to maneuver around the squadron, clearly trying to draw its attention. The squadron commander responded as Jonathan had instructed him. Two-thirds of his fighters and many of his light ships raced out towards the Silizzarus ship.

Right on cue, three more enemy warships jumped in on the far side of the screening squadron. They charged right into energy weapon range, seeking to overwhelm and destroy the rest of the squadron. The remaining fighters charged them. The Kulrean worldship also shot out from its position at the center of the squadron and began firing off its defensive energy weapons. Then, from its four hangars, fighters began to be launched. Within sixty seconds, six squadrons of Eaglaton Talons leapt out into space and began to swarm the Silizzarus.

Even as Allied ships died to Silizzarus energy weapons, the Kulrean worldship and fighters focused all their fire upon one of the enemy ships. Armed with both phase cannons and many heavy laser cannons, the Kulrean worldships unleased a massive barrage of fire on one of the Silizzarus ships. Several times in quick succession, its shields flared as it was struck by weapons fire. Realizing the danger, the three Silizzarus ships focused their fire on the worldship. Almost immediately, the Kulrean ship’s shields began to take a pounding. It had become a race to see who could land the most blows the quickest.

The worldship’s shields failed first. One and then a second energy beam struck the giant ship’s hull. Jonathan winced as armor was vaporized and destructive energies blasted their way into the ship’s innards. Yet a second later, the Silizzarus ship’s shield was taken out as well. Multiple grazer and laser beams slammed into the small enemy ship. Amazingly, it wasn’t blown apart. Even so, cheers erupted around Sparrowhawk’s bridge as armor and hull fragments were blasted out into space.

All four Silizzarus ships reacted immediately. Spinning almost instantly, they turned away from their attackers and raced to safety. As soon as their shift drives were recharged, they jumped into shift space and disappeared. As they jumped, more cheers filled Sparrowhawk’s bridge.

Jonathan turned and beamed at Harte. “I’d say that was a success, Lieutenant. Well done.”

“They’ll have to think twice before jumping in on us again!” Harte said, returning Jonathan’s smile.

Jonathan nodded his agreement, then grew more serious. “Now, let’s launch SAR teams and retrieve our damaged ships. We need to get ready to make another jump to shift space. We may have just dealt with one problem, but there are three thousand more problems waiting for us.”

Jonathan paused his fleet’s advance for just half an hour as they sifted through the wreckage of the six warships that had been destroyed looking for survivors. He then dispatched three badly damaged ships back to Earth before giving Iso the order to take the fleet into shift space. When they had recovered everyone they could, Iso was ready to give Jonathan a breakdown of what they had learned from the battle.

“Their shields are certainly impressive,” she said as she showed the last few moments of the Silizzarus’ shield deflecting several energy beams. “They’re almost as powerful as a worldship’s, and yet the Silizzarus ships are less than a thousandth the size. Their reactors and shield emitters must be amazingly efficient to do what they do. However, they can be beaten. Ten of our dreadnoughts could not take down a Kulrean worldship’s shields.

“To beat them, all we have to do is bring enough firepower to bear. The problem, of course, is their maneuverability. It’s much easier to hit a giant worldship than one of their small ships.” Jonathan nodded. A Silizzarus warship was even smaller than an Imperial frigate, and far more maneuverable. “Our fighters do very well against them, though,” Iso finished.

Almost immediately, an idea came to Jonathan. “In that case, I think we can alter Harte’s tactic a little to give us an opening when we face the Hafalan.”

As Sparrowhawk crossed the system’s mass shadow and jumped into shift space, Jonathan outlined what he was thinking. So far, the Silizzarus had proven to be pretty predictable. It was possible they might be far more cautious now that one of their ships had been damaged, but on the other hand, they had clearly gathered the Hafalan forces for a reason. And maybe we can give them just the kind of target they are looking for!

*

Fourteen hours later, Sparrowhawk jumped out of shift space twenty light minutes from the mass shadow of the first Hafalan system. Stealth frigates had surveyed the system days ago, and so Jonathan knew there were only a few ground-based mining operations on the system’s third planet. However, the next system was home to a Hafalan colony that appeared to have at least a billion residents. Understandably, the Hafalan didn’t want Jonathan’s fleet anywhere near their colony.

Being as cautious as he could without wasting too much time, Jonathan kept his fleet well back from the system’s mass shadow as he sent two powerful scouting squadrons forward. They confirmed there were no more Hafalan warships hiding near the shift passage and then released a wide spread of active recon drones deeper into the system that swarmed towards the Hafalan fleet ready to analyze it closely.

Next, Jonathan started his fleet moving forward to make his intentions clear. Then he opened a COM channel and began to transmit into the system. “Hafalan fleet, I am Vice Admiral Jonathan Somerville, and I lead this Allied fleet. I know this will be hard to believe, but we mean you no harm. My civilization and our allies are at war with a very secretive species called the Silizzarus. They are masters at infiltrating and coercing other civilizations. We strongly believe they have done this to your civilization and are currently using you against us.

"Already your scouts in the previous system must have detected us fighting with another force. Just four of their ships destroyed and damaged many of ours. That is how powerful they are. If they cannot be stopped, they will come to control our entire galaxy.

“Our goal is to invade this species’ homeworld and put an end to their control over this part of the galaxy. To do that, we must pass through several of your systems. I therefore request that you allow us to peaceably pass. We will give you our proposed flight path. From it, you will see that we do not intend to go near any of your orbital facilities or colonies. You may also use your fleet to escort us through your systems to ensure we do not launch any unprovoked attacks.

“I hope these terms are acceptable to you, but I fear the Silizzarus already control the upper echelons of your political and military systems. If that is the case, they will force you to fight against us, even when you cannot win. I want to make myself clear: my fleet must pass through your systems quickly. If your fleets block us, then I will have to destroy them, even though I do not wish to do this. The choice is therefore yours. I hope you will let us pass.”

Five minutes after Jonathan’s message had reached the Hafalan fleet, they hadn’t moved from their blocking position. Jonathan shared a glance with Iso. They had no choice; they had to engage the ships preventing them from entering the system. But we can’t leave ourselves open to a Silizzarus attack. The Hafalan were forcing them to fight right on the system’s mass shadow, which meant the four Silizzarus ships could jump in right on top of whatever ships fought the Hafalan. Or alternatively, while the fleet was distracted, they could jump in and strike at Jonathan’s freighters. We have to protect both, Jonathan knew. “We will go with Plan Beta Three,” he decided. “Send the orders out now.”

Plan Beta Three dispatched Admiral Shraw forward with a powerful fleet made up of his six hundred Conclave ships, eight hundred Imperial ships, and fifteen hundred of General Tasata-su’s Karacknid ships. Half of Superintendent Hallock’s worldships moved out with them, bolstering their defensive capabilities. Shraw was by far Jonathan’s most aggressive commander. As much as Jonathan wanted to command the battle himself, he kept himself and Reverus back with the main fleet and freighters. If the Silizzarus attacked the freighters, he needed to be ready to respond instantly.

Having given the Hafalan fleet a chance to back away, Shraw charged in towards them. Numerically, the forces were almost equal. Shraw had just four hundred more warships. Yet his fleet out massed the Hafalan by a factor of two, and the technological disparity made it far worse. Shraw’s fleet was able to fire off two missile salvos before the Hafalan could even reply, and only then because they matched Shraw’s maneuver and charged into battle as well. What they didn’t realize was that was exactly what Shraw and Jonathan had planned for.

Four Allied missile salvos crashed into the Hafalan fleet. Each caused devastation as antimatter missiles ripped apart any ships they touched. Over a thousand warships were destroyed. In return, only a handful of Allied ships were taken out by the two salvos that the Hafalan had fired. Then the Imperial Strike-class dreadnoughts and Kulrean worldships came into range with their Kalassai designed phase cannons. The Kulreans had not equipped their worldships with antiship missiles, but they more than made up for it with the many phase cannons they carried.

Just before the fifth Allied salvo reached the Hafalan’s defenses, four hundred and sixty phase cannon beams struck the unprepared aliens. All of their largest ships were targeted. Only twenty-seven beams missed. Every beam that scored a hit destroyed or crippled its target.

The attack threw the Hafalan’s defensive fire into disarray. Thousands of missiles reached their targets and detonated among the fleet. Then, to add to the carnage, four thousand Imperial fighters charged in. The limited defensive fire they encountered was uncoordinated and all but ineffective. With ease, they singled out the remaining Hafalan warships and slammed missile after missile into them. As the fighters pulled up and away, they left fewer than a hundred intact enemy ships.

Wisely, the remaining Hafalan ships immediately turned away and began to flee. Though Jonathan knew Shraw would have preferred to destroy them, almost certain they would have to fight them again, he let them go. Jonathan had made it clear to the Gramrian Admiral that he wanted some Hafalan ships to survive.

As Shraw’s fleet dealt with the last missile salvo the Hafalan had fired, Jonathan tensed. If the Silizzarus were going to attack, now was their last chance. His eyes left Shraw’s fleet and focused on the left flank of his own. With half the Kulrean worldships committed to the battle, there weren’t enough to cover all of his main fleet. A rear squadron of freighters on his left flank was particularly exposed. Just as he had intended. If the Silizzarus were as predictable as they seemed to be so far, that was where they would strike.

Almost to the second Jonathan expected it, four blue flashes appeared on the holo display. The Silizzarus warships jumped out right in the midst of the relatively unprotected squadron. Instantly, their energy weapons began to pulse, and as quickly as they could, they began to fire missiles. Quicker than ever before, contacts all around them began to explode or disappear from the holo plot. Yet Jonathan was unconcerned.

Instead, he shared a smile with Iso. The Silizzarus had very powerful ships, but they were not as experienced in naval combat as they perhaps liked to think. How could they be? As far as Jonathan knew, they had never fought in an actual war before.

Having jumped in from nearly a light day away, there had been no way for the Silizzarus to actually confirm the freighters they had targeted were indeed freighters. Now they were discovering their weapons were blowing up drones altered to mimic the sensor profile of freighters. To make matters much worse, from the real freighters all around the squadron that had been left unprotected, hundreds of Eaglaton and Varanni fighters came pouring out of their emptied cargo holds. At the same time, every warship in the vicinity charged into the area.

With just four minutes until the Silizzarus could recharge their shift drives and jump out, time was of the essence. Jonathan’s fighters and warships all targeted just one ship. The ship they had knocked down the shields of in the previous system was quickly identified thanks to its damaged armor. Hundreds and then thousands of laser and grazer beams targeted it. The vast majority missed as the Silizzarus ship gave up trying to attack and focused on its evasive maneuvers.

Sensing the danger their comrade was in, the other three Silizzarus ships focused their destructive energies on anything that threatened their friend. The result was a bloodbath. At least a hundred fighters and a score of warships were destroyed. Yet the ship they tried to protect couldn’t dodge everything fired at it. Every three or four seconds, beams struck it. Slowly but surely, the first Silizzarus ship’s shield weakened until it gave a massive flare and disintegrated.

Right away, beams started striking the warship's armor. Initially, it held, but then chunks of armor began to be ripped from the ship while other sections bubbled and melted under the extreme heat. A roar of cheering went up around the bridge as the acceleration rate of the Silizzarus ship suddenly dropped by thirty percent. Jonathan found himself punching the air. They had damaged it!

With the effectiveness of its evasive maneuvers greatly reduced, the Silizzarus ship was in serious trouble. Jonathan’s eyes darted to the counter Iso had put on the screen. There were just fifteen seconds until it could jump out. As every muscle in his body strained with desire to destroy to see the ship, Jonathan willed on his pilots and crews.

Four laser beams struck the Silizzarus ship one after the other. At least one caused a secondary explosion that threw the ship out of control. A squadron of Eaglaton fighters immediately pounced on the stricken ship. Half of their energy beams struck the small ship, and to Jonathan’s amazement, they blew it apart. Fists in the air again, he joined the roar of satisfaction that the demise of the Silizzarus ship drew from his officers. Jonathan was sure it was the same on every bridge across the fleet. They can be killed! he thought as a great deal of tension suddenly left his body. They can be killed!

Not content with just destroying one ship, the Allied forces immediately singled out another Silizzarus ship and began trying to batter down its shield. Wisely, just seconds later, the three remaining Silizzarus ships disappeared as they jumped back into shift space.

Jonathan sprang into action. “Signal Hallock and request he get one of his worldships to the site of that ship’s destruction. I want as much wreckage recovered as possible. We’re going to analyze every piece of debris we can get our hands on, even if it’s the size of a speck of space dust. If those ships have any weaknesses, I want to find them!”

“Contacting Superintendent Hallock now,” Rossi responded.

Jonathan then joined Iso as they set about aiding their ships that had been damaged and looking for survivors among the wreckage of those they had lost. At the same time, he had Shraw pull his fleet back to join up with the rest of the Allied ships. He did, however, dispatch as many shuttles as Shraw could spare to search for Hafalan survivors among the debris field that had once been their fleet. For two hours, Jonathan’s ships licked their wounds as Hallock’s people scoured space for any debris they could analyze. Then Jonathan started his fleet moving forward again.

“With any luck, the Hafalan ships that survived will inform their superiors that facing us is a fruitless endeavor,” Jonathan said to his staff officers. “And now that we’ve taught the Silizzarus we can make them bleed, maybe they will think twice before attacking us as well. We could be heading through the next system unopposed.” Though he didn’t really believe it, Jonathan put as much optimism into his voice as he could.

There was no need for anyone to worry about what was to come just yet. We’ve won a victory today; they need to enjoy it, he knew, for he was certain things were only going to get more difficult from here on in. They might have destroyed a Silizzarus ship, but if anything, he suspected that was only going to enrage them further.

Chapter 11

In many ways, we are very fortunate that the Silizzarus were strangers to both naval and ground combat.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, Tiy-dan system, 17th September 2513 AD, (two days later).

With even more caution than he had entered the previous system, Jonathan slipped his fleet into the system the Hafalan called the Tiy-dan system. Both signal intercepts and Alvarez’s gentle interrogation of the Hafalan survivors they had picked up confirmed that it was a vital system to both the Hafalan and the Tanor. As well as being home to one of only three colonies the Hafalans had founded outside their home system, the system also marked the border between Hafalan and Tanor space, meaning that a great deal of trade passed through the system.

If he didn’t know how important the system was before, what Jonathan saw on the main display proved it. Data from several scouting squadrons he had sent forward was being relayed back to Sparrowhawk. It showed twenty-two thousand Hafalan and Tanor warships were waiting just within the system’s mass shadow for them. Clearly, the defeat of the smaller Hafalan fleet hadn’t dissuaded them from engaging Jonathan’s ships, though Jonathan suspected their commanders had very little say in the matter. It was the Silizzarus who were pulling the strings here, and then had gathered even more warships than anyone had expected.

Looking down from the display, Jonathan assessed his officers. Iso and Matthis looked confident. They understood that numbers didn’t mean everything. Harte actually looked eager. He would be, Jonathan thought. There wasn’t a tactical problem the Lieutenant didn’t love trying to solve. Among his other staff officers, emotions were more mixed. Concern, worry, and even fear were mixed with determination on a number of faces. Jonathan could easily empathize with them. They were still a long way from the Silizzarus homeworld, and at least three Silizzarus warships were still out there. Suddenly being confronted by twenty thousand enemy ships was not what anyone wanted.

But we are committed now, Jonathan said to himself as he remembered his father’s words to him: ‘Stay the course.’ Jonathan had no choice but to press on. There was no going back or going around. “Connect me with my senior commanders, please,” he said as he caught Rossi’s gaze.

“Well,” Jonathan said moments later, once the heads of his Admirals were projected around his command chair. “It seems our would-be enemies have gathered even more ships than Alvarez’s stealth frigates detected. No matter the number, we need to go through them. If we can, though, I’d rather not kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of their people. So, suggestions? How do we get through this while suffering and inflicting the least casualties?”

“Those two are not mutually exclusive, Admiral,” Hawthorne cautioned. “If we try to limit their casualties, we may exacerbate ours.”

Jonathan nodded. “That I understand all too well. Preserving our fleet is the priority, but I’d still like to kill as few of those standing in our way as possible.”

“In that case, perhaps it is time to try a more serious diplomatic approach to them,” Superintendent Hallock suggested. He raised one of his hands quickly, sensing the objections from Shraw and Tasata-su. “I know it is unlikely to prove successful, but there are twenty thousand warships out there. Surely we should try and reason with them. They have now seen what our ships can do, and we could return their people that we rescued as a goodwill gesture.”

“And how long do we give these diplomatic discussions?” Alvarez asked as he leaned forward. “We have discussed this before. Even a day might be too much of a delay. But there’s more to consider. We have to assume there are Silizzarus agents operating within the Hafalan leadership. If we try to open negotiations, what do you think they would do? Would it not be giving them a great opportunity? They would never agree to let us peaceably pass through the Hafalans’ systems, but they could try and string us along for as long as possible.” Alvarez shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t believe there’s anything that can be achieved by talking. Not with the enemy we face.”

“Our master spy is right,” Jonathan said, reluctantly cutting off any more discussion about trying to reason with the fleet in front of them. “As long as the Silizzarus have influence over their government and military, the Hafalan will never deal rationally with us. And even if the Silizzarus aren’t as involved as we believe, we’ve now destroyed three thousand of their warships. They would never in their right mind allow us to progress deeper into their systems. We would certainly never allow such a thing.”

“Then we need to advance and crush this fleet as quickly as we did the last,” General Tasata-su said. “If we show them again how powerful our fleet is, they will have to fall back before us.”

“Perhaps, but perhaps not,” Reverus said slowly. “If we charge them and engage them in a straight-up battle, they may be as likely to sacrifice themselves against us as to fall back. We would certainly destroy them, but their numbers mean they would inevitably do some damage to our fleet.

“I think, though, there may be a way to get you what you want,” Reverus said as he locked eyes with Jonathan. “It will not be bloodless. But we have to remember, our priority is getting through the system and making sure they cannot follow us. We just have to get past them and then repeat something like what we did with the Tarx.”

Jonathan pressed his lips together. He still felt guilty for destroying the Tarx’s fuel production capabilities. And trying to do the same to the Hafalan will cause an order of magnitude more damage… But it’s better than destroying a fleet of twenty-two thousand warships, he reasoned with himself. “Let’s hear what you’re thinking,” he said to Reverus, not sure if he was eager to hear the Admiral’s plan or dreading what was about to be suggested.

In the end it didn’t matter, for it was clear Reverus plan was the best of the limited options open to Jonathan.

*

Just half an hour later, Jonathan ordered his fleet forward into the Tiy-dan system. Their formation was far from ideal, for he still had his freighters keeping close station with his main group of warships for fear of another Silizzarus attack. He also had far fewer small flotillas out ahead of his capital ships for fear of the same thing. Yet the fleet was ready for battle, nonetheless. Before any shooting started, however, Jonathan felt he had to speak to the gathered Hafalan and Tanor fleet, though he knew it would do no good.

“Commanders and crew of the fleet that has gathered to confront us, I am Vice Admiral Jonathan Somerville,” he said as he had Rossi transmit his words. “By now I assume you have received the report of the battle my fleet fought with one of yours two days ago. You will also have heard the words of warning I shared before that engagement. If the commanders of that fleet had heeded my advice, they would all be alive today. I pray that you will not make their mistake.

“Even now, I have no desire to fight your ships. But my fleet must pass through this system. We have no choice and so we will fight you if you try to hamper us.” Jonathan put as much steel into his facial expression and words as he could. “I do not wish to kill any more of you than I already have, but I will if I have to.”

Jonathan then sat back in his command chair and smoothed his features. “As a sign of goodwill, I am detaching a single freighter from my fleet. You will see it leaving now. Onboard are over nine thousand of your people that we rescued from the wreckage of your fleet we fought. They have been given provisions and a COM unit. You may speak to them now and see that we treated them fairly.

“Please, move your fleet back and allow us to pass. There is no need for any further bloodshed. But know this, if you insist on fighting, then the blood that will soon be shed will be as much on your hands as on mine.”

With a gesture to Rossi, Jonathan signaled for his COM officer to end the transmission. He then turned to Iso. “Release the freighter with the Hafalans we captured. Give them ten minutes to make a decision. Then if they haven’t moved, increase to battle acceleration rates.”

“Aye, Admiral,” Iso responded.

When ten minutes came and passed without any response from the Hafalan, Jonathan nodded to himself. “Very well. Time to put Admiral Reverus’ strategy into action. Let’s get on with it.”

Iso ordered the fleet to increase its acceleration rates. For twenty minutes, the Allied fleet charged straight towards the heart of the Hafalan and Tanor fleet as if they intended to blast their way straight through the force trying to block them. In response, the enemy fleet began to move towards Jonathan’s force as they sought to pick up momentum in case they wanted to try and close the distance themselves. “Now,” Jonathan ordered just before his ships were fully committed to an engagement.

As one, Jonathan’s fleet and all of its screening squadrons began to alter their heading. Turning away from the Hafalan and Tanor ships, they settled onto a new course that would take them far around the outer edge of the enemy fleet’s position. The maneuver was designed to make it look like Jonathan wanted to avoid contact and try to race around the enemy fleet to the system’s southern shift passage.

Though the Hafalan and Tanor fleet had built up a reasonable amount of forward momentum, they had been careful not to overcommit themselves. With an impressive level of coordination, their two fleets stopped accelerating towards Jonathan’s ships and began to reverse course in a way that blocked Jonathan’s move.

Jonathan couldn’t help smiling at the prospect that he was facing a competent commander. One of the first war games his father had played with him as a young teenager in the Palace’s simulators had been a game focused on maneuver. Jonathan could easily remember his father’s voice: “Many battles are won before the first missiles are fired.” The point of the game had been to try and outmaneuver your opponent’s fleet and isolate one of his flanks to overwhelm him in a decisive initial engagement. Though his father had beaten him far more times than Jonathan could remember, slowly, over the weeks and months, he had started to learn his father’s tricks and use them against him.

Now, he put everything he had learned from his father to good use. For an hour, he maneuvered and counter-maneuvered his fleet. At times, he made it look like he was still trying to get around the enemy fleet. Then, he would suddenly change course and try to isolate several of the enemy squadrons. As the enemy fleet pulled back in response, he would once again make a play towards getting around the Hafalan and Tanor fleet.

Though the enemy commander was good, he was at a natural disadvantage. While Jonathan could choose whatever tactic he wished, the Hafalan Admiral had to simultaneously protect his fleet from being overwhelmed and ensure Jonathan’s path through the system was always blocked. Slowly, Jonathan used his advantage to drag the enemy fleet out of position and into the kind of area Reverus had envisioned putting them.

Throughout the back-and-forth, Jonathan was careful to keep his main fleet out of range of the enemy. He did allow his screening squadrons to clash with those of his opponent, though. Those battles were carefully chosen too. Two-thirds of the fights were with Tanor’s screening squadrons. And more often than not, fighter squadrons came screaming in to aid Jonathan’s warships, tipping the battles heavily in the Allies’ favor. Over the hour, five hundred enemy ships were destroyed for the price of just twelve Allied ships and fifteen fighters.

Then the moment Jonathan had been waiting for came. “Execute Reverus’ turn!” Jonathan ordered as soon as his enemy’s fleet was where he wanted them.

Immediately, the noses of Jonathan’s ships swung wildly around. They turned away from the system’s southern shift passage and from the Hafalan and Tanor fleet. Instead, they lined up on the Hafalan colony deep within the inner system. As soon as they did, every warship went to full acceleration.

The Hafalan reaction was understandably frantic. Without waiting for their Tanor compatriots, the Hafalan fleet began to charge after Jonathan’s ships. Then, realizing that they couldn’t stop Jonathan if they stuck together, the Hafalan fleet broke up into squadrons as the fastest ships pulled away from their larger consorts.

Jonathan couldn’t help but feel bad for his adversary. By now the Hafalan Admiral would know he had been outmaneuvered. Now there was nothing his fleet could do to stop Jonathan from reaching his people’s colony. Yes, some of the leading Hafalan squadrons would be able to bring Jonathan’s fleet to battle, but Jonathan would easily sweep them aside. And then we can nuke your world if we wish, Jonathan thought towards the Hafalan Admiral. That’s what you’ve been told about us, isn’t it? As if his enemy was reading his mind, many of the Hafalan ships suddenly increased their acceleration rates further.

“We’re starting to pick up a lot of fluctuations from the Hafalan ships,” Harte reported within seconds. “They have to be pushing their reactors very hard.”

Jonathan nodded. It was exactly what he would do. What did it matter if a portion of the Hafalan fleet burnt out their reactors or engines? That was nothing compared to having a colony nuked. They had to do whatever it took to try and stop Jonathan’s fleet.

For twenty-five minutes, Jonathan allowed his enemy to think the heavily populated colony deep within the system was in jeopardy. Then he turned to Iso and nodded. With a touch of a button on her command console, Iso started the fleet turning once again. This time, Jonathan’s ships turned onto a direct intercept course for a part of the enemy fleet. At the same time, they pushed their reactors and engines to full, accelerating ten percent faster than they had shown the enemy they were capable of up to this point in the battle.

Jonathan’s target was what Reverus had suggested they hit all along. The Tanor fleet made up slightly less than a third of the combined enemy fleet. Positioned on the outer flank of the enemy formation, destroying them would open a clear path to the system’s southern shift passage. And now they were isolated. As Jonathan’s ships turned, his carriers began to disgorge every fighter he had. He intended to plow through the formation with one savage attack.

“Look!” Harte said as he pointed at the main display. “The Hafalan aren’t turning yet!”

“They think we are bluffing,” Jonathan realized. Of course, it made sense! The Hafalan commander still feared that Jonathan’s true target was his colony. Well, he’s going to be sorely mistaken. “This is the opening we’ve been working towards,” Jonathan said more calmly to his officers. We’re not going to squander this chance. Signal the fleet, inform every ship they are to do their utmost.”

“Transmitting now,” Iso responded. “They will not let you down!”

Quickly, all of Jonathan’s ships acknowledged his words, and then moments later, they came into missile range of the seven thousand Tanor warships. Jonathan’s fleet fired off one hundred and eighty thousand missiles at the ships standing in their way. Four minutes and forty seconds later, they fired another hundred and eighty thousand missiles, and then a third full-strength salvo followed just under five minutes after that.

Initially, due to the inferiority of their missiles, the Tanor fleet had to watch the incoming fire without replying. When they finally could, they unleashed seventy thousand missiles back at the Allied fleet. Another fifteen thousand came moments later from the Hafalan ships that were still close enough to fight alongside their neighbors. Yet the Hafalan had mistimed their salvo and it wouldn’t strike the Allied fleet with the Tanor missiles.

The first Allied missiles fired quickly caught up and passed the eight thousand fighters that were also charging towards the Tanor warships. Then the missiles began to explode as the Tanor ships fought for their lives. Thousands breached the Tanor’s defenses and hundreds and hundreds of ships died. The fighters charged the enemy fleet even as warheads continued to detonate. They prioritized the enemy capital ships. The fighters sliced through their target, ripping deep holes into its formation.

When the explosions cleared, two thousand four hundred enemy ships were destroyed or falling out of formation. Despite the slaughter, the Tanor showed they weren’t beaten yet. They quickly reformed, fired their second salvo, and then prepared to defend themselves again. Their problem was that Jonathan’s fleet already had three more salvos in space charging towards them. Before the Allied fleet had to defend itself, its second salvo crashed into the Tanor. Another fifteen hundred ships died in the attack.

Then the Tanor missiles finally reached Jonathan’s fleet. Jonathan was tense. If the Silizzarus wanted to attack his warships, now was the best time for it. Despite that threat, he had to fight the battle in front of him. At his command, PD frigates and drone cruisers raced out and engaged the incoming missiles first. The limited ECM capabilities of the Tanor missiles meant the defensive fire of Jonathan’s light ships cut wide swaths through their numbers. The enemy salvo was then greeted with a massive hail of fire as many of the rest of the warships in Jonathan’s fleet opened up on them.

The defensive fire wasn’t perfect, however. Jonathan had kept all his freighters tucked in right behind his warships to protect them from any potential Silizzarus attack. As a result, many of his ships couldn’t bring all of their defensive guns to bear. Even so, the Tanor’s missiles were shot down in their thousands and then tens of thousands.

Barely three hundred made it close enough to their targets to detonate. About half only got close enough to score proximity hits. The majority of those failed to breach the shields and armor of the Allied warships. Only two frigates and a destroyer were taken out. The missiles that scored direct hits fared slightly better. Allied shields and armor were designed to withstand antimatter warheads. The far less powerful Tanor thermonuclear warheads were nowhere near as devastating. Even so, twenty-six ships were hit and destroyed, and almost as many again suffered serious damage.

Jonathan didn’t know how to feel about how the battle was faring. He was destroying Tanor warships in their thousands. Yet that meant he was killing tens of thousands of their people. And while his ship losses seemed slight, he had no idea how many ships he was going to need once he got to the Silizzarus homeworld. Every ship they lost now increased the chance they would fail in their mission.

He had no time to dwell on his feelings, though, for less than a minute after his fleet fended off the Tanor’s first salvo, the haphazard Hafalan salvo attempted to strike his fleet. By chance, two missiles managed to evade everything fired at them and detonated amongst Jonathan's ships. Worse luck, one struck an already badly damaged light cruiser and blew it apart. Yet just seconds later, Jonathan’s third salvo hit the Tanor. With over half their force gone, the Tanor failed to blunt the incoming attack. Another two thousand ships were destroyed, cutting their fleet in half again. Many of those left had also suffered serious damage.

With another salvo in space and a fifth about to leave the tubes of Jonathan’s fleet, the Tanor fleet was done. The main body of the Hafalan fleet had finally turned to come to their allies’ aid, but it was too late. In fact, as Jonathan watched, their capital ships slowed as they sought to draw their spread-out squadrons together. They had witnessed the power of Jonathan’s missile salvos. The only hope the Hafalan had of surviving was to combine their thirteen thousand warships into a tight defensive formation. Jonathan sensed the opening Reverus' plan had been designed to win. “It is time,” he ordered. “Alter our heading, lay in a course for the southern shift passage. All ships are to go to maximum acceleration. Any that can’t are to be abandoned immediately.”

As one, the Allied fleet turned onto Jonathan’s desired heading. The course would take his fleet almost right through the heart of what was left of the Tanor fleet. Alveraz’s analysis of the fleet indicated they were armed with energy weapons. If they got close, they could cause far more damage than they had so far to Jonathan’s ships. Yet with two full salvos closing in on them, he doubted many would be left. “We’ll finish off the Tanor with our phase cannons,” Jonathan told his officers. “They will outrange any energy weapons they have.”

Harte called everyone’s attention to the holo display. “The Hafalan are responding to our maneuver. They’re still going to try and block us.”

Jonathan’s teeth clamped together. His fleet had the momentum and seemed to have a clear path to the southern shift passage. The Hafalan couldn’t stop them. Yet they were close enough to fire a couple of salvos at Jonathan's ships as they passed. Which will just let us fire four salvos back at you, he thought, disgusted at the commander of the Hafalan fleet. The enemy commander had seen the power of Jonathan's ships; he was leading his people into a slaughter!

But they might still get some of our freighters, a voice in the back of Jonathan’s mind told him. If seven thousand Tanor ships had managed to breach his defensive fire, thirteen thousand Hafalan ships most certainly would. With his freighters tightly packed around his warships, they were vulnerable. With his mind on his freighters, Jonathan focused on that section of his fleet on the holo display. What he saw made him curse.

“What is happening with that squadron?” he demanded as he highlighted the ships in question. A group of about sixty warships hadn’t fully turned with Jonathan’s fleet. Their slow maneuver had caused several squadrons of freighters behind them to have to delay their turn as well so as not to collide with them. All of them were quickly falling astern of the protective envelope of fire provided by Jonathan’s capital ships.

“That squadron is led by the heavy cruiser Damascus,” Iso answered at once as her fingers danced over her console. “She has reported some damage to two of her engines. A minute ago they said they hoped to have them back to full power within another five minutes.”

On another part of the holo display, thousands of antimatter blooms began to appear as Sparrowhawk's sensors detected Jonathan’s fourth salvo striking what was left of the Tanor. Jonathan didn’t even register the detonations. “That’s not good enough. Get those warships and freighters back into formation. Now!” He ordered. “Leave Damascus behind. Get the rest of that squadron out of the freighters’ way!”

Even as his orders began to be sent out, blue flashes appeared amidst the wayward squadron. Jonathan groaned. The Silizzarus had joined the battle.

Chapter 12

Fighting an enemy with far superior technology to one’s own can feel like being a child with a wooden sword trying to defeat your father who wields a steel one. Thankfully, in the history of our Empire, we have faced few such situations, but when we have, they have rarely gone well for our fleet.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Seven Silizzarus ships jumped into the system. They appeared right in the middle of the squadron led by Damascus. Less than a second passed before their energy weapons began to fire. Ships exploded all around them. Missiles followed a couple of seconds later. With minimal flight times, they slammed into shields, battered them down, and engulfed more ships in deadly antimatter. Damascus was one of the first to be blown apart. With her went the squadron’s cohesion.

In the quickest ten seconds of Jonathan’s life, the squadron was obliterated. Even before the last ship was destroyed, the Silizzarus ships began to pivot. Lining up on the freighter squadrons that had been behind Damascus’s squadron, they began to charge them.

Having seen the utter destruction of their escorting squadron, the lead freighters were already scattering. At the sight of the Silizzarus charging, hundreds of freighters began to pull out of formation, desperately trying to run away from the harbingers of death closing with them.

The sight of their panic snapped Jonathan out of his stupor. “Order those freighters back into formation! Tell them their only hope is to stick together so we can defend them. Order all fighters in the vicinity to charge those Silizzarus ships. Then get Commodore Jenkins’ and Rear Admiral Sato’s squadrons to close with the Silizzarus ships at once.” Reaching out to his console, Jonathan drew a line across his fleet. “Have all our worldships move up to these positions. We need to block them from penetrating into the center of our formation. And if we have any fighters left, launch them now!”

“Yes, Admiral, we’re on it,” Iso said at once as she and the rest of Jonathan’s command staff jumped into action to send out his orders.

“Harte, you oversee the defense of the fleet from those incoming salvos,” Jonathan snapped as he glanced at his tactical officer. “Finish off the Tanor ships and then focus on defending ourselves from the Hafalan missiles.”

“Yes, sir,” Harte responded.

“Rossi, inform Reverus, Hawthorn, and Tasata-su that they can alter their fleet’s formations as they desire. They are to protect their freighters at all costs.”

“Transmitting your orders now, Admiral,” Rossi said with a nod.

Fixing his attention back on the Silizzarus, Jonathan saw they had reached the first freighters. With no shields and little armor, the freighters disintegrated under the small warships’ fire. Jonathan wanted to curse again. Every freighter that was destroyed took vital fuel, munitions, and supplies his fleet desperately needed. He bit his tongue though and instead began giving out more orders. As best he could, he coordinated the squadrons of warships and fighters that raced into the area. Singling out one Silizzarus ship, he focused as much fire upon it as possible.

To his frustration, the Silizzarus ship ceased firing its weapons and went evasive, making it far harder to kill. Almost worse, the other Silizzarus ships barely wasted any of their own weapons on Jonathan’s warships. Instead, they raced through his fleet with amazingly high rates of acceleration. Twisting and weaving more like fighters than warships, they dodged incoming fire and then blasted away at any freighters they could bring into range.

Changing tactics, Jonathan began ordering his freighter squadrons to split up. As he tried to predict the Silizzarus warships’ line of advance, he maneuvered precious freighter squadrons out of the way even as he brought more ships in to try and destroy the enemy. He was partially successful, but the Silizzarus' advantage in acceleration rates and maneuverability made it impossible to save every freighter squadron. The only hope his ships had was to destroy the enemy before they caused too much devastation.

Redoubling his efforts, Jonathan threw everything he had at just one of the Silizzarus ships. Even as its comrades blasted apart more and more of his freighters, Jonathan’s forces began to score hits. The Silizzarus ship's shields flared again and again and then failed! At once, Jonathan ordered in several squadrons of Eaglaton fighters. They fired nearly a hundred energy beams at the small ship. Just twelve hit, but together they overwhelmed the warship's armor and blasted deadly energies into its hull. A fraction of a second later, it exploded into a million pieces of debris.

Jonathan didn’t have time to cheer the victory. Every second he delayed; more freighters died. Immediately, he singled out another Silizzarus ship and ordered his ships to attack. At the same time, he began to draw in the Kulrean worldships as he sought to surround the Silizzarus with the powerful Kulrean warships. By now, Imperial Striker Dreadnoughts had also closed with the Silizzarus ships, and phase cannon beams joined the battle.

To Jonathan’s surprise, the Kulrean captains showed a warrior spirit he hadn’t known they possessed. With no thought of their own safety, they closed their ships to point-blank range and began blasting at the Silizzarus. The combination of phase cannon, heavy laser, and directed energy beams began to pay dividends. A second Silizzarus ship had its shields knocked down and within ten seconds was blown apart. A third followed fifty seconds later.

Sensing they were being overwhelmed, the Silizzarus began firing back at their pursuers. The Kulrean worldships took the heaviest brunt of the attacks and within a minute two had been blown apart. Even so, a fourth Silizzarus ship had its shields knocked down and was then hit by several beams. One punched through its armor and exploded fragments of hull and armor away from the small warship in a cloud of debris. Seconds later, the ship disappeared as it jumped away from the onslaught it faced.

We’re beating them, Jonathan finally allowed himself to admit. The thought had barely formed in his mind, however, when the remaining three Silizzarus ships all changed course. Boosting to an even higher acceleration rate than they had before, they dove towards the center of the Allied fleet’s formation. Jonathan’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what they were doing. The Silizzarus were heading towards his most powerful ships. Then something else caught his eye.

One of the two full missile salvos the Hafalan fleet had been able to fire as his fleet raced past them was about to strike his ships. Harte had most of the fleet ready to engage them. But that meant most of Jonathan’s capital ships were focused on the incoming missile salvo. The Silizzarus were about to strike them from the opposite flank.

Knowing he couldn’t distract Harte, Jonathan activated his COM unit and contacted the captains of several key flotillas, warning them of what was coming. At the same time, he sent all the forces he was directly commanding after the charging enemy ships. Despite his best efforts, the Silizzarus met little resistance as they sliced into the heart of Jonathan’s fleet. With far too much ease, they began tearing apart the precious fuel freighters arrayed around Jonathan’s capital ships.

It took less than sixty seconds for Jonathan’s ships and the capital ships he had contacted to begin to bring enough fire to bear on the Silizzarus to start to hurt them again. Yet in that time, far too many freighters were hit. Once the Allied fire was properly coordinated again, it took just twenty seconds to batter down another Silizzarus ship’s shield. It was then blown apart just five seconds later. Immediately, Jonathan’s switched all of his fire to one of the final two Silizzarus ships. In seconds, its shield was forced to deflect energy beam after beam. Then it too failed in a bright red flash. Instantly, the Silizzarus ship disappeared as it jumped into shift space, just managing to escape. A moment later, the final Silizzarus warship did the same.

Jonathan stared at the holo display in shock for a couple of seconds. He had thought their enemy meant to fight to the very end to destroy as many freighters as they could. Then he realized what they had done as new explosions erupted amidst his fleet. The Silizzarus had done their job. They had distracted his gunners enough to enable hundreds of Hafalan missiles to breach the Allied fleet’s defenses.

As they began to detonate, many missiles wasted their destructive energies against the shields and armor of Allied warships. Some, however, struck freighters, and where they did, they blasted the lightly protected ships apart. This time, Jonathan did curse as more of his freighters were blown apart.

Harte swiveled in his command chair when the explosions stopped. “I’m sorry, Admiral,” he said without looking up to meet his commander’s eyes. “The defensive fire was badly compromised. I have failed you.”

Jonathan fought to get his anger under control. It wasn’t Harte’s fault, though it was tempting to release some of his frustration on his tactical lieutenant. “There’s no time for blame. And none of it is yours anyway,” he said, keeping most of the snarl from his voice. “I should have foreseen they would jump in on us like that.” Raising a finger, Jonathan pointed at the second Hafalan missile salvo. “Just make sure none of those hit us as well.”

“Aye, sir!” Harte said, as a look of grim determination settled on his face.

Joining his tactical lieutenant and other command staff, Jonathan worked to rearrange the formation of his badly disorganized fleet so they could better defend themselves. As he worked, he couldn’t help glancing at the massive holes in his formation where freighter squadrons had been. Focus on protecting what you have, he said to himself. You’ll get the butcher’s bill soon enough once we get clear.

As his warships opened up with their defensive weapons, Jonathan spared a moment to glance at the Hafalan fleet. Harte had already struck them with two salvos and over a thousand of their ships were gone. It brought him no satisfaction though. He’d happily give the enemy a thousand ships back to get just a hundred of his freighters returned to him.

Though Harte did his best, the Allied fleet simply wasn’t in a tight enough defensive formation to fend off every missile from the Hafalan’s second salvo. Over two hundred got through. However, Jonathan and Iso had moved the freighters well back to ensure they didn’t come under fire a second time. As a result sixteen warships were destroyed and nine more crippled, but no additional freighters were lost.

As the Allied fleet burst through the cloud of debris that had once been the Tanor fleet and left the Hafalan warships behind, two more salvos crashed into the Hafalan, destroying another twelve hundred of their ships. Then the fighting came to an end. The Allied fleet had the momentum and acceleration advantage. Nothing could stop them from reaching the system's southern shift passage.

Reluctantly, Jonathan turned to Iso. “Dispatch four screening squadrons ahead to make sure there are no hidden forces deeper in the system. Then stand the fleet down from battle stations. After that, I want a full inventory of our losses. We need to know just how much damage they did to us.”

“I understand, Admiral,” Iso said quietly, sharing Jonathan’s fear of what they were about to find out. “What about Operation Slash and Burn?”

Jonathan shook his head. Slash and Burn was the second part of Reverus’ plan. But it was very likely there was no point initiating it now. “Delay it for now, Commander. Let us hear the butcher’s bill first.”

Jonathan forced himself to leave her to it and instead studied the holo display. They had successfully fought their way past twenty-two thousand enemy warships and destroyed another four Silizzarus ships. But at what cost? Jonathan asked himself. At what cost?

*

Half an hour later, Jonathan was in his office with Iso and Alveraz. After hearing Iso’s initial estimate of their losses, he had called a conference. His senior officers would be able to guess at how bad things were, but they needed to hear directly from him and together they needed to figure out what they could possibly do next.

When the final holographic face appeared in front of him, Jonathan did his best to smile. He wished Becca was there with General Johnston, but none of his other subordinates had their seconds-in-command present, so it would have looked like favoritism. Still, Jonathan wished he had the comforting presence of his wife given what Iso was about to share.

“Thank you for coming,” Jonathan said as he met the eyes of his officers. “Iso will brief us on the outcome of the Silizzarus attack.”

“It is not good,” Iso said, coming straight to the point. “Of our twelve thousand freighters, we lost one thousand six hundred and forty-one. The Silizzarus ships sliced through our ships like they weren’t there. The situation is worse than those numbers suggest. It wasn’t obvious at the time, but now it seems clear that they were specifically targeting our fuel freighters. We lost forty percent of our fuel reserves.

“The implications of that are patently obvious,” Iso said as she slowed. “We still have enough fuel to get to the Silizzarus homeworld, but only if we take the straightest path. And even then, if we are forced to fight too many battles or maneuver too much, we might not make it. In either case, once we get there, we would not have enough fuel for the entire fleet to make it back to Imperial space. At best, we would make it one-third of the way back. And I have to stress, that is a best-case scenario. The reality is we may use up most of our fuel for the return journey in the battles we are likely to face going forward.”

When Iso sat down, everyone fell into silence as they looked at one another. Jonathan didn’t want to speak either, yet he knew the responsibility fell on him. “We have a choice before us,” he said reluctantly. “If we press on, this mission will likely be a one-way journey. We may be successful in taking the Silizzarus homeworld and putting an end to their control over the surrounding sectors of the galaxy. But none of us would be making it home any time soon.

“We could, of course, dispatch ships back to Earth with a request for a second fleet to be sent to us with the fuel we would need. Yet it would have to be a powerful fleet to fight its way past the Hafalans and whoever else will end up standing against us. Our other option is to turn back and send for additional freighters to come and join us before we press on further. However, that will delay us by at least two if not three months. We have no idea what the Silizzarus might be able to accomplish given that extra time.”

“We cannot give them that much time,” Hallock said passionately. “We have already seen what a small handful of their ships can do. If they could build another four or even eight in the next three months, they could strike us again and we might lose even more.”

“So what do you suggest?” Shraw said. “I am as eager as anyone to press on, but we cannot turn this mission into a suicidal charge. Our fleet is desperately needed back on the frontier facing the Karacknids. If we turn this into a one-way mission, we could defeat the Silizzarus only to find the Karacknids have returned to conquer Earth without us being there to stop them. And if nothing else, word will get out that we won’t be going home. The morale of the fleet will plummet. We would be setting ourselves up for failure.”

“We could leave a part of the fleet here,” Hallock responded. “We now know what ships and fighters are the most effective against the Silizzarus. If we split the fleet and take all the fuel with us, then we can still complete the mission. Speed is still our greatest ally; we cannot give that up.”

“And just whose ships would you leave behind?” Tasata-su asked, his voice rising.

No one dared answer the Karacknid General, but Jonathan knew Hallock meant to include most of the Karacknid warships in those who would not proceed. Though their warships were just as capable as any at engaging the Silizzarus, their fighters, with their normally very powerful directed particle cannons, were not as effective. The Silizzarus had proven they could easily dodge the slower-moving streams of matter fired by Karacknid fighters.

“I am not sure it would be wise to split our fleet so hastily,” Reverus said diplomatically. “While some of our forces have proved more effective against the Silizzarus, let us not forget we just fought twenty thousand other warships.” Reverus gestured a feathered talon towards Alvarez. “Intelligence indicates that there are still other species gathering their forces to face us. With little intelligence on these forces, we do not yet know which parts of our fleet may prove the most useful. It may be we would end up leaving some of our most important ships behind. Plus, I fear we’re going to need all our strength when we finally reach the enemy’s homeworld.”

“So what would you have us do, Vice Admiral?” Hallock asked.

“We take what we need,” Reverus said as he held Jonathan’s eyes. “You know me and my species well enough by now, Admiral, to know I do not say this lightly. But given our other options, I believe this is the best choice open to us. The Hafalan have already made themselves our enemy. I doubt there is much we can do now in the short term to make up for the deaths that have happened today. Only by defeating the Silizzarus and freeing the Hafalan can we truly help them. To do that we may have to hurt further before we can eventually free them.”

Reverus turned from Jonathan and nodded to Alveraz. “I have been reading your scout reports on the Hafalan homeworld. They have sizeable gas mining and storage facilities both in orbit and on one of their colonial worlds in the same system. We could seize them and take what we need, could we not?”

Alvarez didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tapped several times on his datapad. “There do appear to be sizable fuel storage facilities. We have already confirmed their reactors run off He3 like ours. We may have to refine the fuel further for our reactors, but it should be doable. Though I imagine securing and transporting all the fuel we would need would not be a quick task. We would have to take and hold their home system for at least a couple of days. Diverting to the Hafalan homeworld would also add about a week to our estimated travel time to the Silizzarus’ system.”

“That is why I’m also suggesting we recommence Operation Slash and Burn,” Reverus responded. “We need to take out the Hafalan fuel supplies and freighters in this system to hamper the Hafalan fleet’s ability to pursue us. I’m sure if we divert from the system’s southern shift passage to the one to their homeworld they will go crazy. If we have to hold their home system for a couple of days, we need to keep their fleet as far from us as possible.”

Jonathan now understood why Reverus had initially spoken to him. He didn’t like it one bit. The Eaglaton Admiral was talking about devastating the economy of two of the Hafalan’s systems, including their homeworld. If a species did that to the Sol system, he knew Humanity would never forget it. It would leave a permanent mark on Humanity’s psyche.

It was hard for Jonathan to imagine Reverus making such a suggestion. Everything Jonathan had learned about the Eaglatons indicated they took as much pride in protecting weaker species as the Karacknids did in conquering them.

And yet he is suggesting it anyway. That is how great a threat he believes the Silizzarus are. Jonathan turned to Superintendent Hallock, expecting the Kulrean to argue against such a move. Yet he was nodding in response to Reverus’ suggestion. They are all in agreement, Jonathan realized as he looked around at his officers. Then what choice do I have? he asked himself. This gives us the best chance of success. When the meeting had begun, Jonathan had felt his hope slipping away. Now he could feel it regrowing. Yet it was joined by a sense of guilt and disgust that grew just as quickly.

“Alright,” he said quietly, hating himself even as he spoke. “If this is what we must do, then let us do it quickly. And with the minimum civilian casualties we can afford.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Reverus said as he gave Jonathan a bow. “We can begin drawing up the plans immediately.”

*

Three hours later, Jonathan sat in his command chair on Sparrowhawk’s bridge. With a gesture to Iso, he gave the order for his fleet to alter its heading. Turning away from the system’s southern shift passage, they settled onto a course for the south-western passage that led to the Hafalan home system. The Hafalan fleet responded within minutes. Where they had been huddled together licking their wounds and going through the wreckage from the Tanor fleet, as one, they turned to chase after the Allied fleet.

Jonathan had timed his turn to intentionally get their attention. Just five minutes later, the first attacks went in against the Hafalan colony’s orbitals and the freighter fleet in high orbit about the planet. Two thousand fighters laid waste to everything that Alvarez’s analysts suggested could be used by the Hafalan fleet to resupply themselves or carry out repairs. Over a hundred fighters were lost in the brief engagement.

And there will be more lost in the Hafalan home system, whether they manage to follow us or not, Jonathan told himself as he felt his mood darken. Along with the fighters, thousands more innocent civilians had just died before his eyes. All of their blood was on his hands. And there will be even more of those to come as well. I hope all this is worth it.

Chapter 13

Sometimes, when things are already going bad, fortune just will not smile upon you.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Constitution, 20th September 2513 AD, (three days later).

After the Karacknid battlefleet had split apart and fled in several directions from her attacks, Scott meticulously tracked each Karacknid fleet’s course. One fleet quickly caught her attention. A fleet Rack’na said belonged to the Ilun’va clan. It had been heading to a system she and James had chosen fifteen years ago. Setting off after them, she followed them for days north through The Wilds. Now she had caught them, and just in time.

Two days ago, scouts from the Karacknid fleet had spotted Scott’s ships, and so the group of six thousand Karacknid warships and almost as many freighters were rushing through the system when the Allied fleet jumped in. Scott smiled at the sight. That was fine with her. It actually played into her hands.

“Take us into the system on a heading of four, four, five point one,” Scott ordered. “But keep us in stealth. I don’t want them to know we are here just yet.” She then reached out and selected a set of coordinates on the holo map. “Send the signal once the enemy fleet reaches this point.”

“Aye, Admiral,” Scott’s Chief of Staff acknowledged.

In response to her command, Scott, and her fleet of eight and a half thousand warships began to move into the system. However, they didn’t follow their prey directly towards the next shift passage. Instead, they headed towards the system’s third planet.

Scott waited half an hour and then gave her next order. “Inform Wing Commander Somerville she can begin launching the fighters. They are to form up and head to their rendezvous point.”

Half a minute later, thousands of fighters began launching slowly from their carriers. Then, also remaining in stealth, they began to move off perpendicular to Scott’s fleet’s line of advance.

It took another three hours for the Karacknid fleet to pass through the inner system and begin to move out towards its northern shift passage and the point Scott had originally selected. Though not ideal for the trap she and James had planned all those years ago, she believed it still had a good chance of working. Initially, the trap had been designed for use against a large force moving north to south through the system. Now instead, the Karacknids were moving south to north. But there are far fewer of them, and so we can make it work, thanks to you, Scott thought towards her friend whose idea the trap had been in the first place.

“It’s almost time, Admiral,” one of Scott’s tactical officers informed her. “Permission to transmit?”

Scott nodded. “Granted. As soon as they reach the coordinates I gave you.”

Half a minute later, a message mimicking the background radiation given off by the system’s star was transmitted by Constitution. It took forty-five minutes to reach its intended target. When it did, sixteen small impulse thrusters that had been carefully attached to a massive asteroid within a dense asteroid field came to life. Ever so slowly, they began pushing the behemoth of space rock towards another equally giant rock within the asteroid field. It took half an hour for them to collide. When they did, the momentum shattered both rocks. The result was a cascading series of collisions that shattered yet more asteroids and flung hundreds of thousands of chunks out of the asteroid field. The great wave of flying rocks spewed out across the path that led from the system’s northern shift passage to its southern-facing one.

Understandably, the Karacknids reacted with caution. Though it wasn’t entirely unusual for cascading collisions in asteroid fields to throw massive waves of rock into space, it didn’t happen every day. The nearest screening squadron sent a hundred recon drones into the asteroid field, searching for signs the enemy had caused the collisions. Several frigates also accelerated into the field to join the search. Ten minutes later, the frigates reappeared having found nothing. Each of the small thrusters had long since been destroyed by small explosives designed to disintegrate them.

Not wanting to risk their ships by flying through the wave of asteroids hurtling towards them, the Karacknid fleet began to alter its heading. As it settled on a course that would take them up and over the oncoming asteroids, Scott smiled. The trap was going to work.

For thirty-five minutes, the Karacknid fleet flew through an area of space their scouts hadn’t fully investigated. Then disaster struck. The first of over fifty thousand stealth mines detected one of the lead Karacknid ship passing by it. Immediately, its long-dormant energy capacity powered up the mine's targeting sensors. For less than a second, the mine flashed its target with a wave of electromagnetic energy. As soon as it confirmed its target, it fired its maneuvering thrusters to line up on the ship. Then it sent a single command to the mark V missile in its tube.

At once, the missile sprang to life and accelerated out of its tube. With a flight time of just five seconds, the Karacknid warship had next to no time to react. This wasn’t the first time Karacknid ships had encountered human mines though, and so automatically, the heavy cruiser's defensive guns opened up on the unknown threat. Over two hundred laser beams were fired in the space of four seconds. One scored a lucky hit that ignited the missile's engine, causing it to disappear in a small flash.

For a couple of seconds, nothing else happened. Then every Karacknid ship in the fleet powered up their active scanners and began frantically searching all around them. It was the worst thing they could have done. Suddenly, many of the fifty thousand human mines detected the emissions washing over them. Immediately, their programming activated their own active scanners. Many found targets within striking distance, and soon hundreds and then thousands of missiles began launching themselves at the lead squadrons of the Karacknid fleet.

Despite the death of their Imperator and the follow-up counterattacks Jonathan and Scott had led against them, the Karacknid warriors among the Ilun’va fleet still knew their business. The lead squadrons that were attacked immediately began defending themselves. At the same time, the Karacknid fleet commander, realizing he had been tricked into a minefield, spun the main body of his fleet around and started using his warships' main thrusters to arrest their momentum. Moments later, thousands of recon drones and hundreds of light ships began fanning out as they tried to detect the rest of the mines and figure out the extent of the minefield.

Hundreds of the Karacknid fleet’s lead ships died as the thermonuclear warheads of the mark V missiles struck them and blew through their armor. Quickly, though, the Karacknids began to map out the minefield. Designed like two arrowheads placed back to back, with one point directly facing the approaching Karacknid fleet, the minefield was meant to give any fleet that approached it serious problems. About two-thirds of the Karacknid fleet could easily pull up and away from the minefield, but to follow them, the other third would have to pass through the point of the minefield and come under heavy attack.

Not liking this at all, the Karacknid commander chose to split his force. Four thousand two hundred ships pulled up and over the minefield, while nineteen hundred split from them and maneuvered to go under and around it. Scott waited ten more minutes for both forces to fully commit to their headings. In that time, the minefield claimed another forty victims, but for the most part, the Karacknids managed to prevent the main body of their fleet from driving into the zone of space designed to kill them. Then, Scott gave the order she had been waiting for since entering the system. “All ships to full acceleration. Put us on an intercept heading for our target. Let’s close with them!”

Her ships came out of stealth and began to accelerate. Having delved deeper into the inner system and looped around its third planet, Scott’s fleet was on an ideal trajectory to intercept the larger Karacknid force given the heading it was on. With nearly nine thousand warships, she outnumbered her foe more than two to one, and she had them cornered. The only way they could escape her guns was to charge through the minefield.

If the Karacknid commander wanted to do that, Scott wasn't going to complain. He would likely lose half his ships while she would lose nothing. Leaning forward in her command chair, she waited to see what her opponent would choose. When over five minutes came and went and the Karacknid fleet hadn’t altered course to head back into the minefield, she nodded to herself. “They’re going to fight,” she said to her officers. “Let’s give them what they want.”

As soon as they came into extreme missile range, both fleets opened fire on one another. Both sides had four salvos in space before they had to defend themselves. The Karacknids had launched a thousand fighters to attack with their first salvo. Scott sent all of the fifteen hundred fighters Georgia hadn’t taken with her out to intercept them. Thankfully, all of the Karacknid fighters were shot down or sent packing back to their carriers.

Over the space of the next forty minutes, she and her opponent proceeded to hammer one another with salvo after salvo. Despite Scott’s significant numerical advantage, the Karacknids fought hard. Her first salvo took out four hundred enemy ships, destroying almost ten percent of the Karacknid fleet. Few Karacknid missiles breached the defensive fire of Scott’s fleet, yet she still lost fifty-two ships. In a similar fashion, the battle raged on for a total of seven salvos.

The missiles of the seventh and final Allied salvo split up as they approached the wrecked Karacknid fleet. A third of the missiles rushed in to destroy the final three hundred warships, while the rest went after the Karacknid freighters that had been hanging back from their escorts. Not a single Karacknid ship survived the attack of the missiles. In contrast, the final Karacknid salvo numbered just eleven thousand missiles. Scott's fleet easily took them all out before they could be a threat. Even so, when the fighting ended, three hundred and thirty-seven Allied ships were no more, and a further four hundred had to be detached from Scott’s fleet to be sent back home for repairs.

But we have stopped another Karacknid fleet from returning home, Scott said to herself after the last Karacknid warship died. And the other third of their fleet isn’t as safe as they think!

*

With eight thousand fighters arrayed around her, Georgia carefully slipped her fighters into the decade-old minefield. Though more than a handful of the mines detected her small craft as they passed, none activated. As Scott had assured her, their programming deemed they were not a threat and so didn’t initiate their attack sequence.

Keeping radio silence, Georgia, along with all of her pilots, then watched as Scott’s fleet engaged the larger section of the Karacknid fleet. Despite the battle being largely one-sided, Georgia winced more than once as allied ships were blown apart. There were far too many ships, captains, and crews in Scott’s fleet for Georgia to know them all, yet it was inevitable that she was losing friends as the ships died.

After the first four salvos were exchanged by the two groups of warships, Georgia tore her eyes away and focused on her own targets. The smaller Karacknid fleet was skirting down around the lower edge of the arrowhead-shaped minefield. No doubt they were watching the fight too. But are they wishing they could come to their friend’s aid, or are they happy to be getting away? Georgia wondered. If it is the latter, you’re going to be disappointed, she thought towards them.

Two minutes before her fighters reached the edge of the minefield, Georgia activated her Talon’s COM unit and sent out a wide-angle transmission. It gave away her position immediately, yet she gained something far more. The transmission sent the coordinates and trajectory of the smaller Karacknid fleet to every stealth mine in the minefield.

Every single mine went active a second later. They reoriented themselves, lining up their missile tubes on the smaller Karacknid force, and then fired. Forty-four thousand missiles suddenly appeared as they began to rapidly accelerate towards the smaller Karacknid fleet. Less than ten thousand had any chance of reaching their targets, but the Karacknids didn’t necessarily know that just yet.

As soon as the missiles were away, Georgia changed COM channels and spoke to her pilots. “All squadrons to maximum acceleration. Follow them in. Remember your targets and focus on your evasive maneuvers.”

Thrusting her accelerator forward, Georgia brought her Talon out of stealth and to full acceleration. Eight thousand fighters joined her as they raced after the missiles toward the nineteen hundred Karacknid warships that had suddenly found themselves under attack. As they charged, the wave of missiles in front of Georgia began to thin as the mark V's ran out of fuel. The number on one of her secondary screens that was tracking them quickly began to fall from forty thousand down to just nine thousand. Yet those nine thousand raced in to attack the Karacknids.

Hundreds of thousands of point defense laser beams reached out to intercept them. Quickly, the missiles started to die. There simply weren't enough of them to overwhelm the Karacknids’ defensive fire. Still, the missiles did their job. While just eleven survived to strike at Karacknid warships, Georgia’s fighters were already charging in as they exploded.

In the blink of an eye, space around Georgia went from a peaceful calm to a deadly gauntlet of fiery death as the Karacknids opened up on her fighters. All around her, shields began to flare and then small explosions started marking where fighters were being destroyed by laser beams. Aware of it all, Georgia didn’t let it affect her. Her full concentration was on her evasive maneuvers and the massive Dreadnought at the center of the Karacknid formation she had selected. She didn’t know whether it was the Karacknid commander’s flagship or not, but it was one of the largest Karacknid ships in the fleet and she intended to bring it down.

Try as they might, the Karacknid gunners failed to land even a single hit on Georgia’s shield. Then thousands of new contacts suddenly appeared all around her as her Imperial fighters and bombers released their missiles. A second later, they pulled up and away from the Karacknid fleet. All of the Varanni and Eaglaton fighters continued on, however. For five more seconds, Georgia twisted and weaved through the defensive fire hurled at her. Then her HUD beeped at her.

Immediately, Georgia lined up her Talon’s nose onto the dreadnought she had selected. With ease, she tracked the feeble evasive maneuvers it was attempting. She aimed just forward of its engines, right where the Karacknid engineers who had sworn their loyalty to Jonathan had indicated. Then she squeezed her trigger. A deadly grazer beam shot out from her energy cannon. In three seconds, it crossed the distance to the dreadnought and slammed into it. Striking right where Georgia had aimed, the beam burnt through the dreadnought's armor and struck its main power relay lines. Immediately, the dreadnought’s engines lost power from their reactors. Then secondary explosions rippled up through the power relay lines. When they reached the reactors, two of them overloaded and a second after being hit, the dreadnought erupted in a massive explosion.

It wasn’t the only Karacknid warship to die. Hundreds succumbed to the energy beams fired by the Varanni and Eaglaton fighters. Immediately, the Karacknid fleet’s defensive fire was thrown into chaos. Yet they still had six thousand Imperial anti-ship missiles charging in towards them.

Ignoring the order she had given her pilots to pull up and away as soon as they had fired, Georgia drove in towards a second Karacknid dreadnought she had singled out. Six Hellcat fighters had fired twelve antimatter missiles at it. Only nine were still tracking the dreadnought. Georgia intended to ensure it died along with its sister ship.

A few laser beams came her way, but for the most part, the Karacknid gunners focused on the missiles fired by Georgia’s pilots. They, after all, posed a far greater threat. That was a mistake, however. As soon as she was close enough to accurately target the dreadnought with her laser cannons, Georgia opened up on it. In rapid succession, she blasted away at the dreadnought’s large sensor arrays and any defensive guns she could spot.

Her attacks threw off the dreadnought’s defensive fire. Yet the dreadnought wasn’t alone. A nearby light cruiser shot down two of the incoming missiles while two frigates shot down three more. With gritted teeth and a rage in her stomach, Georgia continued to pound the dreadnought as she escorted the remaining missiles in.

Realizing the danger it was in, the dreadnought started to twist in an effort to dodge the missiles still charging at it. Georgia let out a scream of anger as she saw several of the missiles struggling to match the maneuver. A second later, her scream turned to one of joy as two missiles pivoted with the dreadnought. Both slammed straight into its midsection, punching through its armor, and causing the dreadnought to visibly shudder. A second later, they detonated.

Georgia was nearly blinded by the massive bright blue shockwave that erupted from the dreadnought. The explosion smashed the rear third of the ship into debris, thrusting the forward two-thirds into a wild spin. Moments later, the forward part of the ship began to break apart into many pieces as well.

Georgia screamed again in victory as she worked her fighter up and away from the dangerous debris fields. All around her, more bright blue flashes began to erupt as hundreds more missiles struck targets and blasted them apart.

As she raced away from the Karacknid fleet, a handful of light ships peppered her with laser beams, but she easily dodged their fire. Once she was safe, she looked back at the Karacknid fleet. Just under three hundred of its warships remained intact. She smiled when she saw none were larger than a medium cruiser. They will never threaten us again, Father, she thought as she felt her battle focus receding.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Georgia turned her eyes back to her fighter wing. Nearly a thousand fighters were missing. Her heart ached at the number. But it is the price we must pay to ensure we are never invaded again, Georgia told herself.

It was the price she knew she might very well have to pay before peace was finally won. Long ago, she had already accepted that the odds would one day catch up with her. Even so, she had always feared leaving her family behind. But now if that day comes, I won’t be alone, she told herself as a tear rebelled against her fight for control and ran down her cheek.

*

IS Constitution

“The survivors of the smaller fleet are running, Admiral,” a sensor officer informed Scott.

“So I see,” Scott said as she watched them on the holo display. Abandoning their crippled and badly damaged larger consorts, the light ships and freighters that had just survived Georgia’s attack had gone to full acceleration. “We will leave them; we have done what we came to do. They will threaten no one. Focus on getting our fighters back and launching SAR shuttles. Hopefully, some of Georgia’s fighters managed to eject before their fighters were destroyed.”

An hour later, Scott turned to Rack’na, her Karacknid advisor. “Now, we hunt the Gal-tak.”

Rack’na bowed to her. “A wise choice, Admiral. I am sure you will deal with them just as efficiently as you have with the others. Your Imperator is greatly honored by your skill and service.”

“As he is yours,” Scott said genuinely. Rack’na was proving to be worth his weight in gold.

The Gal-tak fleet wasn’t the largest or most powerful Karacknid fleet still moving north, but they were a strategically important target. They controlled a portion of the Karacknid Empire’s southern border that faced The Wilds. Jonathan had made it crystal clear that when he returned from the Silizzarus homeworld, he intended to invade the Karacknid Empire and put an end to their ability to ever attack the Empire again. If Jonathan was going to be able to do that, he would have to conquer each clan’s space. Weakening the Gal-tak was the first step toward forcing all the clans to bend the knee to Jonathan.

“Set course for the Hampton FOB,” Scott ordered as soon as the last of Georgia’s fighters landed on their carriers. “We will use its supplies to refuel the fleet, and then its artificial shift passage will allow us to gain on the Gal-tak. We will soon have them under our guns!”

Chapter 14

In contrast, when you have the initiative and act decisively, luck often seems to be on your side. Such is the way of military warfare.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 20th September 2513 AD, (same time).

The journey to the Hafalan home system took Jonathan’s fleet three days. Jonathan spent most of that time wishing his fleet could go quicker and slower, both at the same time. The three-day journey was taking them further away from the Silizzarus homeworld. Every extra day it took them to reach their enemies’ system was a day more for the advanced snake-like aliens to prepare something nasty for Jonathan’s fleet. Yet, at the same time, three days was nowhere near long enough to make all the necessary preparations they needed to be ready to do what they were coming to do.

Over fifty shuttles had been refitted to transport He3 fuel. Supplies and munitions had been taken from nearly three hundred freighters and stuffed into the holds of all the Allied warships. The now-empty freighters had then started the process of being altered to hold fuel themselves. At the same time, Johnston, Becca, Alveraz, and Jonathan had spent a great deal of time poring over all the intel Alveraz’s scout frigates had gathered on the system they were approaching. They had then drawn up a plan they hoped would allow them to get their hands on as much fuel as they could without losing too many of their ships.

By the time Sparrowhawk jumped into the system, Jonathan felt like he needed several more days of preparation, while simultaneously wanting nothing more than to charge into the system and get on with what needed to be done. There was no more time, however, and so, taking a deep breath, Jonathan looked up at the holo display as it began to populate with everything Sparrowhawk’s sensors were detecting.

The first thing that was obvious was that the Hafalan were expecting them. Thousands of ships were rushing towards the Hafalan homeworld. A powerful force of four thousand warships was also in high orbit around the planet, protecting it. They weren’t the only warships in the system, however, as at least a thousand more were protecting several other key locations.

“Send the scouting squadrons in,” Jonathan ordered after a couple of minutes when he felt he had a firm grasp of the situation. He waited just half an hour to make sure there were no hidden fleets around the end of the shift passage, then he started his fleet moving forward as well. “Set course for their homeworld, maximum acceleration.”

“Yes, Sir,” Iso responded.

For an hour, Jonathan watched as the Hafalan responded to the threat he posed to their homeworld. Many civilian ships moved up to join the four thousand warships, clearly intent on fighting to protect their species’ home. Many orbital battlestations came online, demonstrating that it would not be an easy task to take the planet. About half of the thousand warships defending other locations within the system abandoned their posts and rushed to join those standing in the way of Jonathan’s fleet. When Jonathan felt his ruse would pay no more dividends, he turned to Iso and caught her attention. “Inform Reverus he can detach his fleet. Then turn us towards their second colony. Let’s see what they do.”

In response to Jonathan’s words, the Allied fleet began to split. Reverus led two thousand warships towards the system’s seventh planet. It was a small gas giant from which the Hafalan mined all the He3 they used in the system. Sparrowhawk then led the rest of the fleet as they turned towards the system’s fifth planet. It was a large rocky world, not entirely unlike Mars. Also like Mars, the Hafalan had colonized it despite its less-than-ideal habitability. From the scans Alveraz’s scout ships had taken, it appeared the Hafalan had moved all the heavy industries they didn’t want polluting their homeworld to the new colony. On Sparrowhawk’s screen, the world was lit up like a Christmas tree from all the heat and electromagnetic energy given off by the many thousands of massive industrial plants on the planet’s surface.

The upshot of what the Hafalan had done was that they had large stores of He3 in orbital stations and ground tanks to facilitate all the reactors it took to run the colony’s industries. That made the world a perfect target for what Jonathan had come looking for. And it also meant he didn’t have to try invading the Hafalan’s homeworld itself. Which would have been a bloodbath, Jonathan thought as he studied the massively built-up world the Hafalan fleet was protecting. Thankfully, as Jonathan’s fleet split up, the Hafalan fleet seemed content to watch over their homeworld rather than come out and pick a fight.

Reverus’ fleet reached their objective first. The He3 mining facilities were guarded by just one hundred warships and a handful of small battlestations. To minimize the damage to the other orbital stations, the Eaglaton Admiral struck with a force of over two thousand fighters. They easily took out their targets. Then Reverus’ warships moved into low orbit before disgorging shuttles full of Human marines and Gramrian warriors.

Despite General Tasata-su’s objections, it had wisely been decided to keep his Karacknid warriors in reserve. Despite the damage Jonathan’s actions would undoubtedly have on any future relations between the Allied species and the Hafalan, Jonathan wanted to minimize it as much as possible. Committing Karacknid warriors to fight hand-to-hand with the Hafalan would produce the opposite effect!

Half an hour after the shuttles were launched, Reverus signaled to inform Jonathan the orbital storage and mining facilities had been secured. Then the work of adapting the Hafalan fuel transfer infrastructure began, and fuel was soon moving over to the freighters Reverus had brought with him.

Leaving them to it, Jonathan turned to focus on his objective. Four hundred Hafalan warships and quite a few battlestations were waiting for him. There were also many other orbital stations around the colony facilitating all the industry on the planet’s surface. As much as he didn’t want to destroy the civilian facilities by accident, Jonathan couldn’t risk taking extra damage to his fleet. “Take us into long-range missile range. We’ll fire one half salvo of the old mark V’s and pause to see their effect,” he instructed Iso.

“Yes, sir,” she responded. “The mark V’s should cause a lot less collateral damage.”

“That is my hope,” Jonathan confirmed. Antimatter warheads tended to destroy anything remotely near them when they detonated, and civilian stations usually couldn’t take even a slight hit before breaking apart.

Twenty minutes later, Jonathan’s fleet slowed to a halt relative to the Hafalan colony. Then, seventy-four thousand missiles were launched at the Hafalan forces. Most targeted the Hafalan warships that had broken orbit and come out to meet Jonathan’s ships. The limited range on their own missiles meant they had to come and fight or be destroyed without even being able to fire back. Despite doing their best to defend themselves, the four hundred Hafalan warships were easily overwhelmed by the Allied missiles. Every single one was destroyed.

The orbital battlestations fared better. As the Allied missiles approached the colony, many more stations than had been expected opened up on them with defensive weapons. It turned out the Hafalan had armed many of their civilian stations. Just three hundred missiles reached attack range, yet they were enough to take out two-thirds of the Hafalan battlestations.

On Sparrowhawk’s holo display, over a hundred new stations turned from green to red as Jonathan’s analysts identified all the stations that were armed with defensive weapons. Jonathan had to fight back a sigh. All of them looked more like civilian industrial stations rather than military stations. He didn’t want to destroy any of them, but the Hafalan had given him little choice.

“Send a message to the colony. Inform them we’re going to destroy every station that fired on our missiles. Let them know we’ll give them ten minutes to evacuate their crews. Then we are firing another salvo.”

“Yes, Admiral, transmitting now,” Rossi replied.

When the time had passed, Jonathan nodded to Iso. Another thirty thousand mark V missiles were shot out of their tubes. When they closed with the colony, they saturated its defenses and destroyed almost all the hostile stations. As Jonathan moved his fleet forward, a wing of fighters raced in and finished off the stragglers.

“Transmit the coordinates of the exclusion zones,” Jonathan requested.

Rossi nodded and then began tapping on her console. Telling your enemy ahead of time what your targets were usually wasn’t the best strategy, but Jonathan wanted to give the Hafalan civilians plenty of warning that they were coming for their fuel storage facilities on the planet’s surface and nothing more. He was hoping they would get well out of the way.

“General Johnston is requesting permission to begin launching his shuttles,” Iso informed Jonathan. “Wing Commander Hawthorne’s fighters have carried out several sweeps of the orbitals now. He says the area is as secure as it's going to be.”

“All right, tell Johnston his first force can get going,” Jonathan replied. Be careful, he thought towards his brother a minute later as over a hundred shuttles left the Allied fleet and rushed towards the orbital fuel storage facilities. Alveraz’s intelligence agents had by far the best computer hacking skills in the fleet, so Johnston had requested several be embedded into his force that was to assault the stations.

As the shuttles approached the stations, Jonathan’s stomach tightened. If the Hafalan stations had any hidden weapons, the shuttles would be vulnerable as they slowed to dock with them. He let out a breath of relief as nothing happened. Hopefully, they put up as little resistance on the inside.

“Admiral, look at these feeds coming in from the satellites we have deployed in low orbit,” Iso said, drawing Jonathan’s attention away from the assault on the orbital stations. “There are several sizable forces of what look like ground troops moving to the exclusion zones.”

Jonathan grimaced. “Begin orbital bombardment then. Take out anything that looks like it is getting into position to contest our landings.” Jonathan really didn’t want to have to strike at the colony from orbit, but once again the Hafalan were giving him no choice. Which is exactly what we would do in their shoes, Jonathan knew.

No Human populace would just roll over and let an alien force land on their planet. Though he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he feared taking the orbitals was by far the easiest part of their current mission. It will only get harder from here, he reluctantly thought as he watched the first tungsten spears flash through the colony’s atmosphere and smash into a formation of what looked like APCs.

*

“Approaching the station now,” the shuttle pilot announced.

All around, Edward’s marines stiffened in their seats. He felt it too. As the shuttle slowed to approach its target station, it was at its most vulnerable. Though the marines were likely to face more danger inside the station, this felt worse. No one, least of all highly trained marines, liked sitting helpless as they waited to see if they would be blown up or not.

Edward glanced at Brooke who sat to his left. She looked serenely calm. When she tried to flash him a smile though, her control broke a little and he saw the fear in her eyes. It lasted only a second. By the time Edward returned her smile, she looked as confident as ever as she spoke. “They wouldn’t dare try and shoot us down. Not after what the fleet did to them.”

Edward nodded, though he didn’t quite share her conclusion. If the Hafalan weren’t firing at them, it was because Wing Commander Hawthorne’s fighters had already destroyed their weapons systems. If this was my homeworld, I’d be fighting with everything I had, Edward knew.

“About to dock,” the pilot announced after what seemed like an eternity but was actually less than twenty seconds.

“Prepare to disembark,” Major Ostergard ordered his marines.

As the twenty marines in the shuttle activated their combat armor’s helmets, Edward and Brooke did the same. Sliding up out of the back of his armor, Edward’s helmet encased his head and then activated its HUD. Edward looked around to make sure it was functioning properly and then grabbed his plasma rifle. He checked its capacitor’s charge and made sure it was set to a high power rating. Analysis of the captured armored suits the Hafalan wore suggested they would be able to withstand a lot of damage before they were killed. General Johnston had instructed all his forces to use full-powered bolts.

“Docked, you may deploy!” the shuttle pilot announced as the rear access hatch of the shuttle began to open.

The shuttle had used its magnetic clamps to attach itself to the side of the station. As the hatch opened, a view of open space greeted Edward. He and Brooke paused to let the marines charge out, then they followed. Activating his magnetic boots, Edward jumped from the shuttle’s hatch onto the station’s hull. Already four marines were setting shaped charges around a docking hatch they had located.

When one held up a hand, Edward knelt and braced himself. Five seconds later, a small blast wave struck him. Immediately, marines manhandled the destroyed hatch out of the way while others pushed themselves through the opening. Again, he and Brooke were the last to move; their job was to stay out of the way until they were needed.

Even so, as he led Brooke into the alien station, Edward kept his rifle up as his eyes darted back and forth. Just because the marines had cleared the large room the docking hatch led to, didn’t mean they were safe.

“We’ve secured three beachheads, Lieutenant,” Major Ostergard informed Edward as he stepped up beside him. “Nano drones have been deployed. I’m about to send out probing forces.”

Though Ostergard outranked Edward, Edward understood the deference the Major was showing him. Most in the military did, given who his parents were. This time, the goal of the mission was to get him and Brooke to the bridge, so it made sense that Ostergard wanted to keep them in the loop. “Proceed as you see best, Major,” Edward responded, knowing there was no point in telling the marine how best to handle the boarding operation.

Instead of getting involved, Edward watched on his HUD as the nano drones began to spread through the station, mapping it out. Almost immediately, the drones began to come into contact with armed Hafalan. A number on one side of the HUD quickly started rising as it counted the number of combatants. Edward swallowed hard. It looked like every Hafalan on the station had grabbed a weapon and was preparing to welcome the intruders. Facing them, Ostergard had four shuttles worth of special forces marines. Yet they were all spread out and separated from one another.

“Speed is our greatest weapon,” Ostergard said to his eighty-six marines. He then began highlighting three separate sections on everyone’s HUD. These looked like the bridge, engineering, and an auxiliary control room. “Lieutenants Hanson and Jeffers, take your squads and strike the second two targets. Try and draw as many Hafalan towards you as possible. The rest of us are going for the bridge. We’ll meet here and make a final push,” he added as he highlighted another section two decks below the bridge. “Move out!”

Having spent years practicing boarding ships and stations of every known design, Ostergard’s marines needed no more directions. Even if the Hafalan station was something they hadn’t encountered before, it was close enough that the marines’ instincts would take care of the rest.

With a speed that astonished even Edward, the twenty marines with Ostergaard moved out from the chamber they had secured. Though they met resistance almost immediately, they began cutting down the Hafalan with grim efficiency. Edward winced as he saw one Hafalan all but sliced in two by four plasma bolts on his HUD. Though he didn’t really want to watch the marines' progress, he forced himself to as he followed Ostergaard. If for some reason he had to take command, he needed to know exactly what was happening.

As the marines advanced, it quickly became apparent most of the Hafalan didn’t really know what they were doing with their weapons. Even so, the indigenous aliens threw themselves at Ostergaard’s marines. Then the attackers met the first real resistance. A barricade had been placed across the corridor they had been advancing along. The first marines to meet it were greeted with a hail of laser beams. Then grenades were hurled down towards them. The special forces marines' augmented reflexes allowed them to slap the grenades back up the corridor before they detonated. They then hurled their own grenades and blasted the barricade apart. Before the Hafalan who had been blown onto their backs recovered, marines were pouncing on them, finishing them off with precise plasma bolts.

The barricade was just the first they began to encounter, and as they progressed deeper within the station, they became stronger as the Hafalan got themselves better organized. “We’re going to struggle with this one, Major,” a Lieutenant reported just three minutes after the advance had begun.

Immediately, Ostergaard highlighted two side corridors. “Epsilon and Sigma squads, move out. Flank them.” Ostergaard waited just ten seconds and then gave his next order. “Covering fire.”

As marines tossed grenades and fired a spread of plasma bolts towards the latest barricade, Epsilon and Sigma squads came charging in from the flanks. They killed all the Hafalan before they knew what was happening. They don’t know combat tactics, Edward realized. If they did, they would have had soldiers in place to intercept any flanking attacks. They must just be the station's crew!

Over the course of another couple of minutes, Ostergaard’s marines continued to advance quickly through the large station. In the process, they were joined by marines from two of the other shuttles as they began to join up with one another. In the process, two marines were killed and five others had to be left behind with serious injuries. Edward reckoned they had to have killed at least forty Hafalan. Despite their losses, the Hafalan were still throwing themselves at Ostergaard’s marines.

“I think someone finally knows what they’re doing,” the same Lieutenant said over the command COM channel. “There’s a series of barricades up ahead on the approach to the bridge. It looks like the parallel corridors are barricaded as well.”

Edward saw what the Lieutenant was talking about on his HUD as a feed from one marine showed several rows of barricades one behind the other.

“They’re getting more prepared. We can’t give them any more time,” Ostergaard said to his officers. “Gonzales, feint a flank left. Lieutenant Lo, you’re going right up the right flank. Don’t stop for anything. We’ll charge when you make it to the main line of barricades.”

“Aye, sir,” Lo responded resolutely.

Edward watched nervously as the attacks went in. Lo’s marines charged without hesitation. Four squads totaling sixteen marines barreled up the smaller corridor that ran parallel to the one that led to the station’s bridge. Trusting in their speed and armor, they leapt from cover and assaulted the three barricades that were protecting the Hafalan’s right flank. Like a tidal wave, they crashed into and over each of the barricades. At least ten Hafalan were killed. Yet five marines also fell.

Then Lo’s marines reached the flank of the main Hafalan force. At the exact same time, Ostergaard charged with his marines. In a deadly firefight that lasted less than ten seconds, each of the Hafalan barricades was assaulted and overcome. Before the area was announced secure though, two sections of the corridor behind Edward’s position began to flash. Nano drones had detected Hafalan moving up on their rear. Seconds later, the four marines Ostergaard had watching their backs came under fire. Shouts of alarm also filtered down from Ostergaard’s position, telling Edward the Major was being attacked as well.

Edward reacted without thinking. Spinning, he ran with Brooke to aid the marines guarding their rear. He knew Ostergaard could handle his position, but if he was attacked from the rear as well, things could go bad very quickly. On his HUD, he could see the Hafalan were driving the four rearguard marines back. He could also see where their attacks were coming from. Twisting as he ran, Edward turned down a small side corridor and looped around to flank the Hafalan.

Without making a noise, as soon as he came upon them, he opened up with his plasma rifle. Together, he and Brooke swept one of the Hafalan groups with plasma bolts. To Edward’s amazement, the firefight ended before it really felt like it had begun. Six dead Hafalan lay at his feet. He stared for a second, and then a Human groan drew his attention. One of the two marines he had saved had been hit. His friend was turning him over to get a look at the wound.

Edward wanted to help him too, but the sounds of plasma rifles firing reminded him the other two marines were still in trouble. “Look after him,” Edward shouted as he rushed past the marine looking over his friend.

With no way to flank the second attacking group, Edward and Brooke rushed to the other two marines' position. As soon as they got there, they both hurled grenades down the corridor towards the attackers. Then they added their fire to the two marines. In three waves, the Hafalan charged them. Plasma bolts cut down the first two waves. The third got so close that Edward could see the rage on the Hafalan’s faces. He cut down two Hafalan, but as he turned to sight in on a third, he found a laser pistol already pointed right at him.

A fraction of a second later, something struck Edward’s armor. The force sent him spinning back, crashing into one of the corridor walls. Alarms blared and his HUD flashed red as his armor registered the hit. Edward gasped from the impact against the wall. He also felt a great deal of heat radiating down through his shoulder and neck. Gingerly, he tried to move as he assessed how bad the hit was.

Brooke’s combat armor-clad face appeared in front of him a moment later. “You’ve been hit!” she nearly screamed. Her hands roamed over his armor as she tried to see where the beam had struck him. “Are you okay? Where did it get you?”

“I think I’m okay,” Edward said as he tried to push himself up onto his elbows. The movement made him groan, yet he was able to push himself up. “My right shoulder. I think my armor is intact though.”

Brooke’s eyes and hands shot to Edward’s shoulder. “You’re right, you’ve been hit.” Brooke felt around Edward's shoulder and roughly turned him over to check his back. Then she moved back a little. As she spoke, he could sense the smile on her lips. “It was just a grazing blow. Your armor is intact.” She then reached out and helped Edward to his feet. “What does your combat armor say?”

“That it’s damned hot in here!” Edward complained. “But it agrees. Most of the beam’s energy missed me… Thankfully.”

“Lieutenant, we’re ready for you,” Ostergaard said, cutting off Brooke from replying. “You better get here quick; some of the other stations are reporting they’ve encountered problems.”

As Edward turned, four marines came running into sight. Their Sergeant nodded to Edward and then moved past them, clearly on his way to further secure the platoon’s rear. “Come on,” Edward said to Brooke. “You can look me over properly later.”

Thirty seconds later, they were standing on the station’s bridge. Ostergaard had clearly ordered his marines to switch their weapons to stun, for all the bridge's consoles looked intact, and there were several unconscious Hafalan strewn around them.

"Other marines and Intelligence agents are reporting their stations' self-destructs have been initiated," Ostergaard said as soon as they appeared. "You better get to work!"

Edward and Brooke shared a look, then they both rushed to what appeared to be the station’s main control console. They felt around until they were able to remove several panels and then both pulled out their datapads. After quickly configuring their adaptors, they connected to the panel. "You check the various systems, I’ll do the architecture," Edward instructed.

Within thirty seconds, they had a decent idea of how the Hafalan computer system worked. "It’s not too different from 22nd century Crian computer tech," Edward said. "Try a burrowing virus."

"Right," Brooke responded as she quickly adapted the virus and set it loose.

Edward released a virus of his own into the computer system. More secretive than the burrowing one, it watched as the computer system recognized Brooke’s virus as a foreign piece of code and set about attacking it. "It’s using a secondary-tertiary response tactic," Edward said as he explained what his virus was finding. "Eh..." he added when it spotted something else.

"What?" Brooke demanded.

"Look, this station’s self-destruct has been set too. We have ninety seconds," Edward said as his mind raced. "I think we can brute force it. But we need to give it everything we’ve got."

"Then we better get to it!" Brooke said as her fingers began to fly over her datapad.

"Evacuate everyone you don’t need," Edward said without turning to look at Ostergaard as his fingers got to work too.

Faster than he thought either of them could work, Edward and Brooke set about adapting every virus they had that was known to work against Crian computer systems. Fifty seconds later, they began to release them one by one into the station’s system. On their own, any one of their viruses probably wouldn’t be able to defeat the system’s defenses, but together they were meant to give the system too many problems to track down and destroy. All it would take was for one of the viruses to wrest control of the system’s main functions and Edward would gain control.

"Is it working?" Ostergaard asked, more than a hint of nerves in his voice.

"We don’t know yet," Brooke said as they both monitored the Hafalan system as it desperately tried to fight off the many different viruses.

"Well, it better, things aren’t going too well for some of our other teams," Ostergaard said. As he spoke, he pulled out his own datapad and projected an image of several of the nearby orbital stations. Edward glanced at it just as several explosions engulfed one station. It immediately broke apart and began to fall out of orbit. Edward saw at least one Imperial shuttle still attached to the station’s hull. "If this isn’t going to work, we need to get out of here now!" Ostergaard warned.

Edward’s eyes flashed back to his datapad. There were just twenty-eight seconds left on the self-destruct. He knew he had to make a split-second decision. We need this fuel! He told himself. "We can do it," he snapped.

Now come on, prove me right! he urged his viruses as he watched their progress. "We need to adapt the ones the system has already defeated," he said to Brooke as the seconds continued to rush by.

Once again, both of their fingers got to work as they rewrote several of the viruses the system had first dealt with and released fresh versions of them. Sweat began to build on Edward’s brow as the countdown reached ten. When it got to seven, he stopped working. There was nothing more he could do now. At five, he felt his body begin to tense as every muscle tightened. At four, his datapad suddenly flashed.

"We’re in!" Brooke shouted in delight.

Edward was already at work. Relief flooded through him when he stopped the countdown at two seconds. "It’s done," he sighed. "We stopped it!"

"Great work, Lieutenants… but maybe next time, a little less with the dramatics," Ostergaard said. "Just because you are spooks, it doesn’t mean you have to put on a show for us normal soldiers." Around the bridge, the other marines nodded their agreement.

Edward and Brooke looked at each other. They shared a smile that was as much filled with relief as pride in their work, then they set about taking control of the rest of the station. They had fuel to get unloaded, after all.

Chapter 15

The Imperial Marines played a role in every major war leading to the Empire’s founding, yet they were always of secondary importance to the Imperial Fleet. With the outbreak of the Antarian War, that would forever change.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As her shuttles and fighters formed up around her command shuttle, Sergeant General Becca Samuels took a moment to watch some of the live feeds coming in from the marines assaulting the orbital stations. She was immediately struck by the resolve shown by the Hafalan crews. Though they were being killed at rates of nearly twenty to one, still they kept fighting. Then the first orbital stations self-destructed. Becca winced at the sudden loss of life. It also caused the nerves in her stomach to tighten.

If the Hafalan were willing to blow up their stations and themselves to stop them from being taken, what would their ground forces do? Already, Becca knew there were actual Hafalan military forces on the surface of the colony below her. If they threw themselves at her forces with the same abandon, she was going to take losses. There would be no stopping it.

Switching the feed on the command table back to the colony itself, Becca saw two more tungsten spears plunge through the planet’s atmosphere. They both struck a structure that had been identified as a military base situated near their target. She then glanced at her own force as it continued to assemble. General Johnston had given her command of the first landing wave. It was her job to secure an LZ and then move on the He3 storage facility they had chosen as their target. As she turned the image from one of the fleet’s orbital satellites towards her chosen LZ, the feed suddenly went fuzzy.

Becca frowned and waited a couple of seconds for it to clear up. Yet it didn’t. “What is going on?” she demanded over the COM channel she had open with her staff officers.

“We don’t know yet, General,” her Chief of Staff replied. “We’re waiting for an answer from General Johnston’s staff... wait, we’re getting something…”

In frustration, Becca tried to access other satellites, but the images were all the same. Then she tried looking at other parts of the colony. They too were all fuzzy. The knot in her stomach grew tighter as she began to suspect what was happening.

“General Johnston's staff have just confirmed it,” Becca’s staff officer finally informed her. “They think it’s some kind of jamming field. It’s not exactly like our Shadow Field, but it is similar.”

Becca swore. The Shadow Field had been developed in the first Karacknid war. It was essentially a sophisticated series of ground-based jammers that prevented ships in orbit from accurately scanning a planet. It was designed to prevent a Karacknid fleet that had taken a planet’s orbitals from simply bombarding any Imperial armies on the planet’s surface. There goes our orbital supporting fire, Becca thought. Her task had just become far harder.

“I have General Johnston on a COM channel for you, General,” Becca’s COM officer informed her.

“Sergeant General, I think we need to change our plans,” Johnston said gruffly, sounding far from happy. “The primary LZ is far too close to our target to risk landing there without orbital support. I suggest you divert to the tertiary LZ.”

Becca didn’t have to think about it for more than a couple of seconds. “I concur, General. We should be able to set up in the hills around the tertiary LZ. I’d like to have the second wave land before we try moving out further.”

“Ok, we’ll run with that,” Johnston agreed. “Once you have your people down, you’ll need to push your scouts out further. See if you can locate any of the sources of this jamming as well. If we can, I’d like to take it out around the target and get you some orbital fire support.”

“I’ll make it a priority,” Becca responded.

“I’m trying to rustle you up some more fighters as well,” Johnston added. “Before the jamming kicked in, we identified a number of military airports. Wing Commander Hawthorne is already preparing sorties to strike at them, but they may have more. So stay sharp.”

“Aye, General. We will,” Becca assured him.

“All right then, you know we need to be quick about this, so time to get to it, Sergeant General.”

“Yes, sir,” Becca said. “I’ll keep you in the loop as best I can.”

“And I’ll have your back,” Johnston promised. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir,” Becca said just before the COM channel clicked closed. She switched to her commanders’ COM channel. “It is time, everyone. We’re switching to the tertiary LZ. The plan is the same otherwise. Colonel Higgins, once your people are down, you are to secure the hills to the east of the LZ. Everyone else, start pushing your scouts out an additional two to three clicks as soon as you can. If anything is coming against us, I want to know about it right away.”

After all her commanders acknowledged her new orders, Becca nodded, though she knew they couldn’t see her. “Flight Leader Joa, you may begin your attack run. We’ll be right behind you.”

As her attack force of two hundred shuttles and four hundred fighters began to descend towards the planet’s atmosphere, Becca felt nerves like never before. Though she had fought in many battles and had led such large formations in many simulations, this was by far the largest force she had ever commanded. A part of her told her she was only here because she was Jonathan’s wife. Viciously, she fought back that idea. General Johnston was the greatest marine commander the Empire had ever had. He would never have given you command if he thought you weren’t capable, she told herself. Focus!

On the holo command table, the lead fighter squadrons of Becca’s force began to disappear as they passed through the planet’s upper atmosphere and were enveloped by the jamming. Becca held her breath as more and more of her force vanished. Then it was her turn. Seconds after passing through the jamming, the command table her shuttle had been built around began to be filled with new images and symbols as all of her forces sent their sensor readings to the shuttle.

The first thing that Becca saw was at least a hundred air contacts engaging each other. Quickly, the shuttle identified thirty-six of them as Imperial Hellcats. The others had to be Hafalan atmospheric fighters. Both groups of combatants began to disappear in equal numbers. Becca ground her teeth together. Hellcats were excellent spatial fighters, but they weren’t optimized to fight in a planet’s atmosphere.

Squadron Leader Joa was on top of things, however, for seconds later, two squadrons of marine atmospheric fighters flashed through the tense dogfight. Missiles and then laser beams destroyed more than twenty Hafalan fighters. The rest broke off the battle and raced away. They know they can’t get to the shuttles now, Becca figured.

Before Becca could assess what else was going on, missile launch alarms began to blare. From four different locations below her wave of shuttles, hundreds of missiles began to rise up into the sky. Becca reacted on instinct. She highlighted each SAM site and assigned them to different parts of her ground strike force. Then she turned her shuttles to face the incoming missiles. Dedicated PD shuttles raced out to meet the missiles first. They shot down hundreds of them. Even as the rest of the missiles tried to strike at her shuttles, ground attack shuttles and squadrons of Joa’s fighters streaked over the SAM sites and blew them apart.

Becca’s shuttles fired every defensive weapon they had at the incoming Hafalan missiles. Then they began to launch flares and chaff as they went evasive. Most missiles were shot down. Yet six shuttles took hits. Four were blown to smithereens. The other two began to spiral down towards the planet's surface out of control.

Becca’s hands tightened into fists. She wanted to smash something. Already she had lost a hundred and eighty people! Yet she knew she couldn’t allow herself to get emotional. She needed to get her forces on the ground as quickly as possible. As her force continued to rush towards the LZ, she assessed the initial scans from the scout fighters that had already overflown it. Working quickly, she assigned targets to more of her ground attack shuttles. Racing ahead of her force, they began to hurl missiles and plasma bolts at anything that looked like it would pose a threat. Then her first shuttles were touching down.

Twenty-eight marines charged out of each of the first six shuttles to land in the wide flat area that had been chosen as the LZ. Immediately, they began to spread out. The shuttles then jumped back into the air and began to hover over the marines, providing air cover.

The LZ was bordered on the north and east by large hills, and quickly squads of special forces marines began to ascend them. At the same time, other marines fanned out into the sparse forest to the south while other marines momentarily disappeared as they strode into the wide river that flowed through the middle of the valley. The river marked the west side of the LZ. Less than thirty seconds after walking into the river, the marines began to reappear on the other side. They then broke out into a fast jog as they moved up towards the hills that marked the west side of the valley.

As the Lieutenants and Sergeants of the marines began to report in that they had secured their initial defensive positions, Becca sent in her second group of shuttles. They disgorged two hundred more marines along with four Scimitar air defense weapons systems. As the air defenses were set up, the rest of the marines moved out to reinforce those holding the perimeter of the LZ. Once their shuttles had taken off again, Becca ordered in the rest of her force. Over the next five minutes, twelve hundred more marines, two squads of Ferret recon tanks, and a battery of Banshee close support artillery tanks were all landed.

One of the last shuttles to land was Becca’s command shuttle. She didn’t get out of the shuttle though. Instead, she continued to use her command table as she organized her forces. Only once she had everything in place did she give the order for most of her shuttles to head back up to space. They would return to the fleet to begin picking up the fourth landing wave. She then sent a brief report to General Johnston informing him that she was ready for the second wave of troops to be landed.

As she waited for the next wave of shuttles to appear, Becca started pushing out some of her scouting forces further from the LZ. She also coordinated with Squadron Leader Joa to use his fighters to recon the path her force would eventually have to take to the He3 storage facilities.

Surprisingly, as her forces spread out, they didn’t encounter any Hafalan ground troops. Where are they? Becca asked herself. She had been expecting to come under attack almost immediately. As the second wave of shuttles began to approach, she was briefly distracted as she worked with her staff officers to get her additional forces landed. Yet the question kept repeating in her mind as her scouting forces continued to spread out. They have to have gone to ground! There is no way they have just retreated.

Despite her suspicions, over the next hour, Becca’s forces encountered almost no resistance. Several times, her scouting units stumbled upon small groups of Hafalan soldiers hiding in isolated buildings or in deep gorges. But for the most part, the uninhabited land all around the LZ was devoid of enemy activity.

In contrast, the LZ had become thick with activity as all five waves of Becca’s force were landed. Artillery and air defenses were set up throughout the valley, while a tank platoon and most of her marines moved south, clearing a path through the sparse forest as they prepared to strike out towards the He3 storage facilities. Becca also moved from her shuttle to a command APC that would allow her and her staff to advance with her platoons. Just as she was about to give the order to begin their advance, one of her colonels sent her a priority scouting report. He had found some significant Hafalan forces.

Immediately, Becca’s staff officers pulled the images up on the command table and began analyzing them. It took Becca just a couple of seconds to recognize what she was looking at. Between the LZ and the storage facilities, there were a number of spread-out industrial facilities and one small village. All of them had already been reached by her scouting units and all had been abandoned. But now her lead scouts had reached the last hills just before the He3 storage facility. Just below them, a thin line of Hafalan forces was setting up defensive positions.

Becca recognized tanks and APCs as well as what looked to be towed laser cannons all getting into good cover. Above them, along the top of the hills, other forces were setting up as well. And there will be another line down behind the hills, Becca reckoned. The Hafalan were setting up a series of defensive lines. They know we’re coming, and they plan to put up a fight!

“Give the order for the main platoons to advance,” Becca said. “Then instruct our scouting forces to begin probing the Hafalan positions.”

As more of her scouts made contact with the enemy positions, a more detailed picture of what she was up against began to form. For a couple of minutes, Becca studied the enemy positions as she tried to figure out the niggling sensation she felt in the back of her mind. Then she saw it. There were two sections along the front and second lines that looked just a little weaker than the others. Both were drawing her attention as ideal spots to try and break through to her target. Yet if she moved her best units there and began an attack, any advance would cause a series of hills that jutted out from the others to begin to cover their right flank.

So far, none of Joa’s fighters nor any of Becca’s scouting forces or drones had been able to get a look over the hills the Hafalan had set up on due to the impressive antiair weapons operating behind the hills. They have another force waiting back there. If we try to break through those weak spots, they will counterattack and try to roll up our flank, Becca guessed, all but certain that was what she was seeing. Well, we’ll see about that.

Quickly, Becca typed a message to be sent back up through the jamming field to Johnston. Then she sent orders to the commanders of her different units. From everything she had seen so far, her force outnumbered the Hafalan defenders two to one, though she was sure that wouldn’t last much longer. She needed to use that advantage before they could bring up more forces. Two can play the game you are trying, she thought toward her opposite number.

For the next fifteen minutes, Becca moved her platoons forward and into positions ready to assault the first Hafalan defensive line. Then she began an artillery and mortar barrage of the enemy positions. In keeping with the idea that she was trying to hit the weakened enemy positions, she focused her fire on them. Then she launched a diversionary attack on a different part of the line. A hundred marines, assisted by several shuttles, charged through a forest, and tried to breach the first line. They actually succeeded in reaching it and taking out two heavy laser cannon emplacements. But then fire poured down onto their positions from the hills above them. Quickly, they retreated as her artillery struck at the enemy positions hitting them.

Becca tried not to think of their losses as she gave the go order for her main attack. Six recon tanks, accompanied by twelve APCs, began to roll forward. Fresh artillery strikes softened up the enemy lines. Three hundred marines also fanned out ahead of the attack force. Laser beams and artillery shells soon began to be hurled at the force, yet the well-trained marines took out anything that opened up on them within seconds of the enemy revealing themselves.

With relative ease and minimal losses, the attacking force breached the first Hafalan line. That was the signal for a more general attack to begin. As marines from the first attacking force peeled off and began hitting the flanks of the first defensive line, the rest of Becca’s forces began to advance on the first line.

Even as the battle widened Becca’s first attacking force continued its advance up to the hills in front of them as they sought to take their summits and breach the second defensive line. Right about now, Becca thought as her lead forces passed the ridge line that jutted out from the Hafalan positions.

Seconds later, marines and nano drones began to detect movement. Suddenly, Hafalan tanks and other vehicles appeared over the crest of the spur. At least a thousand soldiers on foot also began to charge down towards the flank of Becca’s recon tank force. Already primed to face such an attack, hypervelocity missiles, tank shells, and plasma bolts lashed out from the Imperial marines, cutting down the first line of attackers. At the same time, artillery shells and mortars pummeled the top of the ridge line, preventing any further enemy forces from joining the charge.

Mere seconds later, twenty shuttles came racing in low from behind the hills they had been using for cover. Each of them rippled off ten hypervelocity missiles. The Hafalan tank force was devastated. To finish off the attack, a fresh platoon of Gramrian special forces warriors charged into the flank of what was left of the Hafalan forces. Like a tsunami wave they crashed into the bewildered Hafalan soldiers. Moving far quicker than the Hafalan thought was possible, the augmented raptor-like aliens raced through the Hafalan. Laser beams and claws cut down every last Hafalan soldier that was left.

As soon as her ambush was complete, Becca gave fresh orders for her tanks to begin advancing again. Fresh artillery strikes softened up the Hafalan defending the hills of their second defensive line. Then tanks and marines came pouring over their position. From the vantage point on the crest of the hills, the marines then directed artillery fire down onto the third defensive line before charging and breaching it as well.

Within ten minutes of giving the order to advance, the entire first line of the Hafalan’s defenses had been taken and the secondary and tertiary lines breached in two places. Realizing their position was untenable, the Hafalan started to pull back all across the six-mile-wide battlefield. “Pursue them!” Becca ordered her forces. She knew they would just regroup to fight her again. “Drive them to the east and west,” she instructed her commanders as she drew two lines on her holo map. “Force them away from the fuel storage facilities.”

As her forces advanced, Becca liaised with Joa and sent fresh fighters and shuttles after the fleeing Hafalan to rain down more death and destruction on them. Then a message came in from the next wave of landing shuttles. Becca quickly surveyed the battlefield and chose a new LZ. As her engaged forces continued to chase away the enemy, she landed another battalion of marines as close to the frontline as she dared.

Once the new wave was landed and ready, she ordered them down towards the fuel storage facilities. Nano drones had identified several hundred Hafalan dug in around and within the facility. Though they put up a good fight, they were quickly dealt with by Becca’s fresh marines.

“Take us down to the facility,” Becca ordered the driver of her command APC. “Send a shuttle up through the atmosphere with a message for General Johnston. Inform him he can begin sending down the converted fuel shuttles,” she then instructed her staff officers.

“Understood, General,” Becca’s Chief of Staff responded.

“Now,” Becca said as she surveyed the battlefield being displayed in front of her. “Let’s call back our forces chasing the enemy. I want a perimeter set up ten miles around the facility. We’ll use these two ridge lines here and this isolated hill to the east,” she added as she began to draw a series of defensive lines she needed. The best estimates indicated that it would take at least thirty hours to haul all the fuel in the storage tanks up to space. She doubted the Hafalan would leave her forces alone that long. “We need to be ready for when they counterattack.”

Chapter 16

One clear lesson military history teaches us is this: never give your enemy breathing space. If you have him on the ropes, press your advantage again and again until he is defeated. For if you do not finish him, then you may forever live to regret it.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

After taking the fuel storage facility, Becca left her command APC to walk around it and survey the terrain her forces had to defend in person. Then she returned to her mobile command post and got to work setting up her defenses and coordinating the work of the engineers who were tasked with getting the captured fuel up to orbit. Apart from a couple of short naps, she spent the next twenty-six hours overseeing her forces and keeping an eye out for their enemy. However, apart from a few small attempted raids and the occasional artillery barrage, the Hafalan made no major moves against her positions.

“Fresh artillery shells incoming!” a staff officer announced. “They’re targeting Alpha line, third quadrant.”

“Warn our troops there,” Becca snapped. “Trace where they are coming from. Ask Squadron Leader Jao to get some of his fighters in the theater.”

As the shells' trajectories were plotted and traced back, one of Becca’s officers zoomed in on a small village that appeared to house the workers from several of the nearby industrial facilities that had been abandoned. Nano drone footage had confirmed that there were upwards of five thousand civilians in the village. To date, though, no Hafalan soldiers had been spotted there.

“They’re using the civilians for cover!” Becca said, shaking her head in disgust. Suddenly she had a dilemma. If she sent in Jao’s fighters, they would level half the village as they tried to take out whatever artillery pieces were there.

“That village is where we think one of the jammers is,” another officer told her.

Becca nodded. So far, her analysts and scouts had identified at least six likely locations of nearby Hafalan jammers. Twice she had asked General Johnston and Jonathan for permission to send a small raiding force to try and capture one to see if they could weaken the jamming field that was blinding the warships in orbit. Twice she had been denied. The jammers were all set up in sensitive places like villages or large industrial facilities. Her husband didn’t want to risk going after them and causing more collateral damage when no one even knew if taking out the jammers nearest to Becca’s force would have any impact on the jamming field.

But now we have an excuse, Becca told herself. “COM 1st Rapid Strike Force,” Becca ordered. “Tell them they’re going in. I want them to hit that village and take out those artillery pieces. If they can locate the jammer, they are to do so as well. Prep Jao’s fighters and four shuttles to escort them in.”

Becca’s fingers itched as she watched on the holo display as a wave of shuttles leapt off the ground and rushed over the gas storage facility towards the village. First, Jao’s fighters flashed the area, eliciting several SAMs that were launched after them. Follow-up fighters hurled three hypervelocity missiles at the SAM launchers identified near the edge of the village, destroying them. Then the shuttles came racing in low. More SAMs from within the village reached out towards them, but the shuttles’ laser cannons shot them all down. In just ten seconds, the shuttles landed, disgorged the marines, and then shot back up into the air. Quickly, they began to retreat before more SAMs could be fired at them.

The two hundred special forces marines that had been landed sprinted towards the village. As they ran, they hurled chaff and smoke grenades ahead of them that erupted to obscure their approach. Seconds later, laser beams began to flash through the smoke. Two marines were hit by the blind fire, but the fast-moving augmented marines quickly covered the distance to the edge of the village.

Consisting of just one- and two-story buildings laid out in a pattern of concentric circles, the village offered no great advantage to the defenders. Every time a group of Hafalan soldiers appeared to engage the marines, several squads quickly pinned them down while others moved to flank them. With grim efficiency, Becca watched as her marines moved through the village, clearing street after street. Thankfully, all of the unarmed Hafalan civilians kept themselves hunkered down in their homes. The precise fire of the marines kept civilian casualties to a minimum. Nevertheless, on several occasions, Hafalan soldiers opened up on the marines from within buildings, and so collateral damage was inevitable.

When the marines reached the center of the village, hypervelocity missiles blew apart the six artillery pieces that had been raining down fire on Becca’s first defensive line. With the primary objective complete, the marines quickly began to pull back. Becca watched as four squads raided a large building in the village square. When they reappeared, they carried a large thick pole with many antennas on it.

“That must be the jammer,” Becca said to her staff excitedly. “Get it back here ASAP.”

“It will be on the first shuttle,” Nottingham, Becca’s Chief of Staff assured her.

“Sergeant General, drones have spotted a relief force rushing to the village,” an officer informed Becca as he panned the image on the holo table to show his commander.

“Jao’s fighters can take them,” Becca responded at once. Less than thirty seconds later, hypervelocity missiles smashed into the six APCs, blowing them apart long before they reached the village.

With the artillery silenced and their backup no more, the remaining Hafalan soldiers in the village slipped back into the shadows once again, and Becca’s force enjoyed a brief period of respite. Becca watched the shuttle carrying the marines as it flew back to the new LZ she had set up beside the fuel storage facility. When it landed, she left her APC and went to meet the marines. Quickly, she weaved through the six shuttles that were currently being pumped full of fuel to reach the shuttle. When she got there, several officers had already gathered to take a look at the jammer.

“Well, what do you make of it, Lieutenant?” Becca asked her electronics expert who had beaten her there.

The Lieutenant shook his head. “I don’t know, Sergeant General. It looks awfully small to be the source of all the jamming we’ve detected.”

“But taking it has had an impact on the jamming around us,” Becca insisted. She had seen it herself. The strength of the jamming directly above the village and even out to the fuel storage facility had reduced by about twenty percent.

“It did,” the Lieutenant said as he reached out and touched the jamming device. “We’ll know more once we break it down and hack into its control software.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Becca said as she took a step towards the jammer. “That thing’s going straight up into orbit. I already have a shuttle lined up. I just wanted to see it before it goes.”

The Lieutenant looked visibly distraught but he nodded nonetheless. “I suppose the higher-ups will want to be the ones to take it apart.”

“Exactly,” Becca agreed. “Although, if we can get our hands on a couple more... Come with me back to my command APC. I want us to send up a short report with the jammer. With luck, General Johnston will let us try and capture a few more of them now. There’s a good chance if we take out two or three more, we might actually be able to thin out the jamming above us enough for the ships in orbit to give us some better fire support.”

The Lieutenant looked doubtful for a couple of seconds. He knew as well as Becca did that her request to try and capture one of the jammers had already been denied twice before. Seeing he wasn’t getting what she meant though, Becca repeated herself. “Listen… I’m saying, if my electronics expert insists capturing two or three more might thin out the jamming enough, then maybe General Johnston will let us try. Isn’t that what my electronics officer says?”

“Of course, of course,” the Lieutenant said, finally getting what Becca was looking for. “I’m sure we can put together a report to that effect.”

“Good, then let’s go,” Becca said as she gestured for the other marines to take the jammer to the shuttle waiting for it. Then she turned and marched back to her command APC.

*

Half an hour later, Becca was disappointed once again. Johnston and Jonathan had sent a joint message back to her denying her request to send out more forces to try and take out the nearby jammers. Jonathan had specifically repeated his desire not to cause any additional collateral damage or civilian casualties. In addition, Johnston had argued that because the jammers were so small and portable, the Hafalan could simply bring in more of them.

In frustration, Becca stood up from her seat at the holo table. Though her scouts were still reporting very little contact with the enemy, she could feel it. They were preparing something. Her engineers estimated that it would take at least another six hours for them to take all the fuel they needed up to orbit. If she could take out the nearby jammers, then she would have orbital support to fight off whatever the Hafalan were planning.

But what if they don’t attack? Becca asked, unable to stop second guessing herself. They’ll think you are just being jumpy in your first real command position, she was sure. Though both Johnston and Jonathan had assured her they thought she was more than capable of commanding the landing, Becca couldn’t help feeling like she was here because her husband was the Imperial heir. And what if you are just being jumpy? They’ll think twice about giving you command again.

And yet I know what I feel! She protested to herself. Something was coming. She could feel it building within her.

You need to tell them, she argued with herself. Tell them what, that you have a feeling?

For more than a minute, Becca stared down at the holo map of the terrain around the He3 facility as she battled herself. They have already said no. They won’t change their minds for a feeling, the rational part of her mind finally said. Though she wanted to send another message, Becca gave up on the idea.

Instead, she turned and stormed out of the APC. Her husband shouldn’t be putting Hafalan civilians above her people. And she needed to be more assertive! Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Almost at a jog, she marched towards one of her front defensive lines. She needed to walk off her emotions and clear her head. Three of her staff officers rushed out behind her as they tried to keep up.

Moving through the inner line of defenses she had set up; Becca came to where three Banshee artillery tanks had been set up. They were dug in behind a small rocky hill where they could fire up and over the hill and yet be protected from any direct fire that might come their way. On top of the hill, a SAM unit surveyed the sky, and forty marines were manning a semicircle of foxholes at the bottom of the hill facing south. Becca checked their positions, spoke to their Lieutenant, and then moved further out, still needing time to think.

Next, Becca came to her second and main line of defenses. Facing the south, a series of trenches had been dug that intersected with a river on one side and some very steep hills and cliff faces on the other. All of the Hafalan attacks had come from the south.
With her initial LZ to the north and scouts ranging far to the east and west, Becca was sure that whatever the Hafalan were planning, they were gathering their forces to the south.

“Sergeant General, no one told me you were coming,” a Colonel said as he jogged up a series of steps that led out of one of the trenches. He offered Becca a quick salute when he stopped in front of her. “Are you here to see the defenses?”

“Yes, show me how you intend to repulse a tank thrust from the south,” Becca asked. As the colonel launched into a detailed explanation of how his forces would fight, she did her best to feign interest, yet her own thoughts dominated her attention.

Though she had little time to review her landing and seizure of the fuel storage facilities, Becca knew she and her marines had done well. Her losses had been high, yes, but the Hafalan had lost far more. Speed had been her priority and she had successfully captured the storage facilities intact. Every minute the fleet had to wait in orbit opened them up to coming under attack by Hafalan warships and she had ensured no time had been wasted. So why are you second-guessing yourself? Becca asked herself as she nodded and smiled at the Colonel.

Throughout their relationship, Becca had never hesitated to question Jonathan’s decisions. In fact, most of the time, she was usually the one bossing him around. Yet it felt different now. With James’s death, Jonathan’s ascension to the position of Imperator was now inevitable. In fact, in many ways, he already held the title. Certainly, in the eyes of the Free Karacknids, he did.

All her career, Becca had prided herself on rising through the ranks of the marines solely on merit. She had been chosen to join the special forces marines and receive all the augmentations they did long before she had ever met Jonathan. But now everyone knew she was in a relationship with the fleet commander. Few knew of their marriage, but if anything, that made it worse. Though no one said it outwardly, Becca could feel the difference in the way everyone treated her. Some offered her a deference she knew she had never earned, while others looked upon her with suspicion, thinking she was just using Jonathan to further her own career.

But none of that should matter! she told herself. Her instincts had been honed through years of active service. What other people think shouldn’t matter. You are the one on the ground. Even if General Johnston ends up thinking you’re a fool, he needs to know! Becca froze as she realized she had been an idiot. Her training and instincts were her own, her relationship to Jonathan had nothing to do with them. She had to get back to her command APC and demand Johnston let her make a move on the jammers! Her people’s lives were counting on her leading them to the best of her ability.

“What is it, General?” the Colonel asked, a frown on his face as it suddenly became clear Becca wasn’t looking where he was pointing nor listening to him.

“I need to get back,” Becca said as she turned and looked for her staff officers.

“Incoming!” someone shouted over the local COM channel.

Becca and everyone else’s training kicked in. Forgetting about her officers, Becca turned and, with the Colonel, dived into the nearest trench. As she did, she was aware of PD laser cannons beginning to fire as they sought to shoot down the incoming enemy ordinance. The noise of SAMs being launched reached her ears at the same time her boots hit the bottom of the trench. Artillery and fighters, this is a major attack!

Before she could act on her realization, something thudded into the ground not far from the trench she was in. Becca just felt the vibrations from the impact and then the shell detonated. Chunks of rock and dirt were thrown up into the air to rain down on her and the other marines in the trench. Other nearby explosions told Becca more shells were getting through. Given how effective she knew her defensive laser cannons were at intercepting incoming shells, Becca guessed her position was under heavy assault. Which means the front line is too!

The front line was far weaker than the line she was in. It was only designed to trip up any advancing enemy forces and gave her a good idea of what was coming her way. Quickly, Becca accessed the COM channel used by her front-line commanders. Right away a series of voices assaulted her ears as orders and reports were shouted back and forth. She shook her head. She was going to learn nothing from her commanders directly. “I need to get back to the command APC,” she shouted for those nearby to hear. All the commander’s data was being transmitted there. She flinched moments later as more shells exploded.

Those damned artillery need to be silenced! Becca told herself. Switching COM channels, she tried to raise her Chief of Staff. “Nottingham, I’m pinned down in the main line. Track my COM unit and figure out where the artillery shells hitting the position are coming from. Focus all our counter artillery fire on those enemy positions. I need some relief to be able to get back to you.”

“Understood, General. We’ll do that immediately. I already have the command APC heading your direction.”

Initially, there seemed to be no let-up in the explosions erupting all around Becca’s position. In frustration, Becca accessed her front-line commanders' COM channel again to try and figure out what was happening. She listened in for nearly thirty seconds but other than confirming that almost all of her front-line positions were under attack, Becca learned nothing useful. Then, eventually, the enemy artillery fire seemed to lessen. Poking her head above the trench, Becca could see in the distance to her left and right, shells were still falling on other parts of the line. Their number, despite all the weapon systems Becca had to intercept incoming enemy ordnance, told her the Hafalan were mounting a massive attack.

For the moment, though, no fire appeared to be coming her way. She needed to be quick. “Colonel, prepare your people as best they can. The enemy is going to roll over our front line and be at you sooner than you think,” Becca warned him. “I need to go and get things under control. I’ll get you as much support as I can, but you have to hold no matter what. If they overrun your position and push on towards the storage facility, we’ll lose our LZ and none of us will be getting out of here.”

“Understood, General, we will hold,” the Colonel assured her.

Becca lingered long enough just to give him a salute and then she turned and ran up the trench steps. Without looking around her, Becca broke into a sprint northwards as she headed back roughly towards the artillery battery she had surveyed before. As she ran, fresh explosions erupted behind her telling her the colonel’s position was already under attack again. If our artillery couldn’t silence theirs for even a minute, then we’re about to take a pounding, Becca feared.

A wave of relief hit Becca when she saw her APC appear as they raced through a small forest. Waving towards them, she turned to meet them. It was accompanied by two recon tanks and a whirlwind tracked SAM launcher. Within a minute, she was in her command APC and was staring at the holo map of the unfolding battle. What she saw was far from encouraging. The Hafalan had indeed unleashed a massive artillery barrage on her front two lines. Several hundred marines had been killed or injured. More importantly, many of her defensive formations were compromised. Her front line’s defenses were already shattered without having even faced an enemy charge and some of the marine platoons were already falling back from it, having deemed their positions untenable.

“What has been your response so far?” Becca asked her staff officers.

Quickly, her officers ran her through the reinforcements they were moving to the front as well as the fighter strikes Squadron Leader Jao’s forces had already launched. Becca couldn’t fault her officers. They knew what they were doing. “But we need to do more,” she told them. “I believe this is the beginning of a major push. They are going to try and drive us from their world.” Reaching towards the holo table, Becca began moving her reserve forces forward as she gave instructions to her officers to begin reinforcing the battle lines facing south.

As soon as she felt she had enough forces moving to reinforce positions like the one being held by the colonel she had briefly spoken with, Becca composed a message for General Johnston. He needed to know what her instincts were telling her. She then transmitted it to one of her communication shuttles and sent it racing up through the atmosphere.

Before the shuttle had even reached space, new scout reports began to come in. The nano drones and special forces squads Becca had placed south of her battle lines were beginning to detect enemy formations moving north. Visuals began to come in that showed a massive force of tanks, APCs, and armored soldiers advancing across a twelve-mile front. Becca froze as she stared at them. The enemy was charging her with a force five or more times the size of her entire marine contingent. We cannot stop that many, she knew instantly.

At that very moment, more contact reports began to come in. Other Hafalan forces were being spotted moving in from the east and west too. I can’t even pull forces from my other defensive lines, Becca thought as she cursed her enemy. Her eyes returned to her southern battle line where it was clear the main thrust was coming from. Her people were in real trouble.

Chapter 17

Whether in space, on a planet’s surface, or under it, an assault from a well-prepared and equipped enemy is always a fearsome thing to behold.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Before Becca had time to react to the massive Hafalan attack wave, the images began to change. Suddenly great pillars of smoke began to rise up into the air as the Hafalan artillery dropped smoke shells ahead of their forces to cover the advance. Many of Becca’s nano drones also disappeared as they were attacked by Hafalan drones. Her special forces marines that were deployed far beyond her first line of defense also started to come under heavy fire.

Seeing some of her people dying jolted Becca into action. “We need to hit them before they reach our main battleline,” she said desperately. “Unless we blunt their strength, we will never be able to hold. Instruct Squadron Leader Jao to send in everything he has. Send in our shuttles with his attack. Have our artillery cease counter-artillery fire. They have far too many artillery units anyway. Focus all our fire on the leading elements of that attack wave.”

“Yes, General,” Nottingham responded.

“Once Jao’s forces are on the move, we need to begin evacuating all non-essential personnel,” Becca said as she held Nottingham’s eyes. “If they break through, they could be at the fuel storage facilities and our primary LZ within ten minutes. It will be a slaughter unless we get everyone off now.”

“We’ll start putting our evacuation plans into immediate effect,” Nottingham said as he nodded seriously.

Becca returned her attention to the holo table as Jao’s fighters and shuttles began their attack. The muscles in Becca’s shoulders tightened as they fearlessly flew into the two and three-mile-high pillars of smoke and chaff and disappeared. Distorted visual and other sensor images were beamed back by the fighters. They showed the Hellcats and marine Vipers sweeping in low in an effort to get visuals on the attackers. Suddenly, the smoke seemed to open up before the fighter Becca was watching and over a hundred tanks and armored vehicles were visible. Hypervelocity missiles rippled away from the fighter. In the blink of an eye, they streaked across the sky and rammed into three tanks blowing them up. Yet multiple SAMs lifted off from the other vehicles and a storm of laser beams were fired up at the fighter. Almost immediately, it stopped transmitting, telling Becca it had been hit.

A secondary display that showed the status of Jao’s fighters and the shuttles Becca had assigned to the Squadron Leader suddenly began to change rapidly. Many of the green symbols started to turn red. In horror, Becca watched nearly a quarter of Jao’s force disappear in a matter of seconds.

“Pull Jao’s forces back. They are being slaughtered!” Becca ordered. She swore right after speaking. She needed to blunt the enemy's attack. But she couldn’t lose her precious fighters and shuttles. “Pull them back to the LZ,” she added. Jao can try striking the Hafalan tanks again once they engage our forces and start taking losses.”

Becca then activated her COM unit and recorded another message to be brought up through the jamming to Johnston. “This is it General, they’re throwing everything at us. I’m ordering we cease all fuel transfer operations and get our people out of here. I’m also initiating our Sightless Firing Procedure. Expect shuttles with firing solutions to appear within the minute.” Becca turned to her COMs officer. “Get that up to orbit immediately.”

She then grabbed Nottingham’s attention again. “We need to hit them from orbit or we will be overrun. Start sending up shuttles with the necessary targeting data. Hit them all across this area.” As she spoke Becca began selecting points all across the plateau the Hafalan were advancing through. Though they were dangerously close to her main battleline, she had to take the risk.

In response to her order, the first Sightless shuttle took off. It raced high over the battlefield until it was directly over one of the points Becca had chosen. Then it pointed its nose up towards the atmosphere and went to full acceleration. Several SAMs raced up after it, but none were able to catch the shuttle before it disappeared through the Hafalan’s jamming field. Becca then held her breath. General Johnston wouldn’t have had enough time to receive and process her communications yet. Would he respond to the shuttle's actions?

A couple of seconds later, two tungsten spears came hurtling through the jamming field right at the same spot the shuttle had disappeared. They slammed into the planet's surface just in front of Becca’s front line, sending two massive shockwaves blasting out through the Hafalan smoke. Becca couldn’t see if they had hit anything, but the Hafalan attack wave was so dense they had to have done some damage. And it will make them more cautious, she hoped.

Over the next two minutes, twelve more orbital strikes came in as Becca tried her best to guess where the enemy force was through their smoke screen. But then, Hafalan tanks and soldiers came rushing out of the massive smoke screen that covered the length of the battlefield and charged Becca’s first line of defenses.

The marines whose positions hadn’t been destroyed by the artillery barrages fought back bravely, yet they were overrun far too easily. Hypervelocity missiles, plasma bolts, and artillery fire cut down many of the charging Hafalan, but there were simply too many of them. Quickly the pockets of marine platoons were overwhelmed. They did their jobs, however, for they allowed Becca’s main battleline to see and prepare for what was coming against them.

Tanks, artillery, and heavy plasma cannons all across Becca’s main battleline opened up even as Hafalan shells continued to fall on their positions. Over a hundred Hafalan mechanized units were destroyed in the opening seconds of Becca’s main forces’ attack. Things actually got easier for a few seconds as the Hafalan artillery suddenly ceased firing. But that was just the signal that the Hafalan didn’t want to hit their own forces. Moments later, fresh Hafalan forces rolled over the abandoned defenses of Becca’s first line and began firing back at the marine defenders.

Quickly, holes began to develop in Becca’s defenses. With a great deal of effort, Becca buried her horror at the quickly mounting losses and got to work. Trying to imagine she was just in another simulated battle; she began to move fresh forces up to plug the gaps. As hundreds of marines died, she moved more and more up to take their places. Though it was hard to tell, she reckoned they had to be killing at least three times as many Hafalan for every marine she lost.

For five minutes, her line held as they pushed back wave after wave of attackers. Then the battle suddenly changed. The Hafalan artillery pieces that had been silent opened up again. Yet this time, they didn’t fire on the main battleline; instead, their shells began landing further back along Becca’s third and fourth lines telling her they had been moved closer to the battle. Most of the marines defending those lines were well dug in, but the forces Becca had moving to the frontline were another matter. Suddenly her ability to bring in fresh forces was seriously compromised.

Within seconds, Becca knew she was in trouble. “How is the evacuation going?” she asked desperately.

“Four of the six fuel shuttles are away,” Nottingham reported. “Most of the engineers are gone too. There are still about two hundred non-combat personnel waiting to be taken off in the next wave of shuttles that come back down. We have a lot of injured waiting to be taken up to orbit too.”

Becca closed her eyes as she tried to think. Her main battleline was about to be breached. She had to accept that. Her goal was to save her people now. Yet she couldn’t simply order her forces to retreat to the LZ. The Hafalan would charge after them. If their tanks and mobile SAM units reached the LZ when she still had hundreds of shuttles on the ground, it would be a massacre. Somehow, she had to get her forces out while still holding off the Hafalan until the last moment. But how? she asked herself as her stomach tightened at the reality of the situation she faced. If she took a wrong step, she could get all of her people killed. Suddenly, though, a plan came to her. Yes, that is it! she thought in relief.

“Signal all our frontline commanders,” Becca said quickly. “Tell them to begin prepping to fall back. As soon as they feel they are about to be overrun, they can pull out. But they must do so in good order. They are then to fall all the way back behind our fourth defense line. Alert our third and fourth lines that they are about to come under attack.”

“Yes, General. What about our reserves moving up to the front?” Nottingham asked.

“We hold them back,” Becca said as she began to grab the holographic representations of her reserve platoons on the holo map and dragged them into the positions she wanted. “As our forces fall back from the main battleline, I want a full combat effectiveness assessment on each platoon. Those that are still able to fight are to fill in the gaps between our reserve formations. The rest are to be evacuated as soon as there are shuttles for them.”

“Right, we’ll begin that immediately,” Nottingham said on behalf of Becca’s other staff officers.

Next, Becca wrote a short message to Johnston to request he send as many shuttles down in the next wave as possible. She desperately needed to get all of her wounded into orbit immediately. After sending the message, she returned her focus to the battle. With no more reinforcements moving to the frontline, all she could do was watch as her platoons tried to hold out as long as possible. Hundreds and thousands of Hafalan died to plasma bolts, tank rounds, and artillery shells as they charged. Even so, the Hafalan forces edged closer and closer. The closer they got, the more accurate their fire became and so the defenders’ losses began to mount as well.

Just two minutes after Becca had given her commanders permission to fall back, the first platoon suddenly started running back from its series of trenches. Two of its four trenches were full of Hafalan, and after a failed counterattack, the Major commanding the platoon knew they would take too many losses trying to hold out. The platoon’s retreat caused a ripple effect of similar moves to spread out from their positions as the platoons feared their flanks would be turned.

Initially, many of the platoons retreated in good order with rear guards stopping the Hafalan from chasing headlong after them. But then a group of fast-moving tanks overran one rearguard force, killing eight marines in seconds. Another ripple passed through Becca’s force as many platoons broke out into a deadly sprint for survival. Their retreat was further hampered as they began to reach Becca’s third defensive line and came under Hafalan artillery fire.

Becca’s combat armor beeped a warning at her. She had her armor-clad hands clenched so tightly together that she was risking damaging them. Releasing her hands, Becca ground her teeth together instead as she helplessly watched far too many of her people die. Some relief came moments later when the lead elements of the Hafalan charge reached Becca’s third defensive line. Hidden tanks and heavy plasma guns opened up on them, destroying scores of Hafalan armored vehicles.

The reprieve was short-lived, though. Quickly the Hafalan reorganized themselves and, in a more coordinated attack, assaulted the third line. Within minutes, the far thinner line had been breached in two places. Hafalan forces poured through the breaches, forcing Becca to order her third line to retreat. Once again, the Hafalan were caught out by her fourth line, and many of their forces that had charged ahead of their comrades were taken out, but Becca knew her fourth line would only be able to hold out for a mere few minutes.

Pulling her attention away from the battle, she checked her LZ. “What is the status of the evacuation now?” she asked Nottingham.

“All the civilians are away and two-thirds of our injured are gone as well,” Nottingham replied at once. “We have a hundred shuttles being loaded up as we speak. They’ll be taking off within a couple of minutes. Another wave of shuttles is already on its way back to us as well. We’ve been fighting off a lot of Hafalan atmospheric fighters, though. The shuttles have been taking losses.”

Becca nodded. She had been aware of the fighting going on high above her ground forces, but she had no more help she could give to Squadron Leader Jao and the other space fighters Johnston had been feeding into the battle. “Get all our forces from the third and fourth lines onto the next shuttles and launch them as soon as they are full.”

“Yes, General.”

“Now,” Becca said to her command staff, “we need to buy ourselves enough time to get out of here too.” Looking back at the holo table, she assessed the forces she had arrayed behind the fourth defensive line. Just sixteen tanks and about twelve hundred marines made up the only intact platoons she had left. “Let me speak to all the marines in our reserve force,” Becca requested.

“Marines, this is Sergeant Samuels,” Becca said. “In moments, I am going to order our fourth defensive line to fall back. We have shuttles waiting to take them up into orbit. Once their shuttles leave, we will be taking the last wave of shuttles out of here. Before then, we need to buy ourselves some time. We’re going to launch a full front counterattack. I need you to drive all the way to our main defensive line. I know that is asking a lot. But we need to buy time to get our last wounded off and to get the shuttles coming for us landed. This is our way home. They have broken through three of our defensive lines. They think they have defeated us. Let us show them otherwise. And know this: I will be leading the charge. Let us show our enemy just what Imperial marines can do!”

As she deactivated her COM unit, Becca stood. Nottingham stood beside her. “General, you’re not going to fight yourself?” he asked, more than a hint of reservation in his voice.

“There’s nothing more I can do here,” Becca said. “This counterattack needs to be decisive. Our forces need to see me leading it. You will remain here with the staff officers you need to continue overseeing the evacuation.” Raising her voice, Becca looked around at the rest of her officers. “Everyone else is with me.” She then took a step closer to Nottingham. “Hold back the ground attack shuttles until we start falling back.”

Nottingham didn’t reply immediately. Though Becca couldn’t see his face through his armor, she knew he wanted to argue with her. “That is an order, Major,” she insisted.

“Yes, sir, of course, sir,” he said instinctively.

“Then we’re on the move,” Becca said as she turned to exit the rear of the APC. “We charge as soon as the marines from the fourth line begin to fall back.”

Becca paused just for a moment to look around at the marines that had joined her. Along with the six that were her personal guard, six other staff officers stepped out of the large APC. “We stick together and watch each other’s backs,” she said to them. “We have trained together hundreds of times. Follow my lead and we’ll get through this.” Without waiting for a reply, Becca broke into a sprint towards where her platoons were forming up.

A couple of minutes later, she slotted her small force in between two platoons. On her HUD, Nottingham was relaying the data coming in from the fourth battle line. Though her marines there were putting up a good fight, they were already being overrun. “Any minute now and we’re going,” Becca said to the platoon leaders of her force. “We’ll use our last smoke and chaff grenades to cover the fourth line’s retreat and our charge.”

“The last line has been breached,” Nottingham reported half a minute later. “Their shuttles are touching down.”

“Give them all the order to fall back,” Becca responded. “This is it,” she said as she switched COM channels back to her platoon commanders. As she spoke, Becca felt her pulse increase and adrenaline begin to flow through her. She fought down her fear and took several deep breaths as she prepared herself. Within seconds, marines began to appear through the smoke and dust that had been thrown up from all the fighting as they fled from the fourth line back towards the LZ. “Smoke and chaff,” Becca ordered, sounding far calmer than she felt.

Hundreds of grenades were hurled by combat armor-strengthened marines, blanketing an area nearly six square miles in size. Nottingham joined in as the few remaining artillery tanks fired off rounds of smoke shells as well. Then Becca was on the move. “All units charge!”

With all of the advanced sensors of her combat armor blinded, Becca sprinted forward as fast as she could, relying entirely on her own eyes and enhanced reflexes. As she moved, she zigzagged in case an enemy sighted her first. Apparently, having not learned their lesson already, after breaching the fourth defensive line, Hafalan units were charging forward haphazardly as they sought to get to the LZ. The first Becca encountered was a squad of six Hafalan soldiers. They appeared out of the smoke mere meters ahead of Becca.

At the first sign of movement, she was already turning her plasma rifle. Before she could even really see her opponent, she fired three quick bolts at the first Hafalan. He was falling by the time the second appeared out of the smoke. Becca gunned him down too. Then four more were all around her. Becca’s twelve marines were right beside her, though, and all four enemies fell to their fire. “Keep moving!” Becca encouraged her marines without breaking her stride.

Her next opponent she felt before she saw. Vibrations running under her feet told her a tracked vehicle of some kind was roaring towards her. “Hypervelocity missile!” Becca ordered as she pointed at a darker shape in the smoke barely twenty meters ahead of her. At the same time, she pivoted to run around the vehicle. Just as she passed it, it blew apart as one of her marines hit it.

Knowing there had to be more out there; Becca pulled an explosive from her utility belt. “They won’t be able to see us,” she said to her twelve marines. “Plant charges on them as we pass.”

Almost before she finished speaking, more large dark shapes began forming ahead of her. Becca angled towards one and ran right for it. She almost got run over as a massive tank burst out of the smoke in front of her. Her reflexes and augmented muscles allowed her to jump to one side. As she did, her hand flashed out and planted a charge on the side of the vehicle's tracks. She ran on a handful of steps and when she was sure the rest of her marines had passed the tank, she sent a detonation signal. A fraction of a second later, a shockwave pushed her forward as the tank's track was blown off.

Even as Becca caught herself from stumbling, more shapes appeared in front of her. This time they were far smaller. Once again, she gunned down more Hafalan soldiers as she ran through their midst. As a deep trench suddenly appeared in front of her, Becca hurdled it and kept on running. She had passed her fourth defensive line. For a handful of seconds, she met no more resistance, and then her marines crashed into a second wave of Hafalan that had been advancing. Becca shot two more soldiers, then she spun towards a third that appeared in front of her; the Hafalan beat her to it.

A laser beam glanced off her left leg, sending her tumbling to the ground. Knowing that a follow-up kill shot was coming her way, Becca used her momentum to roll and, even as she gasped in pain, she forced herself up onto her knees as she skidded to a halt. Whipping her plasma rifle around, she held down her trigger, firing at least ten bolts into the Hafalan soldier. Moments later, she was surrounded by her marines as they formed a protective wall around her.

“Are you okay, General?” the Sergeant of her guard asked.

Becca moved her leg back and forth as she checked her armor’s status on her HUD. “The armor deflected the beam,” she said in relief as she pushed herself to her feet. “We keep attacking!”

Gingerly at first, Becca started forward again. Pain shot up through her thigh, telling her that her armor hadn’t deflected all of the laser beam's heat. Her leg had to be burned. Yet her implants and armor were already releasing painkillers into her blood and nanobots would be rushing to the damaged site. We need to make it to the main battle line, she told herself through gritted teeth.

Once again, trusting her reflexes, Becca picked up her pace. A steady stream of shapes continued to appear out of the fog of smoke and chaff. Together, Becca’s marines took them out one by one. Becca was sure she was losing marines as well. More than once, she heard a painful grunt over their COM channel. Yet she couldn’t slow to help them nor even pause long enough to turn back and check. They had to cut through the enemy and decimate their attack or none of them would be making it back up to orbit.

Before Becca realized it, she found herself hurdling her third defensive line. Ahead of her, she could hear much larger explosions than the ones her forces were causing. Nottingham was using their few remaining artillery pieces to create a wall of fire in front of the main battleline, hindering any additional Hafalan forces from entering the battlefield. Almost there, she said to herself. Taking a risk, she glanced at the chronometer on her HUD. Just three and a half minutes had passed since she had given the order to charge. In that time, she had covered just over four miles. Becca had long since lost count of how many Hafalan she had killed. We have hurt them, she was sure. But three and a half minutes was a long time. The Hafalan commanders would be working to thwart her counterattack.

As if her thoughts had summoned them, the rumbling from many armored vehicles began to be picked up by the sensors in the boots of Becca’s combat armor. Seconds later, through the clearing smoke, she began to see the large dark shapes of enemy tanks and other armored vehicles. Below them, here and there, she also started to spot the trenches of her main battleline. Thick plumes of smoke billowed up from destroyed Imperial and Hafalan combat vehicles where they had fought and died not long before.

“This is it,” Becca said as she skidded to a halt and took cover behind a destroyed Imperial tank. Switching COM channels, she contacted all her commanders. “Cease the charge. They have fresh troops moving up. Hit them if you can, then pull back. Everyone is to make for the LZ. Our shuttles should be waiting.”

From all around her, Becca heard the whoosh of hypervelocity missiles flashing across the short distance to the Hafalan tanks. Fresh explosions marked where some of them died. Becca risked poking her head around the wrecked tank she was crouched behind. A moment later, she brought her plasma rifle up and fired off a round of bolts at the Hafalan soldiers moving between the tanks. Then she pulled her last smoke grenade and lobbed it over the other side of the destroyed tank. “Everyone, let’s go. We’re getting out of here!”

As fast as she had run towards the enemy, Becca now began to sprint back across the battlefield. As she did, the smoke and chaff around her began to thin out. If she hadn’t had her emotions under tight control, the sights and even smells that began to greet her would have made Becca vomit. Burnt and charred marines and Hafalan littered the battlefield. More than once, Becca saw badly injured marines who weren’t dead yet. She longed to stop and help them. Yet she knew anything but a full-out sprint to the LZ would allow the Hafalan to capture her. She couldn’t stop for anyone, for it would only seal both of their deaths.

The one thing she did check was the status of her small unit of marines. Her HUD told her just seven of the initial twelve were still with her. She grimaced at the number. Several of her staff officers had fallen. All of them had started to become friends.

When a Hafalan soldier appeared out of the smoke, Becca shot him down without thinking. More enemies began to appear seconds later. Having been caught off guard by the marines’ charge, they weren’t ready to suddenly be attacked from behind. Many more died as Becca’s platoons charged back over the battlefield they had just advanced through. “Now is the time for the shuttles,” Becca ordered Nottingham after switching COM channels to speak to her Chief of Staff.

“They’re already on their way, General,” Nottingham assured her.

A loud roar that swept over Becca’s head confirmed Nottingham’s words. Many explosions followed as the shuttles tore into the fresh Hafalan troops. Worryingly though, Becca heard other explosions much higher up in the air as well. She couldn’t dwell on that though; instead, she had to focus on running. As she hurdled what had been her third defensive line, priority messages started flashing on her HUD. Some of her platoon commanders were reporting that they were coming under attack. Becca swore. Hafalan tanks were racing after them. As fast as marines in combat armor were, the lightest Hafalan tanks could evidently match them.

“Nottingham, warn the marines manning the LZ perimeter that we’re going to be coming in hot,” Becca said.

“Understood, General.”

“What is the status of our shuttles?”

“Most are already here waiting,” Nottingham replied. “I’ve got everyone on them that we don’t need to defend the LZ. There are four hundred marines in position ready to cover you.”

“Around me,” Becca said to her squad of marines as she slowed slightly. Two of her guards moved in front of her. Becca then accessed all the information she had on her retreating platoons. She swore again. Hafalan forces were right on the heels of several of them. We’re not going to have time to load everyone up, she feared. If she let the Hafalan get too close, they would tear up her shuttles as they took off.

“Nottingham, tell Johnston we need all the support he can give us,” Becca said desperately.

“He already knows, General. There are several hundred fighters striking the Hafalan as we speak,” Nottingham informed her.

And they’re still coming! Becca feared.

Before she knew it, Becca reached the outer perimeter of the LZ. Immediately she stopped and spun around. Throwing herself to her belly behind a rock, she joined the perimeter’s defenders. “Get all your people onto the shuttles,” she ordered her platoon commanders. “Do not stop for anything.” Then she switched channels to the marines guarding the perimeter. “We hold here, marines. If our line is breached everyone dies. No one is getting past us, is that understood?”

As Becca spoke, hundreds of marines came charging out of the receding smoke. They raced past the perimeter and towards the waiting shuttles. Right on top of them, though, Hafalan tanks began to charge into view. Hypervelocity missiles spat at them, and two badly damaged Imperial tanks went into rapid fire as they spewed missiles and shells. The last three artillery units also had their howitzers pointing level as they blasted away at anything that came close to them.

Initially, the Hafalan attack was checked, but within thirty seconds, more units accompanied by ground troops charged into view. Becca fired bolts at as many Hafalan as came in front of her, yet they just kept coming. Every second they were getting closer. In desperation, Becca spared a glance back to the shuttles. Marines were still charging up their rear ramps, and others were being carried up. Turning back to the battle in front of her, Becca knew time had run out. The shuttles had to go now, or they would never make it.

“Nottingham, order the shuttles to lift off. Get out of here now. That is a direct order,” Becca said as she condemned herself to death. In her heart, she knew there was no way the Hafalan would accept anyone who surrendered now.

“But General,” Nottingham began to protest.

Becca cut him off. “Launch all shuttles now Major. Do it or you all die!”

“Belay that,” a rough voice said over Becca’s command COM channel. “All shuttles are to hold position,” the voice added.

Becca opened her mouth to order whoever was speaking to be ignored. Before she could, she recognized the voice. It was Tasata-su. Suddenly a great roar assaulted her ears from far above her. Looking up, Becca saw hundreds of Karacknid space fighters come swooping down towards her position. For a moment, it looked like they were going to smash straight into her. At the last second, they pulled up and then their particle cannons fired. When the directed matter beams struck the ground, they sent earthquake-level shockwaves in every direction. The Hafalan forces nearest Becca were obliterated.

The roaring didn’t stop, however; instead, it got louder. Looking beyond the fighters, Becca saw at least a couple of hundred Karacknid shuttles also descending. “Hold your position until we land, Sergeant General,” Tasata-su ordered. “Then we will hold them off long enough for your people to get to their shuttles.”

In awe, Becca watched as the Karacknid shuttles hurtled towards the open ground between her and where the lead Hafalan forces had been. Just a couple of hundred meters from the planet's surface, the shuttles rapidly decelerated. As they touched down, they kicked up strong currents of air and dust. Then Karacknid warriors were charging from the shuttles, laser rifles firing at anything that moved. The shuttles themselves added missiles and heavy laser beams to the battle. Thousands of Hafalan died in a matter of seconds.

“All marines, to your shuttles!” Becca ordered as she stood to get a better look at the Karacknids in action.

“Come on, General, we need to go too,” one of her staff officers said as he tugged on Becca’s arm.

Becca watched for another couple of seconds and then let herself be turned around. Immediately she broke into a sprint. In front of her, hundreds of marines were already racing up into their shuttles. When she reached hers, she was one of the last to step on board.

“We are all in,” someone shouted. “Take off. Get us out of here.”

Immediately the shuttle's rear access ramp began to close. Before it had, the shuttle already jumped up into the air. Becca rushed over to a seat and strapped herself in, then strained against her straps as she sought to look out of one of the viewports. Below her, she saw Karacknid warriors fighting hand-to-hand with the Hafalan who had been foolish enough to get close to them.

As the shuttle lifted higher, she got a bird's-eye view of a sudden change amongst the Karacknids. At an unheard command from Tasata-su, they all stopped charging and instead ran back to their shuttles. A perfectly timed second attack by the Karacknid fighters blasted the nearest Hafalan troops, keeping them back from the Karacknid shuttles. Then the shuttles were taking off.

Hafalan heavy laser beams and missiles reached up to strike down a handful of shuttles, but the vast majority rushed up through the planet’s atmosphere to safety. Only when they joined her shuttles in orbit did Becca allow herself to fall back into her flight seat.

For a couple of seconds, she closed her eyes as a mix of emotions flooded through her. She was delighted to be alive. More importantly, her retreat hadn’t turned into a complete slaughter. Yet it felt strange to have been rescued by a Karacknid force. But we were, she told herself. They are our allies now.

Activating her COM unit, Becca connected with Tasata-su. “Thank you, General. You saved us there. We owe you.”

“You owe us nothing, Sergeant General. You and your people proved your honor today,” Tasata-su said. “And more importantly, it was our honor to serve the Imperator’s consort. We will always defend you with the same vigor we do your husband.”

“Husband!” Becca blurted out in shock. “How do you kno…” Then it hit her. Only one person could have told them. Jonathan!

Chapter 18

Today, no one bats an eye at Karacknids and Humans fighting together. It took many decades and even more battles for this to become the case.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Unable to control herself, Becca tried to raise Jonathan through her combat armor’s COM. They had agreed to keep their marriage a secret. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to start treating her even worse. She didn’t get to send out the COM request though, for her COM unit beeped to say Sparrowhawk was trying to connect with her.

“Becca, are you okay?” Jonathan asked the moment they were connected, his voice full of desperation.

Becca couldn’t help smiling at his concern. “Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Your combat armor status says you were hit,” Jonathan pressed.

“I was, but I’m fine. A little burnt but nothing serious… You, on the other hand, perhaps you care to explain why General Tasata-su referred to me as your wife? I thought we were meant to be keeping that a secret?”

“Your Chief of Staff was reporting you were about to be overrun. Tasata-su’s force was the largest fresh force we had,” Jonathan replied without a hint of remorse in his voice. “I knew that his forces would fight with greater zeal if they thought they were defending their Imperator’s wife.”

“But now everyone will know!” Becca protested.

“You were almost killed!” Jonathan retorted. “I would have done whatever it took to get you and your people out of there. If telling Tasata-su you were the reincarnation of one of their founding Imperators would have helped, I would have done it!”

Becca bit her lips. She knew it had been close. Very close. Tasata-su’s forces had saved her and her marines. Yet now it was only a matter of time before everyone in the fleet knew. But you would happily accept that to have saved even one more marine, wouldn’t you? Becca asked herself. The answer was obvious. So maybe cut him a little slack? “Well, in that case, I guess I should thank you, my husband,” Becca said, adding more warmth to her voice. “And I will need to thank Tasata-su more formally.”

“I’m sure he and his warriors would appreciate the thanks of their Imperator and his wife,” Jonathan replied. “But that can wait, I’m just glad you are okay. I’ve been nervous ever since your forces landed. Then the reports of the size of their assault started coming up and I was going crazy! They really came after you there at the end.”

Becca nodded. “They had way more ground troops stationed on the planet than we thought. I’m sorry I had to pull the fuel shuttles out so soon. Did we get enough?”

“Almost,” Jonathan answered. “But with what we got from the orbital stations and what Reverus is collecting, we should be okay…. Hold on,” he suddenly said. “I’ll have to get back to you. There are fresh contacts entering the system. Get your people back to your ships and see to your wounded. I’ll check in on you as soon as I can.”

“Alright, husband of mine,” Becca said as she smiled again at being able to refer to Jonathan as her husband.

“I’m glad you’re alright. I have to go,” Jonathan said quickly and then was gone.

Becca took a deep breath and then prepared herself as she started accessing the full casualty reports her staff officers had been putting together. For her, the battle was over, but now she had to see to all her wounded.

*

IS Sparrowhawk

“What have we got?” Jonathan asked as he turned to Iso. Though he wanted nothing more than to speak some more to his wife, the warning in his Chief of Staff’s voice told him he had to end the COM channel with her.

“It looks like the main Hafalan fleet has arrived,” she responded.

“And they have reinforcements,” Harte added. “We’re detecting over four thousand Tanor ships with them.”

Jonathan nodded as he surveyed the main holo display. Fourteen thousand warships were forming up at the edge of the shift passage his fleet had used to enter the system just over a day ago. As he watched, the enemy warships turned their noses towards his fleet’s position and began to accelerate.

“They’re not beating around the bush,” Harte commented.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’ve already evacuated from the surface. Prepare the fleet to break orbit,” Jonathan ordered. Though he had split his force, even without Vice Admiral Reverus’ ships, Jonathan knew he could defeat the combined Hafalan and Tanor fleet. Yet he would take losses. And there was every chance the Silizzarus had more ships nearby. Jonathan was almost sure that if he tried to fight the newcomers, a Silizzarus force would appear and attempt to take out more of his fuel ships. Given how much trouble they had just gone to get the fuel they needed, he couldn’t let that happen.

“Are we heading south again?” Iso asked.

“Yes, I want maximum speed. Let’s not let them get anywhere near us,” Jonathan answered. “Signal Vice Admiral Reverus, inform him we are leaving and request that he rendezvous with us.”

A fresh alarm drew everyone’s eyes back to the holo display a minute later. “The Hafalan fleet protecting their homeworld is breaking orbit,” a sensor officer announced. “They’re moving onto a trajectory to intercept us as well.”

Jonathan grimaced. Under different circumstances, he would think the smaller Hafalan fleet’s maneuvers were a bluff. Their five thousand warships wouldn’t stand a chance against his fleet. Yet if the Silizzarus were in command of the Hafalan’s government, then they wouldn’t care about the losses. “They’re going to throw that fleet at us even if they only take out a couple of hundred of our ships.”

Jonathan turned to assess the progress of the larger Hafalan fleet. If he was forced to fight the smaller enemy force, he would still be able to get to the system’s mass shadow before the new fleet could catch him. But it will be close. And they could continue to pursue us if they have rounded up enough fuel freighters. Jonathan seriously doubted that the Hafalan and Tanor warships could follow him all the way to the Silizzarus homeworld. But they will chase us for as long as they can.

“Prepare the fleet to fight,” Jonathan said to his officers. “I want all of our Imperial and Karacknid fighters to go in with the first salvo. We’re going to hurt their home fleet as much as we can in the initial fighting. But we need to keep our Varanni and Eaglaton fighters back in case there are more Silizzarus ships waiting to strike at us. I also want all our freighter fleets kept close. We can’t allow any to get isolated like last time.”

As the smaller Hafalan fleet continued to leave their homeworld behind and close with Jonathan’s ships, Jonathan assessed their formation and strength. At their current speed, the Hafalan would only get to fire two salvos at his fleet. In stark contrast, thanks to his fleet’s more impressive missile range, they would get to fire six back. Jonathan shook his head as Sparrowhawk’s computer estimated how the battle would go. If they were lucky, half of the five thousand Hafalan warships would survive. At best, they might destroy a couple of hundred of his ships. Surely it would be better to stay back and join their fleets up? Jonathan asked as he tried to think through the enemy’s rationale. Of course, the Silizzarus wanted to hurt his fleet at any cost. But if they combined their forces and then pursued him, there was still a good chance they could do a lot more damage.

“Project the Hafalan homeworld fleet’s trajectory out beyond their current heading,” Jonathan asked as he grew more suspicious. His eyebrows narrowed as he studied the enemy fleet’s course. Reaching to his own command console, he began to alter the trajectory. Instead of having them attack his ships, he slowed them down just before they came into missile range. To avoid contact, they would also have to alter course slightly. Initially, it would seem innocent to Jonathan’s forces. But then once we passed them, it would only take another small course change to head here, Jonathan thought as he turned the projected course of the enemy fleet.

“They aren’t coming for us!” Iso said as she saw how the Hafalan home fleet could use the gravity of the system’s seventh planet to quickly alter course and intercept the other Allied force in the system. “They want Reverus!”

“Can any of the ships from the larger Hafalan and Tanor fleet intercept Reverus as well?” Jonathan asked.

Seconds later, Harte altered the projected course of the newcomers as well. “Not all the ships, but if they detach their frigates and destroyers.”

“That would be enough,” Jonathan replied. If the five thousand warships from the Hafalan home fleet and another two thousand frigates and destroyers from the larger Hafalan and Tanor fleet both engaged Reverus’ ships, Reverus would be in trouble.

“All right, here’s what we’re going to do,” Jonathan said to his officers. “We can’t slow our fleet nor risk our fuel freighters. But we’re not leaving Reverus alone. So, let’s make preparations to split the fleet. And we better send Reverus a warning.”

For the next hour, Jonathan kept his fleet rushing towards the system's southern shift passage as he allowed the Hafalan to think he knew nothing of their plan. If he acted too soon, the Hafalan home fleet could just refuse to slow and throw themselves at his fleet, which he didn’t want. “Right about now,” Jonathan said to his staff officers as he predicted the Hafalan would have to slow soon.

Sure enough, within a minute, the Hafalan home fleet began to slow. Any later, and Jonathan would get a free salvo at them. As they slowed, they also started to turn onto the heading Jonathan had predicted. “Let’s let them commit,” Jonathan said. He waited a full ten minutes and then he turned to Iso and nodded.

With the fleet already aware of what Jonathan wanted, seconds later twelve hundred ships led by Sparrowhawk began to break away from Jonathan’s main force. All of the Imperial dreadnoughts and similarly sized Allied ships remained with the fleet. Many battleships and a handful of Kulrean worldships followed Jonathan’s flagship though. At the same time, at the other end of the system, Reverus’ fleet, which had already broken orbit leaving the Hafalan gas mining facilities it had captured, also altered course. Both groups of ships settled onto a heading that would allow them to rendezvous with one another before any Hafalan ships could catch Reverus’ fleet. As all that was happening, Wing Commander Hawthorne also slow launched eight thousand fighters from their carriers. In stealth, they headed out into space, unseen by the Hafalan.

If the two Hafalan fleets wanted to cause any damage to their enemy, they had no choice but to continue with their plan. The main body of Jonathan’s fleet was now out of reach and couldn’t be caught by either Hafalan force. Though Reverus’ ships would now not be as vulnerable as they had hoped, their Silizzarus overlords still wanted to hurt the Allied fleet as much as possible. As a result, within minutes of Jonathan's ships altering course, two thousand two hundred frigates and destroyers broke away from the larger Hafalan fleet, turned onto an intercept course for Reverus’ fleet, and increased their acceleration rates.

With each fleet element committed to their course, there was little any fleet commander could do now but wait and watch. To distract himself from the waiting, Jonathan opened a COM channel with General Johnston. “Well, General, how are your forces?”

“Largely still intact,” Johnston said gruffly. “Which is in large part thanks to Sergeant General Samuels. I think we both owe her an apology. I suspect the Hafalan used their jamming equipment to gather every battalion of ground forces they had on the colony before launching their attack. Maybe if we had given her permission to go after some more of the jammers, we might have spotted what was happening.”

Jonathan nodded. He had already thought the same once the first reports of the scale of the Hafalan attack on his wife’s defenses had started coming in. “We knew we were taking a risk by landing on the planet. But we got the fuel we needed and we got most of our forces out. Given our alternate options, we did what we had to do… but, I will happily add my apology to yours when I get the chance.” Jonathan lowered his voice a little. “How did she handle herself down there?”

“Excellently,” Johnston said. “I couldn’t have expected more from her. Yes, her position would have been overrun if not for the Karacknids, but no commander could have done more. If we have to land on the Silizzarus homeworld, I will have no reservations with her as my second in command.”

“And if we do have to land, will your forces be ready?” Jonathan asked as he pushed away the thought of his wife having to lead another landing.

“We will do whatever you need us to do,” Johnston assured him. “In total, we lost twelve hundred and forty-three dead and we have another eighteen hundred casualties we managed to get off the planet,” he explained. “Another couple of thousand have less serious injuries that they’ll quickly shake off. Once they do, we’ll still have about ninety percent of the marines we left Earth with. Heavy equipment is another matter though. We lost a lot of ground attack shuttles, tanks, and artillery pieces in the fighting. Basically, everything we landed didn’t make it back into orbit again.”

“What percentage of our forces are we talking about?”

“About a third of our tanks and artillery units,” Johnston answered. “Just under a quarter of our shuttles. But the Karacknid have plenty of all three to make up for our losses. And I imagine we won’t have any qualms about landing them on the Silizzarus homeworld.”

“No,” Jonathan confirmed. “That won’t be a problem. Nevertheless, this means your forces are going to rely even more heavily on them if we do have to make a landing. I suggest you increase the simulated training battles you’re running with them.”

Johnston nodded. “A lot of my people will not like that. But you’re right, it needs to be done. They certainly proved their worth at the end of the ground battle.”

“They did,” Jonathan agreed. “So even if your people start to complain, remind them of that.”

Johnston grinned. “I’ll tell them the Imperator has insisted upon it.”

Jonathan fought back a frown. He didn’t like it when the Karacknids used their title for him; it felt downright wrong when Johnston used it. Yet he didn’t want to give the old general any encouragement. “Pass on my compliments to your marines then, General. They fought bravely and have got us the fuel we need. I plan to speak to General Tasata-su and thank him myself as well.”

“I’ll make sure they know, Vice Admiral,” Johnston said as he gave Jonathan a quick salute.

Jonathan returned it and then refocused on the Hafalan forces seeking to intercept Reverus’ fleet. As things stood, the two Hafalan forces would be able to join up with one another and then close with his and Reverus’ ships. At best, they would get to fire four salvos at the Allied ships before they crossed the system’s mass shadow and could jump out after the main body of Allied ships. Yet if the Silizzarus had any of their own warships nearby, that was very likely when they would jump in too to cause as much mayhem as they could. Jonathan intended to prevent that from happening if he could.

“Make the turn,” Jonathan ordered when his ships were an hour away from rendezvousing with Reverus’ ships.

Immediately, his twelve hundred ships turned away from Reverus’ ships and towards the two thousand two hundred Hafalan and Tanor light ships. The angle of approach Jonathan's ships were on meant the enemy light ships would have to turn away from joining the Hafalan home fleet if they wanted to avoid action. As expected, the enemy ships didn’t alter course. They were happy to go toe-to-toe with Jonathan’s twelve hundred ships. The problem was, Jonathan was not alone.

When his ships came into range, they fired three salvos at the Hafalan and Tanor light ships. Just after they fired their third, the enemy fired their first and what would be their last salvo of any significance. Once their missiles were away, the Hafalan and Tanor prepared to defend themselves from Jonathan’s first salvo. Eighteen thousand Allied missiles charged through their point defensive fire. The vast majority were shot down. Just several hundred struck targets, most blowing away the weakly armored small ships. However, before the Hafalan and Tanor light ships could fire a second salvo, eight thousand new contacts suddenly appeared charging at them from behind.

Wing Commander Hawthorne’s fighters rushed the surprised and disjointed enemy light ships. Several hundred Allied fighters were shot down, but the rest got close enough to release their own missiles. Thousands reached their targets, and the fleet of light ships disappeared as it was enveloped by a great deal of antimatter explosions. When the detonations ceased, less than four hundred ships remained. The second two salvos Jonathan already had closing with them easily finished them off.

Though outnumbered by the fleet they had just destroyed, with just frigates and destroyers making up the Hafalan and Tanor numbers, Jonathan’s fleet was only lightly damaged by the one salvo they fired. Just twenty-two missiles struck Allied warships, and for the most part, shields and armor deflected the damage. Just three ships were destroyed, and two more had to be abandoned due to the damage they suffered.

As soon as the enemy missile salvo was dealt with, Jonathan turned his ships back towards Reverus, while Hawthorne’s fighters accelerated hard to catch up with their carriers in the main Allied fleet. Once they landed, the main fleet jumped out of the system. Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief. His fuel freighters had escaped unscathed.

“Vice Admiral, you did a good job collecting all the fuel you got,” Jonathan said to Reverus as both their fleets joined up with one another.

“Thank you, Vice Admiral, and thank you for the support. I’d much rather have to fight off this Hafalan home fleet with you at my side than alone,” Reverus responded.

“They’ll only get two salvos at us, and then we can jump to safety,” Jonathan said. “As much as I’d like to not return fire and spare our missiles and their lives, we’re going to take out as many of them as we can. The fewer warships they have to follow us, the better.”

“I’m afraid I concur,” Reverus said as his beak nodded up and down. “I don’t like it any more than you, but they’ve shown they will not leave us alone. They will only cause us more problems in the future. We should just have time to hit them with my fighters as well. What do you think?”

Jonathan didn’t have to take any time over the decision. He nodded. “Yes, as long as they can get back in time for us to jump out.”

“I will make sure of it,” Reverus replied.

“Then let’s give them what they want, and then get out of this system,” Jonathan said.

Half an hour later, the Hafalan home fleet came into range of Jonathan and Reverus’ ships. The Allied fleet fired three salvos before the pursuing Hafalan ships fired their own missiles. Firing at the same time, the Allies released a fourth and then a fifth salvo while the Hafalan could only fire a total of two.

Two thousand five hundred Eaglaton fighters charged in with the first Allied salvo. Fifteen hundred Hafalan warships were destroyed. The follow-up salvos took out another two thousand enemy ships. More than half the Hafalan home fleet was destroyed in the brief engagement. Though they were outnumbered, the Allied ships’ far superior defensive weapons, shields, and armor limited the damage they took. One hundred and nineteen ships were either destroyed or had to be abandoned and scuttled. Then, as soon as they crossed the system’s mass shadow, the rest of the Allied fleet jumped out into the safety of shift space.

Jonathan breathed another sigh of relief when a tremor ran through Sparrowhawk’s bridge signaling they had jumped into shift space. Once again, no Silizzarus warships had jumped in to attack them. Though they had destroyed or badly damaged all of the Silizzarus ships that had attacked them before, he was sure the snake-like aliens had more. They are keeping them in reserve for some other purpose, he was sure. While he was glad he had managed to get his fleet out of the Hafalan’s home system in one piece, that thought was far from comforting. And while his losses had been minimal, he had expended five more salvos worth of munitions. Munitions we cannot replenish without returning to Imperial space.

Still, they got the fuel they needed, and now they were once more heading towards their target. We are still coming for you, Jonathan thought towards his real enemy… But that is for another day, he added as he tried to calm himself down after the battle. Now, I need to find an excuse to visit Becca’s troop ship, Jonathan told himself. He wanted to see her injuries in person to make sure they were as superficial as she insisted. And he wanted to be able to hold her.

If he could, he would order her never to be involved in a planetary landing again. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to dispatch her back to Earth on the fastest ship they had in the fleet. But he could never do that. Like him, Becca would never abandon her duty. And we still have far too many hurdles to get over before we even reach our main target, Jonathan thought as he reluctantly reached for the intelligence reports Alveraz and his people had prepared on the next system Jonathan’s ships were heading for. He needed to be ready for whatever forces the Hafalan had there. And for what comes after that. At best, his fleet was still three weeks away from the Silizzarus homeworld and Jonathan knew his enemy would do whatever it took to lengthen that time as much as possible.

Chapter 19

That James Somerville sired one extremely competent commander was a great boon to the Empire; for him to have produced two was a blessing almost beyond compare.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Eagle, Farstar system, The Wilds, 27th September 2513 AD, (one week later).

Georgia tried to slip into her hyper-focused state as she sought relief from her nerves. Yet it wouldn’t come. Her fingers twitched as if they were going to clasp a flight stick. She longed to be in her specially adapted Eaglaton fighter. She couldn’t, though, not yet anyway. Instead, she was on the command deck of the medium carrier Admiral Scott had assigned her to, watching as a fighter strike she had ordered charged into battle.

Four days ago, Scott’s scouts had detected a small Karacknid fleet moving north parallel to the Allied fleet. They were too far away for the larger ships of Scott’s force to divert and intercept, not if Scott wanted to catch the Gal-tak clan fleet before it made it out of the Wilds. However, a smaller, lighter force could catch them, and Scott had detached Georgia and all of the fleet's small and light carriers to seek out the enemy.

While Georgia relished the opportunity to hunt down and kill more of the Karacknids she blamed for her father’s death, she didn’t particularly want the responsibility she felt on her shoulders. Flying a fighter into battle was what she was good at. If she had to, leading others was a necessary evil in order to see more Karacknids destroyed. But commanding a fleet of eleven hundred warships was something else entirely. That was Jonathan’s domain. And yet here she was.

Georgia’s whole body tensed as if she was flying into the teeth of an enemy fleet’s guns as her four squadrons of fighters attacked a Karacknid screening flotilla. Five fighters were shot down, but the rest rushed into close range with the nine Karacknid warships. Eighty-four anti-ship missiles appeared on Eagle’s main holo display as fighters released their weapons on the enemy ships. In desperation, the Karacknid ships tried to shoot down as many missiles as they could. With a flight time to target of just eight seconds, they stood little chance. Eight of the nine ships were hit. Seven were blown into debris by the antimatter detonations.

One more fighter was hit as the four squadrons fled, but the rest made it to safety. As soon as they were out of range of the enemy fire, the fighters regrouped and then for thirty minutes accelerated back along the vector they had attacked from. Then they went dark as they entered stealth mode. Slowly they began to change course as they turned onto a trajectory that would allow them to rendezvous with their carriers. However, just a handful of minutes later, they passed by a Karacknid stealth recon drone that detected the new trajectory, revealing the rough location of their carriers to the Karacknid fleet. Just as Georgia had planned.

“Now we see if they will take the bait,” Georgia said to her two staff officers and Eagle’s Captain.

Six hours ago, Georgia’s fleet had jumped into the Farstar system, and three hours after that, the Karacknid fleet had entered via another shift passage. Positioning her ships ahead of the Karacknids, who were now passing through the inner system, Georgia was in a perfect spot to hit them with repeated fighter strikes. The fleet that filled Eagle’s holo display numbered only two thousand two hundred warships. According to Rack’na’s intel, they belonged to the Dar’kanan clan. It was a minor Karacknid clan. Even for them, though, losing eight ships wasn’t exactly a big deal. However, with six other screening flotillas out ahead of their fleet, Georgia could strike them again and again as they passed through the system.

Which means, unless you want to be attacked all the rest of the way north, you better do something about those carriers, Georgia thought towards the Karacknid commander. Ideally, she wanted her opposite number to go after her carriers. But if they didn’t, she was more than happy to continue hitting their screening flotillas. Though she never liked losing pilots and their fighters, exchanging one fighter for one Karacknid warship was always a good trade.

“Some of our stealth drones are picking up what we think are Karacknid stealth drones passing them,” one of Eagle’s sensor officers reported twenty minutes later. “At these three locations,” she added as she projected them onto the main display.

“They are looking for the carriers,” Eagle’s Captain said excitedly.

“Alert our squadrons, make sure everyone is prepped for launch,” Georgia said as she caught her Chief of Staff’s eye. “The timing will be close. As soon as they launch, we need to be launching too.”

It took the Karacknids another hour to get a good idea where the four light carriers and their escorts were. When they did, eight recon drones suddenly went active. They raced in towards the small carrier force, bathing the area in electromagnetic radiation. Imperial drones destroyed three of them and a pair of fighters another two. The others got close enough to get a clear return on the small force. Realizing they had been detected, the carriers and the thirty warships escorting them came out of stealth and went to full acceleration. As they did, they began to turn towards the nearest shift passage as they made a run for it, just as Georgia had instructed them to.

Initially, the Karacknids responded with caution. Many more active recon drones flooded the area as they sought to confirm that it was just a small Allied force that had attacked them. However, when they were sure, they sprang into action. One hundred and fifty light cruisers, destroyers, and frigates raced to try and intercept the Allied squadron. On Eagle’s display, it showed they would catch them in time to fire off two salvos before the Allied squadron could cross the system’s mass shadow. To make sure the small force would not be able to come back to harry them, the Karacknid fleet then launched four hundred fighters to join the attack.

“That’s what we’re waiting for,” Georgia said to her officers as she stood. “I’m going to my fighter. Wait until the last moment to jump us in.”

“Understood, Wing Commander,” Georgia’s Chief of Staff responded.

Moving as quickly as she could without breaking into a jog, Georgia made her way through Eagle’s corridors and to one of her two hangars. When she got there, it was a hive of activity as the two squadrons of Hellcat fighters underwent a final prep before being launched. In one corner, Georgia’s modified Eaglaton Talon sat waiting.

“She’s all fueled up and ready for you, Wing Commander,” a technician called out.

“Thank you,” Georgia responded. Quickly, she got into her cockpit and then activated her fighter’s COM unit. “All Squadron Leaders check in,” she requested. Half a minute later, she was confident her force was ready to go. “All fighters to their launch tubes,” she ordered.

Within seconds, mechanical arms began reaching down from the roof of the hangar and grabbing fighters. Georgia was gently jostled around as her Talon was lifted and maneuvered into its adapted launch tube. When every squadron reported their fighters were in position, she switched COM channels to speak with her Chief of Staff. “We’re ready, jump us in as soon as you see fit.”

“Understood, Wing Commander, standby,” Georgia’s officer replied.

Just three minutes later, his voice returned over the COM channel. “We can jump now, Wing Commander.”

“Then take us in,” Georgia ordered.

Seconds later, Georgia’s fleet carried out a micro jump back into the Farstar system. Immediately, the carriers then turned to point their launch tubes towards the squadron of Allied carriers and their escorts that were fleeing towards the shift passage. Nine G’s of force pushed Georgia back into her flight seat as her fighter’s inertial dampeners fought to resist the force from the launch tube hurling her Talon out into space. As soon as she was clear from her carrier, she boosted her engines to full acceleration. Three thousand other fighters did the same.

Together, they accelerated straight towards the squadron she had left isolated and the Karacknid light ships and fighters that were closing with them. The Karacknid force had no way of escaping. Georgia’s fighters would strike them before they arrested even half of their forward momentum. They quickly realized their predicament. The four hundred Karacknid fighters that had already moved ahead of the one hundred and fifty cruisers and light ships fell back to join their comrades. Then the Karacknids altered their formation from one designed to attack the Allied squadron to one that now had to defend themselves against overwhelming odds.

The battle was brief and decisive. With ease, Georgia’s three thousand fighters obliterated the four hundred Karacknid fighters with their anti-fighter missiles. Then they descended upon the Karacknid warships. Karacknid defensive fire shot down fifty-five fighters, but then the Eaglaton fighters got into range with their grazer cannons. Georgia lined up on a Karacknid light cruiser and then sent a beam slicing through its engines. A second explosion a moment later blew the cruiser into hundreds of pieces of debris. All across the Karacknid squadron, other explosions ripped nearly half their fleet apart. Seconds later, the Imperial fighters and bombers released their missiles and a colossal wave of anti-ship antimatter warheads vaporized what was left of the Karacknid warships.

At once, Georgia started slowing her fighter as she led her wing around and back towards their carriers. At the same time, the small squadron she had deployed into the system to lure the Karacknids towards her joined up with her main fleet. That’s right, Georgia thought towards the commander of the Karacknid fleet. There are a few more of us than you thought. And we have all the time in the world to play with you. Her Talon’s screen told her the Karacknid fleet was still eight hours away from reaching the system’s northern shift passage.

“Let’s get refueled as quickly as we can,” Georgia said as she opened a COM channel to all of her pilots. “We’re going to show Admiral Scott just what a carrier fleet can do.”

Since before the outbreak of the second war with the Karacknids, there had been debates about whether or not the Empire should build dedicated carrier fleets. When it came to defending fixed locations like Beta Fort or New Shanghai, Georgia understood the necessity of the many dreadnoughts that dominated the Allied battle lines. But now in The Wilds, she believed her fighters were in their element. And I’m going to prove it! She told herself as she played out in her mind how she saw the battle playing out.

Fifty-five minutes later, after landing on Eagle and having all her fighters refueled and the anti-fighter missiles they had used up replaced, Georgia led her fighter wing out once again. This time, they set course to intercept the main Karacknid fleet and went to full acceleration. For an hour and a half, they raced ahead of their carriers as they made their intentions clear. They were coming to engage the Karacknid fleet all by themselves.

Unless the Karacknids wanted Georgia’s fighters to get amongst their capital ships and freighters, they had only one option. Eighteen hundred fighters launched from the carriers of the Karacknid fleet and moved out to intercept Georgia’s three thousand two hundred fighters. Both sides hurled anti-fighter missiles at each other and then crashed into one another.

Georgia fell into her hyperfocus state in an instant. She then dodged two missiles that tried to strike her. At the same time, she rippled off three missiles at Karacknid fighters. Not waiting to see if they hit, she threw her Talon into a series of random evasive maneuvers just before the Karacknid fighters opened up with their laser cannons. Even as she twisted and weaved, she did so in a way that lined up her own laser cannons on enemy fighter after enemy fighter. In the six seconds it took both groups of fighters to coalesce together, she shot down three Karacknid fighters. As soon as both groups of fighters passed one another, each pilot spun their craft around one hundred and eighty degrees and continued blasting away at as many targets as they could.

After just twelve seconds both fighter wings passed out of range of one another. Seven hundred Karacknid fighters remained while two thousand nine hundred Allied fighters had survived. The Allied fighters immediately went to full acceleration as they sought to arrest momentum and chase after the Karacknid fighters. Thinking Georgia’s fighters intended to strike at their capital ships, the Karacknid fighters were more than happy to engage in a prolonged dogfight.

However, as both groups of fighters crashed into one another for a second time, it was quickly apparent that Georgia’s force was even more nimble than normal. As per her orders, none of her fighters had been rearmed with anti-ship missiles. This attack had one purpose only, and that was to destroy the Karacknid fighters. With a focused skill that had been sharpened by Georgia’s training, her pilots tore into the Karacknids.

Georgia lost track of time as she shot down one fighter and then the next and then the next. A battle that lasted six minutes felt like only a handful of seconds. Then she suddenly found herself with no more targets. Georgia blinked rapidly several times and then looked at her auxiliary screens to confirm what her senses were telling her. There were no more Karacknids left. Her eyes widened when she saw one of her screens had said she had scored nine kills. And that was on top of the kills she had racked up in the first clash with the Karacknid fighter wing. So far in the war with the Karacknids she had already become an ace several times over and she had just become one again in a matter of minutes.

“Great shooting everyone,” Georgia said as she spoke to all her pilots. “Now let’s get back to the carriers and do this again. We are far from done yet.”

An hour and a half later, Georgia once again led her fighters towards the Karacknids. Her targets were now charging across the system having realized the situation they were in. With Georgia’s carrier fleet matching their progress across the system, Georgia could keep striking at them until they finally managed to jump out. The only other option the Karacknid commander had was to turn his warships towards Georgia’s carriers. Yet with nothing larger than a heavy cruiser in her fleet, Georgia could easily turn her ships away and keep the distance open between the Karacknid warships and hers. Then, she could either strike the Karacknid warships or loop around them with her fighters and take out the Karacknid freighters. The enemy was stuck, and as long as she was willing to keep hitting them with her fighters without the assistance of a ship-fired missile salvo, she could engage them at will.

That was exactly what she did. With three thousand fighters arrayed around her Talon, she charged towards the Karacknid fleet. Every one of her fighters was lined up on the Karacknid freighters at the rear of their formation. Understandably, hundreds of Karacknid light ships began falling back and slotting in around the freighters. Georgia grinned at the maneuver. She kept her fighters aimed at the freighters until the very last moment. “Execute turn,” she ordered her Squadron Leaders.

As sharply as they could, every one of Georgia’s fighters turned towards the Karacknid capital ships at the heart of their fleet. Then they dove in to attack. With no fighter cover, one hundred and fifty light ships already destroyed, and many more now out of position, the two hundred dreadnoughts and battleships that constituted the nucleus of the enemy fleet were extremely vulnerable. Nevertheless, they could still put out a lot of defensive fire. Over a hundred of Georgia’s fighters were blown apart as they sought to close to effective weapons range. Yet the majority of Georgia’s force survived to come into range with their own weapons. The first to fire were the Eaglaton fighters. They slammed hundreds of grazer beams into the Karacknids.

Georgia screamed in triumph as her beam struck a dreadnought amidships and she saw the destructive energies blow right out the other side of the ship. While the rest of the Eaglaton fighters pulled up and away to safety, she kept on charging in as she sought to draw away fire from her comrades.

Next to fire were the Varanni fighters who sent hundreds more laser beams piercing into the Karacknids. So many ships had been hit and damaged that Georgia felt the Karacknids’ defensive fire weaken considerably. With ease then, her Human pilots raced in close with their fighters and bombers and released their antimatter warheads at almost point-blank range. Every single Karacknid dreadnought and battleship was targeted. All but six were hit by multiple missiles and vaporized. The six survivors all suffered damage as well.

As Georgia pulled her fighter up and away from the Karacknid fleet, her screen told her three hundred and eighty Karacknid ships had been destroyed. More significant than just the numbers though, she had taken out a third of the fleet’s combat strength. But she still wasn’t satisfied. If the ships still in the Karacknid fleet had remained in their own space her father never would have been killed. Instead they had chosen to invade her father’s Empire, and now they would die. “Turn for the carriers, then we go again,” she said to her pilots.

Over the next two and a half hours, Georgia led two more sorties against the Karacknid fleet. She lost another two hundred and fifty-six fighters on top of the one hundred and sixty she had already lost. Yet the Karacknids suffered far worse. Both sorties destroyed eight hundred and forty-seven Karacknid ships. The Dar’kanan clan’s fleet was left with just eight hundred and thirty warships as it neared the system’s mass shadow.

Even then, Georgia was not finished with them. This time, she ordered Eagle and the rest of the warships in her fleet to close with the Karacknids. As a missile salvo of fourteen thousand missiles closed with the Karacknids, she charged in behind them with two and a half thousand fighters. The result was a slaughter. Barely a third of the remaining Karacknid ships survived the attack. Three follow-up salvos from Georgia’s warships finished off what was left along with the Karacknid freighters. Not a single ship survived.

And now we do the same to the Gal-tak clan, Georgia said to herself as she turned her Talon back towards Eagle. Her rage was far from satisfied.

Chapter 20

The Human Sphere at the time of James Somerville’s birth was almost unrecognizable compared to the Empire he left behind at his death. The scale of the social, political, and technological changes that occurred over those seventy-six years has never been matched.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 28th September 2513 AD, (one day later).

To Jonathan’s surprise, he was able to rush his fleet through the final two Hafalan systems with relative ease. Several small fleets had thrown themselves at his screening forces, but they had been quickly dealt with. Thanks to his rear-guard scouts, he knew the combined Hafalan and Tanor fleet was following him, but they could not match the pace his fleet was setting.

After crossing the borders of Hafalan space, the Allied fleet had passed through two more uninhabited systems making good time. Now, however, they had come to a new obstacle. Currently, Sparrowhawk and her consorts sat on the outer edge of a system that was home to the Lolalians. They were a one-system species who had gathered a large fleet to oppose Jonathan’s passing. Twenty thousand ships were blocking the Allied fleet’s path through the system towards its southwestern shift passage.

Technologically, the Lolalians were less advanced than the Hafalans. Many of the ships obstructing Jonathan’s fleet also appeared to be civilian ships. Yet twenty thousand ships was not a number to be scoffed at. As a result, Jonathan was in his office having called a holo conference with his senior leaders.

“So,” Jonathan said, “what do we think?”

“According to the intel Alveraz’s spy ships have gathered, we can simply outmaneuver these slower ships and go around their fleet, can we not?” Hallock asked.

“That is the case, Superintendent,” Reverus responded. “But if we know that, then so too will the Silizzarus. And yet they have still gathered this force to oppose us.”

“You think it is a trap?” Hallock followed up.

“I believe that is why Vice Admiral Somerville has called this meeting,” Reverus said as he nodded to Jonathan.

Jonathan smiled at Reverus. “Alveraz’s scouts suggest this is the last major hostile species we are likely to have any serious problems with before we reach the Silizzarus homeworld. Isn’t that so, Admiral?”

“It is,” Alveraz confirmed. “As you all know, the closer an alien civilization is to the Silizzarus homeworld, the more they have manipulated them to slow their technological progress and make them adopt more pacifist philosophies. The intel my stealth frigates have gathered suggests none of the civilizations we will encounter after the Lolalians will give us any real bother.

“Of course, there are other species who, like the Hafalan, may be moving their fleets towards the Silizzarus homeworld. And worryingly none of the scouts we have sent on to the Silizzarus home system have returned yet. But if we can get past this Lolalian fleet, we should be able to push on quickly to our main target.”

“Which means,” Shraw said, peeling his lips back to reveal his predatory teeth, “if we were in the Silizzarus’ position, we would have something planned for this system. This is their New Shanghai.”

Jonathan leaned forward and activated his desk’s main display to project a map of the system in front of everyone. As soon as his fleet had entered the system, he had sent in a plethora of stealth and active recon drones. “And yet, we have detected nothing untoward beyond this fleet blocking our path.”

“There could be Silizzarus ships out there and we would never be able to detect them until they were right on top of us,” Hawthorn suggested. “If we engaged the Lolalians, they could attack us from any angle, and I’m sure we know what their targets would be.”

“There is also the Hafalan and Tanor fleet. They are only a day behind us,” Reverus reminded everyone. “If the Lolalians delayed us that long, then we would be surrounded.”

“And Reverus is right, as far as we know, there is nothing stopping us from just racing around this fleet,” Jonathan said. Even as he spoke, over thirty active recon drones could be seen scanning the route Jonathan’s ships could take to avoid the alien fleet. It would add three hours to his fleet’s journey time across the system. But to avoid a battle, that was an acceptable delay. “But I don’t like it. It has to be a trap.”

“So we take a different route,” Shraw suggested. With a claw, he traced a course on his own holo map that was transmitted to Jonathan’s. It took the Allied fleet deep into the inner system and actually used the Lolalian homeworld’s gravity to carry out a course change back out towards the outer system. “No one would expect us to do this. And we shouldn’t face too many risks. The Lolalian homeworld has several impressive battlestations, but they don’t have nearly enough firepower to threaten us.”

Jonathan rubbed his jaw as he assessed Shraw’s idea. In total, it would add five hours to his fleet’s journey through the system. But doing something unexpected was far better than walking into something that had to be a trap. “I like it. But if the Silizzarus have ships in the system, they could still easily catch us.”

Shraw nodded. “True. But if they do have ships here, we’re going to have to fight our way past them sooner or later. And at least this way, the Lolalian fleet will still be unable to catch us. And whatever the Silizzarus have planned, this move should put their forces out of position.”

“What do the rest of you think?” Jonathan asked.

“I know what I would do,” Tasata-su responded gruffly. “We know we can beat this fleet, despite their numbers. A Karacknid fleet would simply blast its way through this opposition and be done with it. And if there are Silizzarus ships out there, better we destroy them now than have to fight them at the Silizzarus homeworld.”

Jonathan couldn’t help smiling. There was a certain logic to Tasata-su’s approach. Still, he had used the Karacknids' tendency to just charge into battle without caution against them too often in the past for him to be swayed by such an idea. If he could, he wanted to know what he was up against before committing his forces.

“If it comes to it, we may have to do just that,” Reverus said. “But perhaps we should try and figure out just what our enemy has planned before we walk into a battlefield they have had time to prepare.”

“Then maybe we could adapt Shraw’s plan,” Iso suggested. “We could initially make it look like we plan to move around the outside of the Lolalian fleet. Then we can gauge how they react and if it seems wise, make a break for the inner system.”

“Yes, I like it,” Jonathan said. “If there are some hidden forces out there, I’d rather learn about them sooner rather than later.”

“But at the end of the day, we must get through this system,” Tasata-su said. “One way or another, we’re going to have to fight our way through whatever the Silizzarus have prepared. We must be prepared to take risks.”

“You are right, we must,” Jonathan agreed. “So, we will see if we can outmaneuver this fleet, and if we can, all the better. If not, we will have to find a way through them.”

Heads around the holo conference nodded or bowed. Jonathan met all their gazes and then nodded too. “Let’s be about it then. I will send out orders for the fleet to proceed imminently.”

As images began to disappear from the holo conference, Jonathan stood and gestured for Iso to follow him. Together they left his office and walked down the corridor back onto the bridge. “Rossi, send an alert to the fleet and instruct them to prepare to move,” Jonathan said as he moved towards his command chair and sat down. “Harte, lay in a course taking us directly towards the alien fleet. We’re going to dance with them a little and then try breaking around them towards the outer system to see what they do. Iso, liaise with Hawthorn and start putting fighter squadrons out ahead of our screening flotillas. If we detect anything untoward, I want to have a fighter squadron nearby to attack it with. That may be the best way we can figure out what we’re up against.”

As his fleet moved into the system, Jonathan went over the latest scans of the enemy fleet. Visually, it looked like a hodgepodge of ships of all shapes and sizes. At the center of the enemy fleet, there were four or five thousand ships that definitely looked like warships. The rest, though, had to be civilian ships. Some were impressively large, yet it was hard to tell how many weapons, if any, they had. Such a fleet cannot be fast, Jonathan was sure. Against the Karacknids at New Shanghai, his father had employed as many civilian ships as they could get. Yet the civilian ships had only been used in orbit around New Shanghai. Trying to add them to a fleet of warships only compromised the warships’ speed and combat effectiveness.

To test his enemy, Jonathan began maneuvering his fleet as he got closer to the Lolalians. First, he tried to single out one flank of the enemy fleet and bring his ships in on a trajectory that would allow them to focus all of their fire on them. The Lolalians responded well but, as expected, their ships were slow. Next, Jonathan carried out several other maneuvers as he tested the Lolalians' ability to respond to different threats. He even launched a couple of thousand fighters to simulate a long-range fighter strike. Yet the Lolalians barely flinched. Each time they moved their fleet just enough to ensure they would be able to fight Jonathan’s warships and no more. It seemed they were content to place themselves in Jonathan’s way and simply fight to the death.

“I think we’ve seen enough,” Jonathan said an hour after his ships had begun moving into the system. “Harte, lay in a course to loop around their fleet towards the outer system. Let’s see what they do once they realize they can’t force us into a fight.”

Less than a minute later, Harte turned the nose of every Allied ship away from the Lolalian fleet. He then brought the fleet up to maximum acceleration. Within seconds, the Lolalians would know what Jonathan was doing. He had tested them to see their fleet’s maximum acceleration. Now Harte had plotted the quickest looping course they could take around the Lolalian fleet that prevented them from bringing Jonathan’s warships to action.

Normally, Jonathan would expect an enemy in such a position to do one of two things. Either their entire fleet would desperately begin to race to intercept him even if it was fruitless. Even if they couldn’t bring him to battle, the Lolalians could still chase him all the way across the system to make sure that if Jonathan did slow his fleet, the Lolalians would be there to do battle. The other option was for the Lolalians to split their fleet. From the data his ships had collected, Jonathan was fairly sure the Lolalian warships could be detached from their larger fleet and still catch Jonathan’s ships.

Neither happened, however. Instead, in good order, the entire Lolalian fleet began to move towards the outer system. Yet it was at barely half the maximum acceleration they were known to be able to put out. Jonathan shared a look with Iso. It was far too obvious. The Lolalian fleet’s initial position before his ships had even entered the system suggested they were leaving him an opening to try and move around them. Now there was no doubt. Something was up. “We still haven’t detected anything out there?”

Iso shook her head. “There is no sign of anything. As far as we can tell, Harte’s route is completely safe.”

“Well, there must be something out there,” Jonathan replied. “Let’s see what happens.”

Sitting back in his command chair, Jonathan rolled his shoulders and got comfortable. For half an hour, he let his fleet maneuver around the Lolalians. Well ahead of his screening squadrons and fighters, he had over five hundred active recon drones also out looking for whatever trap the Lolalians and Silizzarus were going to spring. Yet as half an hour came and went, nothing happened, and no additional forces were detected.

Jonathan’s eyes darted from the space in front of his fleet back to the Lolalians. Something was up, of that he had no doubt. Yet why was nothing happening? It seemed like the Lolalians were content to just let his fleet escape. Almost, Jonathan was tempted to keep his fleet on Harte’s course. But the risk was too great. Doing what your enemy wanted was tantamount to suicide.

“Alright, I’ve seen enough. Whatever is out there, clearly, we are not going to detect it before it’s too late. Turn us around, put the fleet onto Shraw’s course,” Jonathan ordered.

As his fleet turned towards the Lolalian homeworld, Jonathan sat forward in his command chair. If the Lolalians and Silizzarus hadn’t shown their hand yet, surely now they would. A full minute passed before the Lolalian fleet reacted. When it did, the hairs on the back of Jonathan’s neck began to stand up. The Lolalian fleet was changing course and increasing its acceleration. Yet it was doing so at the same rates it had done in response to Jonathan’s earlier maneuvers. They weren’t trying to push their engines or reactors at all. We’re threatening their homeworld! What species reacts this way? Jonathan asked himself. The answer was obvious: none. Which meant there was even more going on than he or his commanders realized.

A sense of foreboding quickly began to grow within Jonathan. Whatever the Lolalians had planned, they were clearly just as confident it would work whether Jonathan’s fleet looped around them towards the outer system or charged in towards their homeworld. What could it be? Jonathan asked himself. His whole body was on tenterhooks as his eyes roved across the holo image of the system looking for some sign of what the Lolalians were up to. Yet he could see nothing.

Then what do I do? Jonathan began to wonder. If he kept on Shraw’s trajectory, it would take them five hours to pass by the Lolalians and continue on through the system. By doubling back and trying to pass them towards the outer system, he would only waste two and a half hours. If he was going to be surprised by some kind of attack, did he take the quicker route? Or do I just charge them and force the issue as Tasata-su would have me do?

Jonathan’s fingers twitched towards his command chair’s control panel. He wanted to speak to Shraw or Reverus and get their opinion. Really, he wanted his father’s advice. Leading a fleet into battle was one thing. He had plenty of combat experience and felt confident fighting his forces. But this was something else. He knew his father, with the wisdom he had honed over decades, would have known what to do.

Swallowing his pride, Jonathan contacted Shraw and Reverus. “What do you both think?” he asked them quietly. “They clearly have no problem with us closing in on their homeworld. They must have something prepared to make them so confident. Yet our scouts are still not detecting anything!”

“I don’t know, but I am worried,” Reverus answered first. “It must be big if they do not fear for their homeworld.”

“But we have to remember,” Shraw countered. “If the Silizzarus are in control, they will care nothing for the Lolalian homeworld. I suspect it is more, but this could be nothing other than them being willing to let us head further into the system in the hope they can trap us here until the Hafalan and Tanor arrive.”

“Even then, that would mean they must have some more ships in the system that they plan to trap us with,” Jonathan said as he thought through the possibility. “Maybe Tasata-su is right. If we hit their fleet now, we could at least destroy that fleet and prevent them being used in whatever else the Silizzarus have planned. Plus, it will open up the straightest path to the southwest shift passage for us.”

“I don’t know,” Reverus said, repeating himself. “We will take losses if we engage them. There is no way around it.”

Jonathan pressed his lips together as he thought. He needed to make a decision quickly. But how could he? He had almost nothing upon which to base whatever choice he was to make.

Before he could decide, the chance was taken away from him. The sudden blaring of an enemy contact alarm snapped Jonathan’s head back to the main display.

“Enemy targeting sensors detected,” Harte called out calmly. But then his voice rose quickly. “They are Silizzarus!”

“There’s fifteen of them!” Iso added immediately. “They’re right on top of Screening Squadron Beta.”

“How?” Jonathan said in shock. There was no way a Silizzarus ship should have been able to jump as deep into the system as Screening Squadron Beta was. Nor should they have been able to get as close to his ships without being detected as they had. Yet he was looking right at them on the holo display. Fifteen sources of targeting sensors had appeared right in the midst of the squadron. Fear for his ships filled Jonathan. Then the missiles started appearing.

From each of the fifteen sources of targeting sensor emissions, four missiles started accelerating. The screening squadron's ships immediately opened up on them. Yet some of the missiles had a flight time of just seconds before they slammed into their targets. Within ten seconds, twenty-four ships were hit. Half were destroyed outright, and the rest were badly crippled or sent spinning out of control.

“Where are their ships?” Jonathan demanded. The Silizzarus targeting sensors had gone quiet. What ships were left of Screening Squadron Beta were charging towards where they had been. Their own active sensors were sweeping the area of space while they fired energy weapons and missiles at where they thought the enemy was. Yet no Silizzarus ships were being detected by their sensors. Nor were there any gravitational waves from Silizzarus engines being picked up. Unless the Silizzarus wanted to be surrounded and easily destroyed, they had to be maneuvering.

“I don’t understand it, Admiral, there’s no sign of any enemy ships,” Iso answered.

“It’s as if they jumped in and then jumped right back out again,” Harte said.

“That’s impossible,” Jonathan responded. At least, it should have been. If the Silizzarus had developed even more advanced shift drives that could let them jump in and out so easily, his fleet was doomed. But it is impossible, Jonathan insisted. It had to be. Which meant there had to be another explanation. With a great deal of effort, he pushed away his shock and surprise and tried to analyze the situation clearly.

The Lolalian fleet hadn’t rushed to intercept them even though Jonathan was heading for their homeworld because they had obviously known about the Silizzarus ability to attack his fleet. Yet why not charge in and attack with the Silizzarus? And why have the Silizzarus not followed up their attack and finished off the screening squadron? It made no sense… unless they can’t! A fresh horror filled Jonathan.

“Mines!” he shouted in alarm. “They were mines. We’re headed into a minefield. That’s why the Lolalian fleet hasn’t tried to close with us. Order every ship in the fleet to go into full reverse immediately. Send out a flash alert for mines!”

“At once, Admiral,” Iso said, her voice rising to a screech.

Even as Jonathan’s warning went out to the fleet, fresh alarms filled Sparrowhawk’s bridge. More Silizzarus targeting sensors were being detected. Many more. Jonathan’s mouth fell open in horror as his fleet was surrounded by new contacts.

Chapter 21

Any fleet that stands still when it comes to technological development is destined for defeat. When your enemy is always innovating, so too must you. However, sometimes the best developments look to the past to resurrect ancient weapons and tactics that can be reimagined for the modern battlefield.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

For half a second, Jonathan was frozen. He could do nothing but stare at the hundreds and then thousands of active sensors that were powering up all around his fleet. Then the mines started firing their missiles. Jonathan leapt into action. He had to. If he didn’t act now, his fleet would be lost.

The first thing he did was coldly analyze where all the mines were. It appeared the Silizzarus minefield was designed to both block his passage into the inner system and stop him from simply turning and fleeing back into the outer system. His fleet’s one saving grace was that they were surrounded by two minefields rather than having already flown right into the middle of one of them.

And there will be another two on the other side of the Lolalian fleet, Jonathan was sure as he eyed the Lolalian warships. If he had tried to loop around them the other way, he would have run right into another minefield. Jonathan winced as more ships in his screening squadrons started to die. Yet he did his best to ignore them. He needed to get his fleet out of danger. As his eyes came back to the Lolalian fleet, General Tasata-su’s words came back to Jonathan: We may have to fight our way through them.

“There are no mines where the Lolalian fleet is!” Jonathan shouted to his officers above the din of the panic that had taken hold of Sparrowhawk’s bridge. “Iso, turn the fleet onto a heading of seven, four, one point eight. We’re going to close with the Lolalians and blast a safe path through them.”

Immediately Jonathan’s fleet began to turn. Every ship was as eager to get out of harm’s way as Jonathan was. Yet already the fleet’s forward screening squadrons were coming under heavy attack. Worse, a massive salvo of missiles from the closest mines was streaking past them towards the main Allied fleet. From the rear, a smaller but potentially just as deadly salvo was also racing towards Jonathan’s fleet.

“Get the freighters to the center of our formation,” Jonathan ordered. “Deploy all our fighters to the rear; they are to thin out the salvo coming our way from that direction.” And let’s pray the minefields can’t fire any more at us! Jonathan hoped. On the holo display, there were many more mines that had their targeting sensors up; however, they were quite far away and so hadn’t fired. Yet no one knew just how far a Silizzarus missile could travel. It was still possible they were just waiting to see how the first salvos fired at Jonathan’s fleet fared.

“Admiral, the Lolalian fleet. Look!” Harte called out in concern.

“Belay that last order!” Jonathan said as he bit back a curse. On the holo display, thousands upon thousands of small contacts were leaving the Lolalian fleet and accelerating towards Sparrowhawk. They were moving far faster than Lolalian ships but not fast enough to be missiles. “They have fighters! Direct all our fighters to intercept them.”

Jonathan then spun around in his command chair to look at Alveraz. The head of Imperial Intelligence shook his head. “None of our frigates ever saw them having any fighters.”

Jonathan grimaced. “Well, they do, and they’re coming through the minefields for us!”

Sensing he was losing control; Jonathan closed his eyes. He took a slow deep breath. This was what his enemy wanted. Every surprise was designed to throw him off. We need to react calmly, he told himself. No matter what. If the Silizzarus had any warships in the system, they were likely to throw them at the Allied fleet as well. We must be ready.

Jonathan’s eyes snapped back open. “Let’s prepare the fleet to face these two salvos. Then we take out those fighters. Then we get out of these damned minefields,” he said to his staff officers. As Iso and the others nodded to him, Jonathan began giving orders, rearranging his fleet to best receive the incoming waves of Silizzarus missiles. Next, he pulled back what was left of his screening squadrons. Then he combined his fighters and sent them racing off to intercept the horde of Lolalian fighters to stop them from getting close to his freighters.

“All right,” Jonathan said to his officers as the first Silizzarus missile salvo came at them. He projected as much calm into his voice as he could. “We can handle this.”

Hundreds of PD frigates and drone cruisers raced out to first meet the missiles. They shot down hundreds of them and forced many more to carry out evasive maneuvers, widening the salvo. Then Superintendent Hallock’s worldships shot out towards the missiles. They turned and accelerated as hard as they could back towards the fleet. Their maneuver gave them an extra four seconds to open up on the incoming missiles before the rest of the Allied fleet joined them. Thousands were shot down. Yet the Silizzarus missiles were very small, very fast, and extremely maneuverable. Their ECM was also far more advanced than anything any of the Allied species had faced from their other enemies.

However, this wasn’t the first time the Allied fleet had seen Silizzarus missiles in action. Since Jonathan’s brother’s first encounter with a Silizzarus ship, Allied tacticians and technicians had been analyzing them. Over the last several weeks, they had collected far more data than ever before. Now that information was put to good use as special fire patterns, sensor emissions, and ECM all sought to take out or confuse as many missiles as possible.

They were partially successful. The vast majority, over ninety-five percent, of the Silizzarus missiles were shot down. Still, nearly two hundred penetrated the Allied fleet’s defenses. All sought out freighters. Guessing this was exactly what they would do, Jonathan had prepared as best he could. All of his fuel freighters went dark seconds before the Silizzarus missiles reached the Allied fleet. In contrast, the freighters filled with the least vital supplies stopped all their efforts at containing their emissions. They lit up on the Silizzarus missiles’ targeting sensors and many of them died. Even so, Jonathan couldn’t stop his fist from smashing into his command chair as he saw a handful of fuel freighters blown apart.

Quickly, he got himself under control, for there was another Silizzarus missile salvo closing in on the rear of his fleet. As best he could with the limited time they had, he began rearranging his fleet again. Before the salvo hit, fresh alarms signaled more mines were being detected. As the Allied fleet turned and began to close with the Lolalian fleet, any Silizzarus mine that could reach them began to fire their missiles. In much smaller salvos than before, but from various angles, more Silizzarus warheads sought to breach Jonathan’s defenses.

And those fighters are still coming, Jonathan reminded himself as he checked on the progress of his own fighters. Wing Commander Hawthorne was leading nine thousand Allied fighters out to meet the wave of sixteen thousand coming against Jonathan’s ships. The speed of the Lolalian fighters told Jonathan they were nowhere near as advanced as Hawthorne’s, yet like the Lolalian fleet, they had a numerical advantage that was concerning enough on its own.

Before Hawthorne could engage the fighters, Jonathan had to refocus on the second Silizzarus salvo coming his way. As well as rearranging his warships, he pulled all of his fuel freighters away from the direction the next missiles were coming from. Also, instead of having the Kulrean worldships repeat their previous maneuver, he used the massive ships to create a wall around the fuel ships. As cold as his calculation felt, at this stage he knew it was better for the fleet to lose warships than fuel freighters.

When the salvo came in, that was just what happened. The vast majority of the Silizzarus missiles were shot down. Enough got through, though, to cripple or destroy fifty-nine Allied warships. “Get search and rescue shuttles out to those crippled ships,” Jonathan ordered. “Harte, start analyzing those missiles and the next waves coming in. I want more of them shot down next time!”

“Aye, Admiral,” Harte responded.

Jonathan turned back to the main display just in time to watch Hawthorne’s fighters close with the horde of small Lolalian craft. Thousands of missiles streaked away from the Allied fighters. Thankfully, the Lolalians fired none in return. Instead, thousands of them died trying to shake off the antifighter missiles’ aim. Then both groups of fighters opened up on each other with laser beams, plasma bolts, and to Jonathan’s surprise, mass driver rounds fired by the Lolalians.

The Lolalians’ weapons showed just how technologically inferior they were. While a hit with a mass driver round would undoubtedly smash down an Allied fighter's shield and vaporize the fighter, the mass driver rounds were being fired at a speed of 0.2c. Allied plasma bolts covered the distance to their targets over four times as fast and laser beams even faster. The result was a one-sided bloodbath. In the fourteen seconds it took for both groups of fighters to enter range, engage one another, and then pass by one another, nine thousand Lolalian fighters were shot down. Almost every Allied fighter scored at least one kill.

On the other hand, the Lolalians struggled. Barely two hundred Allied fighters were hit. Nevertheless, the Lolalians’ numbers meant their attack hadn’t been completely thwarted. Out of the sixteen thousand that had initially been charging Jonathan’s fleet, seven thousand survived Hawthorne’s attack. While Hawthorne’s fighters began to rapidly decelerate to come after them, the Lolalians’ momentum meant they would reach Jonathan’s fleet before Hawthorne’s fighters could engage once again.

Once they passed Hawthorne’s fighters, the Lolalians actually slowed a little. As their projected course changed slightly, Jonathan saw why. They were planning on hitting his fleet in conjunction with the next salvo of Silizzarus missiles. On the holo display, six such salvos were currently chasing after the Allied fleet. None were as large as the first two. Yet as the Allied fleet passed by more groups of mines, those that could were releasing their missiles as they sought to do more damage to their targets.

“Even if they don’t have any dedicated anti-warship weapons, those fighters' mass driver cannons could be devastating,” Jonathan said in concern. “Especially if they get amongst our freighters.”

“They certainly would, Admiral,” Harte replied. “But our initial analysis of their capabilities indicates they are pretty fragile and not especially maneuverable. Do you think they would expect us to launch a missile salvo at them?”

Jonathan smiled at his tactical officer. “It’s worth finding out! See to it at once.”

“Yes, sir,” Harte said with a nod. “I’ll delay firing until the last moment. That way if they try to dodge, they’ll be disrupting their attack formation.”

“And we can send PD frigates and drone cruisers out to our flanks,” Iso suggested. “They can pounce on any that do try to dodge when they are still isolated.”

“Excellent,” Jonathan said. “I’ll prepare to fend off the Silizzarus missiles then.”

Sparrowhawk’s bridge was momentarily filled with orders as the preparations were made. Then the Allied fleet came under attack again. Just two minutes before the Lolalian fighters entered defensive range of the Allied fleet, Harte fired a full salvo of antimatter missiles at them. For a few vital seconds, the Lolalian fighters didn’t maneuver, thinking their enemies were somehow trying to fire on their carriers. Then they realized the true danger they were in. Abandoning all pretense of keeping formation with one another, the fighters began to scatter. For most, it was too late. As the giant wave of antimatter missiles detonated, they enveloped thousands of the Lolalians’ fragile craft. Any that were hit by antimatter particles were obliterated instantly. As Iso had intended, the survivors were then assaulted by the ships she had waiting for them.

At the other side of the Allied fleet, Jonathan’s ships had already forgotten about the missiles they had fired and were desperately trying to shoot down the four thousand Silizzarus missiles racing toward them. With an overwhelming amount of fire, all but six were hit and destroyed. Four of those scored hits; three small Allied ships were hit and destroyed. Jonathan ground his teeth together when the fourth hit a worldship. The giant Kulrean vessel wasn’t destroyed outright, but the visuals he saw were enough to tell him it had suffered a lot of damage.

Knowing there was nothing he could immediately do for the worldship though, Jonathan turned to the Lolalian fighters. Just nine hundred were racing towards his fleet now. Seconds after his eyes settled on them, eight squadrons of Hellcats that had been held in reserve flashed through their broken formation, releasing anti-fighter missiles and plasma bolts. One-third of the Lolalians died. Then the fleet switched their defensive fire onto the enemy fighters. The lead Lolalian fighters all erupted into fireballs. Quickly, the fireballs reached back through the Lolalian formation as many more of their fighters were targeted and taken out.

Even so, the Lolalians closed with the Allied fleet quicker than they were destroyed. Then, far sooner than Allied fighters could, they began to fire their weapons. Thousands of tiny mass driver rounds were hurled towards the Allied warships. However, before even a single mass driver round reached its target, every last Lolalian fighter was shot down. But they had done their duty.

Detecting the danger that was coming their way, the Allied fleet threw itself into evasive maneuvers. Most were successful, but not all. Many ships' shields flared as they tried to deflect the rounds. Where they failed, the fast-moving metallic rounds slammed into valstronium armor, releasing huge amounts of energy. Smaller ships were instantly eviscerated, larger ships had holes blasted into them, and deadly shockwaves sent rumbling through their inner structures. Sparrowhawk’s sensors detected sixty explosions among Jonathan’s ships, all of which were serious.

Jonathan quietly swore at the number of explosions he was seeing. All told, he had now lost three hundred and sixty-seven warships since entering the system. With no idea what was waiting for him at the Silizzarus homeworld, he feared what the losses might mean. Yet he had no time to dwell on his anger, for more salvos of missiles were rushing towards his fleet. Beyond them, the Lolalian fleet was forming up to face him.

Over the course of twenty-five minutes, five smaller salvos struck the Allied Fleet as Jonathan’s ships raced between the two minefields. A further thirty-four warships were lost or abandoned. Then, Jonathan slowed his fleet as the Lolalians came into range. Rightly guessing the range on their anti-ship missiles wouldn’t match his own, Jonathan’s ships began to fire missile salvo after salvo as the Lolalians tried to close the range.

Four salvos of one hundred and forty thousand missiles struck the Lolalians. Their fleet of twenty thousand warships was cut in half by the attacks. Almost, Jonathan felt bad at the one-sided slaughter. But only almost, the destruction and death the enemy minefield and fighters had wrought among his own fleet suppressed any compassion he felt for the Lolalians.

Only after losing half their fleet were the Lolalians able to open fire. Their first salvo consisted of ninety thousand missiles. Then they were hit again by a fifth Allied salvo before firing sixty-eight thousand missiles in a second salvo. Before they could fire the third salvo, they were struck again and suffered even more losses.

By then, the Allied fleet finally had to defend itself. With ease, the vast majority of the Lolalian missiles from their first salvo were shot down. Only their sheer number meant random chance allowed seven to get through. Just three of the missiles actually managed to score hits and none breached the Allied ships' shields and armor. The second Lolalian salvo was dealt with just as easily.

“It looks like about a thousand of them are going to get into energy weapon range,” Harte announced after the second Lolalian salvo was dealt with. “They may be able to fire sooner than us though. It looks like a lot of their smaller ships are equipped with mass driver cannons like their fighters.”

“Get the worldships between our fuel freighters and their fleet,” Jonathan ordered at once. The Kulrean worldships were the only ships in the fleet with sophisticated enough sensors to detect incoming mass driver rounds and shoot them down. “The rest of the fleet is to begin evasive maneuvers as soon as you think they might be able to start firing.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Harte responded sharply.

Jonathan watched in relative silence as his fleet fended off two more salvos from the Lolalians, and the Lolalian fleet was struck by two more of his. Harte’s prediction proved true. Eight hundred and sixty of their warships still remained as they approached energy weapon range of the Allied fleet. Before most of the Allied fleet or even any of the Lolalians could fire, the Imperial Striker-class dreadnoughts, Kalassai city ships, and Kulrean worldships fired their phase cannons. Catching the Lolalians off guard, they destroyed another three hundred of their largest warships.

Then the Lolalians started hurling thousands of mass driver rounds at the Allied fleet. Firing from such a distance made it very difficult to score any hits. Jonathan’s entire fleet was moving and twisting together. With a flight time of well over three minutes, it was hard for the Lolalians to predict where Jonathan’s fleet would be. Yet as both sides got closer, it became increasingly easier. Seconds before the rest of the Allied fleet could begin to open fire with their energy weapons, the first Lolalian mass driver rounds struck. In the blink of an eye, three ships were obliterated. Then ten more followed a second later. Then, both fleets fired their energy weapons.

Thousands of explosions erupted amongst the Lolalian fleet as almost all of their ships were hit by at least one plasma bolt or laser cannon. The Allied fleet suffered too, as at least fifty warships were hit. While shields saved many, not all were so lucky, and twelve ships were ripped apart. Just as it looked like the battle was over, however, the main enemy attack was launched.

Out of the midst of the exploding Lolalian warships, fourteen new contacts began to blaze on Sparrowhawk’s main display. The Imperial battleships’ gravimetric sensors immediately detected them as they came out of stealth and began to accelerate far faster than any Lolalian ship could. “Silizzarus warships!” Harte shouted in warning. “They’re already in energy weapon range!” he added. Even as he spoke, ships began to explode amongst the Allied fleet, confirming his announcement.

“Hunt them down!” Jonathan ordered harshly as his hands gripped his command chair.

Jonathan’s words cut through everyone’s surprise, and a moment later, Sparrowhawk’s bridge officers threw themselves into action. This was something they had planned for and simulated many times by now. Without needing any more orders, they got to work. Squadrons of fighters with energy cannons began to charge the Silizzarus ships. At the same time, specially designated hunter squadrons made up of light cruisers also rushed to close with the new contacts. Together, the two groups singled out a single enemy warship and began to pummel it with energy beams.

While this was going on, every other warship in the Allied fleet opened up on the rest of the Silizzarus warships. Jonathan then began moving more capital ships into the Silizzarus warships’ way even as he ordered the fuel freighters to pull back. Already, it was obvious what the Silizzarus warships’ targets were. They had used the Lolalian fleet’s destruction to sneak up close to his fleet. Now they were going for his fuel freighters again.

Despite knowing a surprise attack was a possibility and preparing as best he could, Jonathan was still horrified at the damage just fourteen enemy ships could do. Once again, like a hot knife through butter, the Silizzarus ships tore into his fleet, carving a deadly path as they chased after the fuel freighters. One hundred warships and twice as many fighters died before the first Silizzarus ship was destroyed.

However, the warship’s death signaled that the Allied fleet was getting to grips with the new attackers. As surprise gave way to grim determination, the Allied warships and fighters focused on what they had been training for days to do. Meticulously, they coordinated their firing patterns in such a way that even the small, nimble Silizzarus ships couldn’t avoid being hit. Less than ten seconds after the first Silizzarus ship was destroyed, a second’s shields began to be battered down. Then it was blown apart mere seconds later.

Even as they began to die, the Silizzarus fought back savagely. Twenty or thirty Allied warships died for each Silizzarus that was taken out. Those that were still fighting continued to cut their way through the Allied fleet. Flashbacks hit Jonathan as four Silizzarus warships reached his fuel freighters. Exotic energy beams and Silizzarus missiles began to flash across space. Every freighter that was hit was blown apart instantly.

With every warship and fighter in the Allied fleet focusing their fire on them, the four ships barely lasted fifteen seconds once they reached the freighters. Yet that was more than long enough to blow up many of the fuel ships that Becca’s marines had died to fill up.

When the last Silizzarus ship was destroyed, Sparrowhawk’s bridge suddenly went quiet. The sudden change from coming under a surprise attack to abruptly having no targets to hit left everyone in shock. Everyone looked to Jonathan for fresh orders. Jonathan was staring at the many expanding balls of debris that had once been fuel freighters.

“How many did we lose?” he eventually asked in a whisper.

“Eighteen,” Iso responded after a couple of seconds. “They were carrying fourteen percent of our remaining fuel reserves.”

Jonathan grimaced. “I know this isn’t good news,” Iso continued. “But we lost another two hundred and fifteen warships to the Silizzarus warships. With all the losses we suffered today, the loss of so many fuel ships won’t affect us quite as much.”

Jonathan turned to Iso. He didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or scream. She was telling him the enemy had destroyed so many of his warships that he didn’t need to be so worried about the fuel freighters they had just seen destroyed. And we’re still not at their home system yet! Jonathan thought as he fought to control his anger. He didn’t want to direct it at Iso, for it wasn’t her fault. “Get us out of this system,” he ordered quietly as he controlled his voice. “And analyze all the sensor readings we have on those mines. We need to be able to detect them before running into another one or we could end up taking far more losses!”

“Aye, Admiral, at once,” Iso responded and then quickly looked away.

Jonathan tried to relax his body and calm himself. The Lolalian fleet is gone, we are through their minefields, and we destroyed their warships. There is no more reason for them to attack us here, he told himself. But what else have they planned? another voice asked, which sent Jonathan’s mind racing as his fleet cautiously made its way through the rest of the Lolalian’s home system. Far too many possibilities came to him.

Chapter 22

The Karacknid clan system is both their species' greatest strength and greatest weakness.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Constitution, 12th October 2513 AD, (two weeks later).

As her fleet jumped into the unnamed system, Scott leaned forward in her command chair. She had been chasing the Gal-tak clan fleet for fifteen days. Though her scouts had already informed her she was gaining on them, she needed to see it for herself. Seconds after a tremor ran through her command chair from the jump to normal space, the holo display began to update. Scott sat back and smiled. She had caught them. Eight thousand warships and half as many freighters were just several hours ahead of Constitution as they moved into the inner system on their way towards the system’s northern shift passage.

Though they had a head start, Scott could leave her freighters behind and move quickly into the system whereas the Karacknids could not. “Take us in,” she ordered. “Set a pursuit course, maximum acceleration. No point trying to hide from them now.”

“Aye, Admiral,” Scott’s Chief of Staff responded.

In the previous system Scott’s lead screening squadrons had engaged and destroyed the Karacknid fleet’s rear guard, so there was no doubt they knew Scott had caught them. By charging in after them, Scott was giving them little choice but to fight. However, the odds were almost even. Scott now had just eight and a half thousand warships in her fleet. The Karacknids almost matched her. Though she was pretty sure she had a decent advantage in fighter numbers and capital ships.

“So, what do you think? How should we tackle them?” Scott asked as she turned to her Wing Commander.

“Me?” Georgia asked as her eyebrows rose.

Scott merely nodded and then put a patient expression on her face as her fleet began to move into the system.

Georgia nodded and turned back to the holo display as the surprise on her face gave way to a thoughtful look. “We can’t fight them straight up, not unless we want to lose half our fleet. So, we need to try and split them up and take them out one piece at a time… maybe draw out their fighters too.”

Scott merely nodded when Georgia looked back at her. “We could start with their rear screening squadrons,” Georgia suggested. “I could take a detachment of fast carriers and light ships and move forward to engage them. With my fighters, I should be able to take them out without too much trouble. That will start to whittle down their numbers.”

“And then what?” Scott asked. Georgia narrowed her eyes as she studied the display again. “What about their forward screening ships?” Scott asked when Georgia didn’t immediately respond. “You have a whole system to play with, remember.”

Georgia nodded as she smiled. “Yes, we could loop around their formation and force their forward screening forces to fight too. But they might pull them back when they see us coming. And we’d be very far from your carriers in case we needed additional support…. However,” Georgia added as she began to tap on her command chair. A moment later, a holo image appeared from the chair’s projector. “We only have a couple of hundred left, but if we got in front of them… we could make them think we have thousands.”

Scott wanted to smile, but she held it back. She didn’t want Georgia’s head getting too big. “That’s not a half-bad idea, Wing Commander. If you release them just right, we could split their fleet. Then together we could pounce on one half of their forces. But… there is still the problem of their fighters. If they launched a full attack against your force, they could destroy it.”

“Not unless we take them out first,” Georgia suggested. “We do have nearly a full system to play with, remember.”

This time Scott did smile as she grasped what Georgia intended. She is growing to be far more than just a fighter pilot, Scott thought as Georgia tapped on her command chair again and this time the main holo display changed to show what she had in mind. Whether she likes to admit it or not.

“Very well,” Scott said with a nod. “Let’s get your fighter wing in space and while you distract them, we’ll transfer the weapons over to your light carriers for later.”

*

An hour and five minutes later, Georgia’s Talon fighter was racing towards the Gal-tak clan’s fleet at full acceleration. She led a force of six thousand fighters. It wasn’t enough to destroy the Gal-tak fleet. In fact, if she tried, she would likely take heavy losses. Yet she could destroy all the freighters, or alternatively take out a great deal of their capital ships. In either case, the Karacknids couldn’t just let her have a free attack run against their fleet. Their only choice was to send their own fighters to intercept Georgia and try and turn her back. Exactly as Georgia wanted.

When the Karacknids did start launching their fighters, Georgia was surprised. Given the number of carriers the enemy fleet had, she expected at least six thousand fighters, yet only four thousand were launched. They may be keeping some in reserve, she warned herself. She would have to keep that in mind later. As the fighters formed up into squadrons and then an attack wing, Georgia watched them closely. To her trained eye, many of their maneuvers looked slow. She nodded to herself; it confirmed Rack’na’s intel. According to the Karacknid Commadore, the Gal-tak clan hadn’t been too involved in the Karacknid civil war. With their territory right on the Karacknid Empire’s southern border, they hadn’t been drawn into the main fighting for Gayla, the throne world of the Karacknid Empire. That meant, other than the battles they had fought in as part of Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet, they had little or no combat experience.

“We have them outnumbered,” Georgia said to her pilots as she activated her COM unit. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a hard fight on our hands,” she warned them. “They’ll be desperate to keep us from striking their warships, so don’t let your guard down. And be conservative. Don’t take any risks and let our numerical superiority play out. Trust your instincts and let’s take this enemy force off the chessboard.”

Taking hold of her flight stick, Georgia eased the nose of her Talon towards the approaching Karacknid fighters. As she did, the rest of the fighters in her wing followed suit. Then she showed the Karacknids she was accepting their challenge as she began to slow her wing’s momentum. Rather than just flash past the Karacknids and move on to strike the warships, she was offering them a battle to the finish. Unbeknownst to the Karacknids though, she was also giving her surprise the time it needed to react to the Karacknids' trajectory.

Five minutes after Georgia’s maneuver, her Talon was flashed by a laser COM. The pulses of light brought a message up on her secondary screen. Her additional fighters were in position. Georgia tapped her own COM unit, sending the confirmation message. Seconds later, an additional fifteen hundred fighters came out of stealth as they went to full acceleration. Georgia had launched them twenty minutes before her fighters and sent them sneakily moving into this system towards where she expected to encounter the Karacknid fighters. Now she had an even greater numerical advantage.

For the second time, Georgia slowed and turned her fighters as she joined up with her reinforcements. Quickly they fell into formation with one another and then turned onto their final trajectory to hit the Karacknid fighters. With the momentum the enemy had already built up, there was no way for the Karacknid fighters to turn and run back to the warships. They had to stand and fight.

As both Wings entered anti-fighter missile range of one another, the Gal-tak fighters showed they had just a handful of their newer variants. Just four hundred missiles rippled off towards Georgia’s Wing. In contrast, her fighters fired nine thousand anti-fighter missiles. ECM and intricate evasive maneuvers meant the majority of missiles from both sides failed to score hits. However, the sheer number of Georgia’s missiles still resulted in hundreds of Karacknid fighters being shot down.

Seconds later, both groups opened up with their energy weapons. Georgia didn’t have to think about any of her actions. Acting on instinct, she twisted and weaved away from any fighter that tried to line up a shot on her whilst she took out target after target. She hit three Karacknid fighters by the time both Wings flashed past one another. Swiveling the nose of her fighter around, she blasted two more before the Karacknids raced out of range.

Just as Georgia reached for her throttle to begin slowing her Talon even more so her wing could hit the Karacknids with a second pass, a contact alarm made her freeze. A stealth recon drone had just detected what it suspected were more enemy fighters. Georgia’s eyes darted to one of her secondary screens. As she did, the recon drone went active. Instantly, the electromagnetic radiation released by the drone washed over a group of Karacknid fighters, giving the drone a strong return. At least five hundred fresh Karacknid fighters were detected racing in on the same course the first Karacknid wing had.

Immediately, Georgia knew what the Karacknids had planned. She had done it herself many times in simulated battles. As she slowed her wing to go after the first enemy wing, the second would come crashing into her rear. With superior momentum, they would be able to flash through her formation, striking with relative impunity. Then the first wing would hit her again before she could reorganize her force. Georgia gritted her teeth. There was only one thing she could do to minimize her losses. “Turn towards the new enemy wing, maximum acceleration,” she ordered her pilots.

Sensing they were detected, the Karacknid fighters of the second wing came out of stealth and began to accelerate. On Georgia’s screen, two thousand more Karacknid fighters appeared. Georgia lined up on them and then checked on the first enemy wing. They had lost a thousand fighters, but that meant three thousand were still left, and as she expected, they were slowing and maneuvering to strike at her as fast as they could. “We blow past this second wing and then turn to fend off the first,” Georgia said as she switched COM channels just to speak to her Squadron Leaders. “Keep your squadrons intact throughout the engagements. We can’t let our formation get disjointed.”

Georgia barely had time to fall back into her hyper-focused state before the second wing of Karacknid fighters closed with her wing. This time, many more missiles were fired by the Karacknids, showing they had held back most of their advanced variants. Georgia’s fighter detected two missiles tracking her. She let out one slow, calming breath. Then she waited until almost the last moment before they would hit her. With a flick of her wrist, she sent her fighter into a tight corkscrew. Both missiles flashed past, unable to turn quickly enough to hit her before their momentum took them streaking away.

Around her, Georgia was only vaguely aware of explosions erupting amidst her wing as some of her fighters died. Knowing there was nothing she could do for them, she instead opened up with her Talon’s laser beams. With her fighters having already slowed, both wings had eighteen seconds to blast away at one another. In that time, Georgia shot down six enemy fighters, and her wing took out twelve hundred for the loss of five hundred of their own.

Quickly, Georgia turned and reformed her fighters. She barely had enough time to reset her formation before the first Karacknid wing and its three thousand fighters struck her six thousand six hundred. Both groups were now moving slowly enough that the engagement quickly broke down into a general dogfight. With both groups of pilots focusing on twisting and turning away from each other, the fighting slowed down as pilots tried to follow one another and line up killing shots.

With a two-to-one numerical advantage, Georgia’s fighters slowly began to kill far more of their enemy than they lost. However, four minutes into the fight, the second Karacknid wing came blazing in. Without slowing, they flashed through the battlefield, taking out seventy Allied fighters. As soon as they were out of range, they began to slow and turn as they prepared to repeat the maneuver. Georgia felt the muscles in her jaw tremble. She was grinding her teeth too hard. She tried to relax them, but the anger coursing through her wouldn’t let her. There was nothing she could do to stop the second Karacknid wing. Her wing had to kill the Karacknid fighters around them before they could try and stop the slashing attacks.

Pouring all her anger down into her wrist and fingers, Georgia flew her fighter with controlled passion. No Karacknid pilot could evade her fury for long. As soon as she selected a target, she slotted in behind it and worked to line up a shot. The least experienced Karacknid pilots were taken out within seconds. One managed to twist and weave for over twenty-five seconds before Georgia slammed six laser beams into his fighter. Then the second Karacknid wing slashed through the Allied fighters again, destroying another fifty targets without taking any losses of their own.

Georgia growled through her gritted teeth as she redoubled her efforts to kill the enemy fighters all around her. Then, as often happened, surprise caught up to her when suddenly she could find no more targets. Her head and eyes roved around looking for more targets. There were none, however. Her wing had destroyed them all. “Turn to face the enemy’s second wing,” she commanded all her pilots. “They die this time!”

With an anger that matched their Wing Commander's, the Allied fighters turned towards their next opponents. Both groups of fighters smashed into one another just a minute later, and another dogfight broke out. The engagement lasted a total of five minutes. In that time, Georgia shot down nine more enemy fighters.

As soon as the last Karacknid was destroyed, Georgia came out of her hyper-focused state. She immediately checked the status of her wing. What she saw on her secondary screen brought a grimace to her face. She had entered the battle with seven and a half thousand fighters. Though she had destroyed all six thousand the Karacknids had sent against her, she now only had four thousand eight hundred of her own left. Please let many of them have ejected, Georgia thought as she checked for emergency buoys on one of her secondary screens. She felt a little relief when she saw there were many pilots EVA in space screaming to be picked up. Many was a relative term, however. She doubted there were more than five hundred of them.

Trusting Scott would do whatever it took to rescue her stranded pilots, Georgia forced herself to push them from her mind. “All Squadron Leaders, form up on me and report the status of your squadrons,” Georgia requested as she turned her fighters away from the Karacknid fleet. She had no intention of striking them. Not yet at least.

Five minutes later, Georgia had a breakdown of the strength of her remaining squadrons. Quickly, she began reassigning pilots to fill up gaps in the squadrons she would take with her. When she was done, she split her force. “Task Force Nipper squadrons with me. The rest of you, get back to your carriers and refuel and rearm quickly. We may need you in a hurry.”

Georgia then turned her fighter and the squadrons that remained with her towards the warships of Task Force Nipper. Made up of many of the ships she had been given by Scott to hunt down the small Dar’kanan clan fleet, they were already racing ahead of Scott’s main fleet. Georgia sought out the light carrier Eagle and set course for it. Now that the enemy fighters were dealt with, it was time to put the main part of her plan into action.

Chapter 23

All aspiring commanders must come to terms with the reality that they cannot win every battle. Every war teaches the student of military history this truth, none more so than the Second Karacknid War.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Eagle

As soon as she landed on Eagle, Georgia quickly made her way to the light carrier’s bridge. “Commodore Oak,” she said as she stepped onto the bridge and gave Eagle’s captain a nod. “It’s a pleasure to be on your ship once again.”

“Wing Commander,” Oak responded as he gave Georgia a salute. “It seems we are to see some more action presently. That happens a lot when you’re around. Though already I imagine you feel like you have seen enough for one day.”

“Indeed,” Georgia said as she dipped her head to Oak and then made her way to the same command chair she had used before. “A bath and a nap would be nice. But we have work to do.” Georgia nodded to her two staff officers who had already transferred over to Eagle. “What is the enemy fleet’s status?” she asked them.

“They are still moving through the system as fast as they can,” Lieutenant Higgs, Georgia’s tactical lieutenant, informed her as he zoomed the bridge’s main holo display in on the Karacknid fleet. “They’ve moved their freighters to the head of their fleet and have deployed a thick spread of active recon drones behind them. But otherwise, their course is unchanged.”

Georgia nodded. “I imagine they’re feeling vulnerable with all their fighters gone. Let’s see their rear screening squadrons.”

Higgs altered the image slightly to focus on four groups of ships that were trailing the main Karacknid fleet. “They have two squadrons, two flotillas, and a handful of smaller groups,” he explained. “In total, they number five hundred and eight ships, the largest being a light cruiser. They’re pretty spread out, but they could move to join with one another if we tried to close with our fleet.”

Georgia glanced at a secondary holo display that showed the eight hundred ships arrayed around Eagle that Scott had assigned to her. The largest ships under her command were medium cruisers and light carriers similar to Eagle. Both were slightly slower than Karacknid light cruisers but not enough to make a significant difference.

“We’ve also detected a handful of fighters amongst the two larger squadrons,” Higgs continued. “They’ve been operating in pairs, so we don’t think there are many of them, but evidently, they have some left.”

“And there may be more among their main fleet,” Georgia warned her officers. “We can’t discount that. I want just as thick a shell of recon drones deployed ahead of us as the Karacknids have behind them. I don’t think they will have thousands of fighters left, but they could have five hundred or more if their carriers were full. It’s likely they lost some of their force at Beta Fort or New Shanghai, but we need to be careful.”

“I’ll begin the extra deployments now,” Georgia’s other staff officer responded. Lieutenant Jamieson was her flight operations officer, but with Georgia’s expanded role commanding warships, her role had expanded too.

“How do you want to tackle this?” Commodore Oak asked.

“We can’t get too far ahead of Admiral Scott’s fleet,” Georgia answered. “At least not yet. Once the rest of my fighter squadrons land on Scott’s carriers, refuel, rearm, and are in a position to come to our aid in case we need them, then we can be more flexible. For now, we play things carefully. So…” Georgia said as she began to play out several ideas in her head. “We move up here.” With a hand, Georgia reached out towards the main holo display and drew a course for her fleet. “That will put us directly between the two main Karacknid screening squadrons. We’ll see how they respond to that. If they rush back to join their main fleet, then we won’t be able to hit them, but if they stay…”

Georgia didn’t need to finish her sentence. Everyone knew the broad outline of her plan. The Karacknids would see her carriers and know she had the ability to strike at them. Yet if they simply moved up to join the main fleet, they would be abandoning the space behind their capital ships. With no ships there, they would be unable to detect what the enemy was doing. In theory, Scott’s carriers could launch all of the Allied fighters and together with those from Georgia’s light carriers, they could sneak right up behind the Karacknid fleet. Or we could be moving some other surprise up close to your fleet, Georgia thought towards the commander of the Gal-tak clan fleet. Georgia knew that if she were in the enemy’s shoes, she would be loath to leave her rear unwatched. The fear of the unknown was often worse than the known.

For the next two hours, Georgia’s fleet of light ships gradually caught up with the Karacknid fleet and the screening squadrons protecting its rear. As she closed with her targets, Georgia made sure a constant stream of stealth recon drones were passing through the Karacknid screening squadrons towards the main fleet. If any more fighters were going to be launched from the Karacknid carriers, she wanted to know about it right away. Further to her rear, Scott’s fleet was also doing its best to close on their targets too, but the Allied capital ships were not yet in range to assist if she came under attack.

However, no more Karacknid fighters had been detected and just as importantly, the Karacknid screening squadrons hadn’t pulled back. “All right,” Georgia said as she stood. “Let’s see if they are really going to face us. Keep the fleet closing with them,” she ordered Oak. “We’ll fall back to you if they have any surprises for us.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Oak responded.

Georgia nodded to Eagle’s captain and then caught Lieutenant Higg’s eye. “I want to know the moment you detect anything unusual. No matter how small.”

“We will keep you up to date with everything, don’t worry, Wing Commander,” her tactical officer assured her.

Just two minutes later, Georgia was pressed back into her flight seat as her Talon launched from Eagle. Eight hundred other fighters joined her. Georgia formed them up into their squadrons and then turned and began to accelerate towards one of the Karacknid screening flotillas. With just seventy ships making up the small force, her fighter numbers were overkill, but taking out the flotilla was just a secondary objective.

At only seventy percent of her fighter’s maximum thrust, she began to close with them. If the Karacknid had any more surprises for her, she wanted to draw them out, so she didn’t overcommit to the attack. Over the span of ten minutes, sixty Karacknid fighters were launched from the various screening forces. They combined with one another and then moved to help the flotilla. At the same time, the rest of the screening forces moved to support the flotilla too. However, none would get close enough to fully combine with the isolated warships. The flotilla itself began to race back towards the main Karacknid fleet, but its ships couldn’t match the acceleration rates of Georgia’s fighters.

“Higgs, do you see anything?” Georgia asked over the COM channel she had open with Eagle.

“No, Wing Commander, we’re not picking up any other threats,” Higgs responded.

“Increase to full acceleration,” Georgia said as she switched to the COM channel with her Squadron Leaders. “We turn in three minutes. Gold Squadron, you will lead your group to take on the enemy fighters.”

“Acknowledged, Wing Commander,” Gold squadron’s Leader replied.

“All squadrons, make the turn,” Georgia ordered when the time came.

Immediately, she turned the nose of her fighter away from the small Karacknid flotilla that the rest of the Karacknid screening ships were rushing to help. Instead, she turned towards another flotilla of ninety warships. It was on the edge of the Karacknid formation and was her true target. At the same time, Gold Squadron and fourteen other squadrons turned onto an intercept course for the Karacknid fighters. Before Georgia reached her targets, they smashed into the Karacknid fighters, blowing up most of them with their missiles and plasma cannons.

Then, Georgia's six hundred and fifty fighters charged their targets. As they swooped in, two smaller formations of Karacknid ships were able to open up on them with their point defenses alongside the flotilla Georgia had chosen to attack. The rest of the Karacknid ships were out of position. Though Georgia didn’t notice it, thirty-six fighters were blown apart by defensive fire. Then the Eaglaton fighters came into range with their grazer cannons. Georgia slammed her powerful energy beam into a Karacknid light cruiser. It was instantly sliced in half. Atmosphere and debris spilled out of both cut ends as they tumbled away from one another.

Almost every Karacknid warship was hit by a grazer or laser beam from the Eaglaton and Varanni fighters in Georgia’s force. Almost unopposed, the Imperial fighters were therefore able to swoop in and release their anti-ship missiles at the survivors. Antimatter explosions wiped them all out.

“Back to the carriers and then we do this all again,” Georgia said to her pilots as she turned her Talon’s nose back towards Eagle. With her carriers so close to the Karacknid screening forces, she could land, be refueled, and rearmed, and be back out in space in just half an hour. Though she knew she had lost more friends in the twin engagements against the Karacknid warships and fighters, trading forty-nine fighters for ninety Karacknid warships and forty-six fighters was a trade she would take every time. We can do this all day, she thought towards the enemy fleet.

“Jamieson, launch SAR shuttles,” Georgia ordered as she connected with Eagle again. “Send our two reserve squadrons with them just in case they have a few remaining fighters hidden away somewhere.”

“Aye, Wing Commander,” Jamieson responded.

Georgia let go of her flight stick and rolled her wrists, elbows, and then shoulders to work out some of the tension from her neck and back. As her Talon cruised towards Eagle, she studied the layout of the Karacknid screening forces. They had all pulled together as they had sought to defend themselves, but now they were spreading out again just in case her attack had been a diversion for some other strike. It didn’t take long to pick her next target.

Forty minutes later, Georgia led her wing once again out towards the Karacknid screening forces. By now, she was feeling even more confident. Scott’s fleet was catching up with Eagle and so would be able to face the Karacknid fleet if they turned to attack her ships. She also had another five thousand fighters she could call upon if needed. In contrast, the main Karacknid fleet hadn’t sent any reinforcements back to strengthen their screening forces.

If they want to keep playing this game, then we will oblige them, she thought as she lined up her fighters on a squadron of one hundred and sixty warships. Her course meant it was possible she could make a tight turn before fully committing to an attack to hit other nearby targets. Understandably, those flotillas were being cautious in case she chose them to be her main target. This time, though, Georgia had no intention of deviating from her current path.

For fifteen minutes, she moved towards her target at seventy percent thrust, just in case the Karacknid had any more fighters they wanted to commit to the fight. When none appeared, she pushed her ships up to full acceleration. Almost instantly, all of the Karacknid screening forces responded. Wherever they were in relation to her fighters, they all turned towards the squadron she had targeted and went to full military acceleration. “They’re abandoning any pretense at protecting their fleet’s rear,” Georgia said in surprise. If she wanted, she could loop her fighters around the screening forces and strike at the main Karacknid fleet's freighters. Or we could already have our main wing of fighters moving in from Scott’s ships. Either way, it seemed the Karacknid screening forces didn’t care. They don’t want to be picked apart piece by piece.

As her fighter’s computer analyzed and projected the courses of all the Karacknid screening forces, Georgia mentally calculated the odds she would face. More than half of the Karacknid ships would be able to combine before she reached them. Another third would be close enough to lend some support with their defensive weapons. Too costly, she told herself. Quickly, Georgia picked another target, sent a new flight path to her pilots, and then turned her Talon. It seemed she would have to change targets after all.

The Karacknids’ mad dash to help one another had left a small group of warships lagging behind the others. Mercilessly, Georgia charged in with her fighters against nine warships. They only managed to shoot down six of her fighters before grazer beams from the Talons in her force ripped them all apart. Though it was another good trade, the small fight brought Georgia no satisfaction. She wanted to attack enemy forces of hundreds of warships, not ones with less than ten ships in them!

As soon as they were destroyed, Georgia contacted Eagle. “Commodore Oak, let’s move the fleet up into missile range. If they want to stick together, let’s give them a real battle.”

“With pleasure,” Oak responded. “You will attack with our first salvo?”

“Indeed,” Georgia replied. She then led her fighters around to line up an attack run on the five hundred Karacknid warships that were now forming up with one another. At the same time, Eagle and the nine hundred ships of her fleet surged forward as they sought to close the gap to the enemy screening forces.

Within a minute of Eagle’s increased acceleration, the Karacknid screening forces bolted. They all turned towards their main fleet and went to full acceleration. Georgia shook her head in frustration. Cowards, she thought towards them. Pushing down her frustration, Georgia studied the tactical situation. Scott’s fleet was still closing up on the rear of the Karacknid fleet. If she wanted, Scott could bring the Karacknids into missile range in less than two hours' time. However, Georgia knew she wouldn’t. The numbers were too even. Even with most, if not all, of the Karacknid fighters destroyed, a straight-up fight could cost Scott a third of her warships, if not more. Time to see if we can encourage them to split up then, Georgia said as she remembered what she had said to Scott. With a tap on her COM unit, she connected with Eagle again. “Oak, we’re coming back to you. Time to take the fleet around the Karacknids. Let’s use our speed advantage.”

After Georgia landed and returned to Eagle’s bridge, for the next three hours, Eagle and Georgia’s fleet did just that. While Scott’s much larger fleet moved up behind the Karacknids and then kept station with them just out of missile range, Georgia’s fleet skirted around the Karacknids. Getting ahead of them, Eagle then slowed as Georgia brought her fleet back towards the Karacknid forward screening squadrons. Her initial plan was simple. Like before, she was going to launch as many fighter sorties against their small forces as possible.

“Prepare the wing for launch,” Georgia said when she felt her forces were in position. Her fleet wasn’t too close as to directly threaten the leading screening forces, yet they would be able to come to her fighters' aid if a larger force from the main Karacknid fleet came after her. She stood, ready to head to her fighter. An alert from several command consoles stopped her immediately. Turning to the main holo display, Georgia watched as every single Karacknid screening ship turned away from Eagle. They were all heading back to the main enemy fleet. At the same time, thousands of active recon drones were launched forward by the Karacknid capital ships. Evidently, they were meant to replace the screening forces.

Georgia’s hands tightened into fists. Her enemy was obviously not going to play along with her plan.

No one spoke for several seconds, but then Higgs cleared his throat. “Wing Commander, what do you want to do with our fighters? They are all about to be launched.”

“Delay the launch,” Georgia snapped as she sat back down again. “Clearly, our enemy has had enough of us nipping at their screening forces.” Georgia took another moment to compose herself and then she nodded at no one in particular. “All right, we’re not launching any fighter strikes at the moment. Stand down our pilots. Commodore Oak, move our ships directly ahead of the main Karacknid fleet. It’s time to try out our final plan.”

Oak grinned. “Aye, Wing Commander.”

“I’ll signal Constitution and inform them we’re beginning the deployment,” Jamison said.

Georgia nodded to her operations officer as she suddenly felt a jolt of nerves. This part of their plan had been all her idea. Ideally, she had envisaged attempting it after she had destroyed many more of the Gal-tak clan’s warships. But they were not going to play ball and so she had no choice.

For half an hour, her fleet maneuvered itself onto a course directly in front of the Karacknid fleet’s trajectory towards the system’s northern shift passage. Then, to distract the myriad of Karacknid active drones that were constantly trying to get close to her fleet, she began launching fighter squadrons. As they formed up, a handful of ships began deploying the other weapons systems Scott had transferred to them. Amongst the whole Allied fleet, just four hundred stealth mines had been left, stored in various cargo holds. They had all been transferred to Eagle and a handful of other light carriers. Now they were deployed in a long arrowhead formation directly in front of the Gal-tak fleet.

Acting as if they had done nothing untoward, Georgia then kept her fleet on the same course. Unable to hide her nerves, she began tapping on her command chair as she slowly leant closer and closer towards the main holo display. Her eyes never left the Karacknid fleet as she watched to see what they would do.

Her plan was simple. With so many enemy sensor drones about, it was all but impossible for the Karacknids to miss the mines. However, as they started detecting them, they would naturally assume there were many more than there were. Georgia had deployed the mines she had in such a way that the Karacknid fleet couldn’t turn to avoid the mines and keep their formation. They would have to split up into two groups and sweep around either side of the minefield if they wanted to keep heading north. As soon as they did, she and Scott were going to pounce on one half of the Gal-tak fleet.

Patiently, Georgia waited for their enemy to detect the mines. As more and more active Karacknid recon drones passed by where the mines were, it was only a matter of time. Then the Karacknid ships all suddenly began to turn. “They have detected them, be ready,” Georgia said excitedly.

A moment later, Georgia frowned. Something felt off. Then she saw it. The Karacknid warships weren’t splitting; they were turning as one! Quickly, their noses swiveled away from the mines but then didn’t stop. Instead, every warship and freighter in the Karacknid fleet turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Then their engines went to full acceleration. They weren’t trying to go around the mines; they were planning to throw themselves at Scott’s fleet!

“Turn us around!” Georgia ordered at once. “We need to get back to Admiral Scott’s ships.”

“We’re getting a priority one message from Constitution,” Eagle’s COM officer called out even as the light carrier began to turn. “It’s an emergency recall order.”

Georgia swore as Scott’s fleet began to turn to try and arrest its momentum that was still moving it towards the Karacknids. With the eight hundred ships Georgia had with Eagle, Scott no longer had a numerical advantage over the Karacknids. Though most, if not all, of the Karacknid fighters had been destroyed a straight-up battle would be devastating for both sides. “We need to get to them as quickly as possible,” Georgia said desperately as her eyes roved about the main holo display, looking for answers.

There was only one that came to her. Eagle and her light ships were too far out of position. Their antiship missiles wouldn’t turn the tide of the coming battle. Georgia stood. “Alert all our fighters to prep for launch. I’m going to take them to support Scott. She will want to hit them with every fighter we have when her fleet’s first missile salvo goes in.” Before storming out of the bridge to her Talon, Georgia stopped herself short. Scott was not some young, inexperienced commander. She would have a plan. “Signal Constitution, request permission to bring our fighters to join with theirs.”

With over three light minutes now between them, the wait for a response was agonizing for Georgia, but she knew she had to make sure she wasn’t disrupting some other plan Scott had. “We have a reply,” Eagle’s COM officer eventually said. “Admiral Scott requests that our fighters join her forthwith. She also suggests our warships move to safety in case the Karacknid fleet turns again.”

“Oak, you see to the ships,” Georgia said as she rushed from the bridge. She didn’t want to waste another second.

Seconds after strapping herself into her Talon, it was shot out into space. Georgia quickly collected up her eight hundred fighters and accelerated hard to loop around the Karacknid fleet. While Eagle led Georgia’s warships away from the Karacknids, she skirted as close to them as she could without drawing their fire.

Only once she was around the enemy warships and her sensors were able to pick up the thousands of Allied fighters that Scott had launched, did Georgia start to relax. Whatever was about to happen, she would now be in the thick of it. Ideally, she didn’t want Scott’s fleet to have to fight a straight-up battle but if they did, she and her fighters were going to crush as many Karacknid ships as she could.

When her Talon got close enough to Constitution, Scott hailed her. “Thank you for joining us so quickly, Wing Commander,” Scott said. “It seems your little mine trick elicited more of a response than we anticipated.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Georgia responded.

“Don’t apologize, Commander, this was always a risk,” Scott said. “And we are not in any immediate trouble just yet. Unless they abandon their freighters and charge us with only the warships, we can keep ahead of them for now.”

“You’re not going to fight then?”

“Not yet,” Scott answered. “They can pursue us back all the way to the system’s mass shadow if they want. We are not in any rush. In fact, we still have a quarter salvo of Shift missiles. If they pursue us back across the mass shadow, I have no intention of jumping out. If they are foolish enough to follow us, then we’ll give them a bloody nose. So, they can play this little game all they want, but sooner or later they have to turn back north, and then we’ll follow them again.”

Georgia felt her body relax. The calm in Scott’s voice and the confidence she had in her plan deflated the tension that had built up in Georgia’s body. “What do you need from me and my fighters?” she asked.

“Hold position with the fleet for now,” Scott said. “They may still have fighters they might want to try and strike us with. Or they might leave their freighters behind and give chase. If they do, have some of your squadrons loop around their warships and take out their freighters. I imagine they wouldn’t like that. Maybe we can stir them up into a rage and have them chase us across the mass shadow that way.”

“Alright, my people will be ready,” Georgia promised.

“I’ll speak to you again if anything changes,” Scott said before the COM channel clicked closed.

For another half hour, Georgia and her fighters kept station with Constitution as the Allied fleet retreated at the same rate the Karacknid warships and freighters pursued them. Then the Karacknids started another maneuver. This time, their fleet did begin to split up. All their freighters and a thousand warships, along with the thousand fighters that began to be launched from their carriers, continued towards Constitution. The rest of their force, just under five thousand warships, rapidly turned and then went to full acceleration back towards the system’s northern shift passage.

Right away, Georgia realized what the Karacknids were doing. “They’re sacrificing themselves!” she blurted out in surprise. Ever since they had fled from the Beta Fort system, every Karacknid force the Allied fleet had tried to attack had gone to great lengths to protect their freighters. But not now. They think they can get across the border just with the fuel they have in their ships, Georgia concluded. As it dawned on her what that meant, she cursed. The Gal-tak clan fleet was going to get away. The one thousand warships and three thousand freighters still charging Scott’s warships would delay Scott long enough for the rest of the Gal-tak fleet to cross the system and jump out. Then, Scott’s only hope of catching them would be to leave her freighters behind, yet that was far too risky.

A moment later, Georgia’s COM unit chirped at her. Hurriedly, she answered Constitution’s hail. “They’ve outmaneuvered us,” Scott said at once. “I didn’t think they’d be willing to sacrifice so many freighters. But clearly they want to get their warships home. I don’t want to lose any more of your fighters than we have to. So we’ll move into missile range and batter the ships they are sending after us at long range. You and your fighters are to prepare to intercept the thousand fighters they’ve just launched and then the missiles their warships fire.”

“Understood, Admiral, I’ll split my force accordingly,” Georgia replied. Though she wanted to charge the Karacknid fleet with Scott’s missiles and personally destroy as many of their ships as she could, she held her tongue. Scott had made a decision, and she knew there was no changing it now.

What Georgia did do was assign herself to the squadrons of fighters she ordered to intercept the one thousand Karacknid fighters. As soon as the Karacknids came into range, she rippled off two anti-fighter missiles. Then she shot down three enemy fighters with her Talon’s small laser cannons. Just two hundred and seventeen of the enemy fighters survived her squadrons’ attack. As they raced towards Scott’s fleet, Georgia was reduced to a spectator as the rest of the one-sided battle played out.

When the Karacknid warships came into range, the Allied fleet slowed to keep the Karacknids from entering energy weapon range and then opened up on them. They fired three full salvos and then paused to gauge their effect. The Karacknid warships kept firing until they were no more. As the first Karacknid salvo came in towards Constitution and her consorts, the two hundred Karacknid fighters tried to join them. The second half of Georgia’s fighters set upon both of them, however. All but eleven Karacknid fighters were shot down, and three thousand missiles were hit as well. Then the Allied warships opened up with their point defenses. Karacknid missiles and fighters were blown apart with ease. No missiles made it into attack range.

The Karacknid ships faced a much harder task. Recognizing the danger they were in, the warships positioned themselves underneath the largest freighters. It saved many of the warships, but not all. Of the three thousand Karacknid freighters, two and a half thousand were blown apart by the first Allied salvo. Just one hundred warships were destroyed in the initial attack. The rest of the warships came out of hiding to fire another salvo of their own, then those that could, tried to find cover behind the remaining freighters.

Scott’s second salvo finished off the freighters, and half of the remaining Karacknid warships were hit and blown apart. The third Allied salvo finished even them off. None of the additional missiles the Karacknids had fired before dying managed to penetrate the Allied fleet’s defensive fire. On the surface at least, it looked like they had died for nothing.

However, deeper within the system, their comrades were already racing away to safety. Without their slower freighters to hinder them, they were moving at a pace that Scott couldn’t match unless she was prepared to abandon her freighters. As Georgia expected, once the final Karacknid freighters and warships were destroyed, she received a recall order from Constitution. The trajectory she was to take her fighters on told her Scott’s flagship wouldn’t be racing off after the fleeing Karacknids.

*

IS Constitution

An hour later, Georgia responded to Scott’s request that she meet the Admiral in her personal quarters. “Ah, Wing Commander, come in and sit,” Scott said as Georgia’s arrival made her look up from the datapad she was flicking through. As Georgia sat, Scott slid a similar pad across her desk. “Here, have a look.”

“Thank you,” Georgia said as she picked up the datapad and began to read. What she found caused her eyebrows to crinkle. It was a breakdown of the fleet's logistical situation. She glanced back up at Scott but saw her attention was fully fixed on her own datapad. With a mental shrug, she looked back down at hers and continued reading.

“So, what do you think?” Scott asked after several minutes.

“Things are tight,” Georgia said, not entirely certain she was reading the reports correctly. “We’re not entirely out of fuel yet, but munitions are a problem.”

Scott nodded. “That’s about the height of it.” Leaning forward, she tapped on her desk. A holo image appeared between them, showing the northern part of The Wilds and the southern border of the Karacknid Empire. Karacknid space itself was split up into several large sections that marked the different territories belonging to each of the Karacknid clans. Only a portion of the Karacknid Empire was being shown, and only several clan territories were visible. The Gal-tak clan’s systems were prominent on the image.

“Based on the trajectory the Gal-tak clan has taken through The Wilds so far, I believe they’re heading to this system,” Scott explained as a course appeared on the map leading northward from the system Constitution was in to one of the fleet bases just inside Gal-tak clan territory. “Their scouts have likely seen the number of freighters we have with us. They will know from their own experience that our fuel and munitions will be running out. Especially if they haven’t yet figured out we’ve been using our old FOBs to stock up our supplies. I’m guessing the commander of the Gal-tak fleet will expect us to give up chasing them now that we can’t catch them.”

Scott paused and gave Georgia a predatory grin. “However, there is this hidden shift passage here,” she said as a red line appeared on the holo map. It led from a system outside Karacknid space through their border and to one near the fleet base the Gal-tak fleet was heading towards. “If we wanted, we could get in behind their fleet base and pay them a little visit when they least expect it. We would be pushing our supply situation to the limit. It would be risky, but your brother does want to try invading their space, so the more we can soften them up for him now, the better… so, what do you think?”

“You’re asking me?” Georgia said in shock. She expected Scott to tell her she had already decided on a course of action.

“Yes, I want your opinion, Wing Commander. I would value what you have to say.”

Georgia’s eyes narrowed. Yet there was no hint of a smirk on Scott’s face. Her question was genuine! Georgia looked back up at the holo display, suddenly feeling the weight of what she was being asked. Taking the fleet so far north would use up almost all of their fuel reserves. And with limited munitions, they would not be able to fight in a prolonged battle. If they got caught up there behind enemy lines, they could be in real trouble. Georgia couldn’t help thinking about her cousin.

Emilie had been captured while leading her fleet behind the frontlines. And Jonathan nearly got stuck there as well! But that is the fleet that killed your father, another part of Georgia’s mind reminded her. You’re not just going to let them return to their fleet base and repair their ships so they can send them against us again, are you? Georgia’s hands tightened into fists. There was no way she was prepared to do that. “I say we go for it,” she said as she looked back down to Scott. “If we can strike from a direction they won’t expect just as they reach their fleet base, they will be at their weakest. They won't know what has hit them!”

Scott’s predatory smile widened. “That’s what I thought you’d say, Wing Commander. I think we are in agreement. Come then, let us think through the particulars of what we’re proposing.”

*

Half an hour later, Constitution and the Allied fleet turned around and headed towards the system’s southern shift passage. In clear view of the Karacknids that were still racing north, they made it look like they had given up the chase and were heading home. However, as soon as the Karacknid fleet crossed the system’s mass shadow and jumped out, they slowed. Then, in stealth, they carefully began to make their way north once again. The borders of the Karacknid Empire beckoned them onwards.

Chapter 24

The closer the Allied fleet got to the Silizzarus homeworld, the more they saw just how deep the Silizzarus' control over their neighbors was.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, Jantotos system, 5th October 2513 AD, (one week previous).

As with every other system they had entered, Jonathan slipped his fleet into the Jantotos system with extreme caution. An attack by Silizzarus warships was a constant threat. Yet as his scouts and Sparrowhawk’s sensors got a good look into the system, it quickly became apparent that caution was not needed. At least, they had nothing to fear from the natives.

As his brother Edward had discovered when he and Pytheas had infiltrated the system five months ago, the Jantotos had been building up their home system for well over a millennia. Thousands of ships and orbital stations filled the system. There were, however, no warships or anything else that could be a threat to Jonathan’s fleet. As soon as that was confirmed, he gave the order for his fleet to begin to quickly move through the system.

“They may not have any warships yet, but they’re certainly busy,” Harte commented after Sparrowhawk got moving. “Look at all this activity around their second colony.” On the main holo display, he zoomed in on what could only be a series of large orbital construction yards. Most looked to be still under construction. Yet a handful had ships within them that were partially completed.

“So much for them being pacifists,” Jonathan said as he looked over to the small group of command consoles where Alveraz and his brother had set themselves up on Sparrowhawk’s bridge.

Edward was shaking his head at the image in front of him. “They’ve been pacifists for thousands of years. The Silizzarus must have deeply penetrated their government to be able to get them to start building warships so quickly. It has taken us decades to convince the Kulreans to become more involved in our interstellar wars. And that was only after they saw firsthand what the Karacknids would do to them if they didn’t intervene.”

“Whoever is behind all that construction, I don’t think they’ve had the easiest time of it,” Alveraz said. “Look at these signal intercepts from their homeworld.”

As Edward looked down at whatever information Alveraz had shared with him, Jonathan turned back to Harte. “Any sign of those Silizzarus stealth satellites Pytheas detected when she was here last?”

Harte shook his head. “No sign, Admiral. But unless you want to send some stealth frigates in towards the Jantotos homeworld, we’re unlikely to detect them.”

“No, there’s no point,” Jonathan replied. “They probably detected us already. I’m sure the whole system has. If the Silizzarus didn’t know we were coming through the system, they will now.” After leaving Lolalian space far behind, Jonathan’s fleet hadn’t seen any sight nor sound of another Silizzarus warship. Yet he was sure they had some way of keeping their eyes on his fleet’s progress.

“Should we just leave those construction yards intact?” Iso asked. “At the moment, they’re undefended. But give these people another six months and I’m sure they’ll be putting a fleet together. They could try and throw themselves at us when we pass back through this way. Better to destroy them now than have to fight them later. A couple of squadrons of fighters would take out everything they built.”

“And it would turn their species against us forever,” Edward said passionately as he looked up from his datapad. “At the moment they pose no threat to us whatsoever.”

“At the moment,” Iso repeated. “That is the key point.”

Jonathan smooshed his lips together. He had already done far more damage to the sentient species of the sector than he had ever intended when he had set out from Earth. He was loath to do any more. Yet Iso had a point. Every species the Silizzarus had under their control was preparing forces to throw at his fleet. If he didn’t fight them now, he would inevitably have to later. Even if we defeat the Silizzarus at their homeworld, what’s the likelihood the Jantotos will just stop arming themselves? Jonathan asked himself. Given all the lies they had undoubtedly been told, the chances of that were slim.

“Perhaps there is another way,” Alvarez said, joining the conversation before Jonathan could give the order to prepare a fighter strike. “Look at what is happening on their homeworld.” On the main display, Alvarez brought up a video feed from one of the Jantotos’ cities. “This is a live news report. Our Kulrean software can translate it live.”

Everyone on the bridge watched as a news reporter spoke over the images of a massive protest marching through a large open area surrounded by tall buildings. “That’s their capital,” Edward said. “It’s one of their freedom squares. Where they execute those who break their laws.”

The entire square was full of aliens marching through it. Many were holding placards, and just as many appeared to be carrying wooden clubs and other makeshift weapons. The news reporter described how this was the twelfth day of violent protests. The video cut to scenes of clashes between police forces and the protesters. In each clash, the police lines were broken, and the police forced to retreat. The visual then cut back to the square where no police could be seen. Then the reporter began to go through the list of demands the protesters were making. The first three were an end to the current government, its efforts to secretly build interstellar warships, and the high taxes it had imposed on the Jantotos people. Many others followed

“Well,” Jonathan said. “It seems the Jantotos aren’t having as easy a time building up their fleet as they expected.” He turned to Alvarez. “You mentioned another way?”

Alvarez winked at Edward and then nodded. “Your brother made contact with someone who was part of an organization opposed to the Silizzarus-infiltrated Jantotos government. I’m betting this organization has something to do with those protests. Perhaps if Edward speaks to the Jantotos people, he can fan the flames of those protests. That might do far more damage than a fighter strike. If we destroy a few partially built construction yards, they can be rebuilt. But if we help overthrow this Silizzarus-controlled government, then we could come back here in six months and find a very different system.”

Jonathan was tempted. Destroying alien shipyards and killing their workers was not what he wanted to do. But he did not want to risk losing more of his people down the line either. He looked over to Iso. His Chief of Staff shrugged. “Technologically, they are far less advanced than the Lolalian. Even if they do build a small fleet of warships, I suppose they wouldn’t be the biggest threat.”

That was enough for Jonathan. He turned back to Alvarez and Edward and nodded. “All right then, let’s try it. Do you need some time to think about what you want to say in this communication?” he asked his brother.

Edward shook his head. “I’ve seen firsthand how the Jantotos government leaves prisoners to die and rot in their suspended cages. I am ready.”

“Alright,” Jonathan said as he gestured to Rossi, his COMs officer. “Begin transmitting whenever you want.”

Edward cleared his throat, took a breath, and then nodded to Rossi before he began to speak. “Jantotos people, I am sure by now many of your sensors have detected our fleet moving through your system. I am Edward Somerville, an officer in this fleet. We are an alliance of sentient species that are on our way to make war against another species called the Silizzarus. These Silizzarus are a secretive species who infiltrate other sentient civilizations and seek to influence them to cause wars and weaken their enemies so that they have no rivals.

“In your species' case, we believe they have sought to manipulate you to make you all pacifists so that you can never be a threat to them. However, the Silizzarus have just recently learned about our fleet’s approach to their homeworld. That is why they have sought to radically change your people’s beliefs in order to get you to build warships to fight us. The speed at which these changes have happened in your civilization shows the extent to which they control your government.

“I know some of your people have already suspected this for many years. Your protests tell me many more have come to see the truth now. I hope my fleet’s presence here is further confirmation for you. I also want you to know that we mean you no harm. Our fleet is simply passing through your system. We will do nothing to harm your people or your orbital infrastructure. Once we defeat the Silizzarus, they will no longer be able to manipulate your civilization. However, it will be a long road for you to discover who you truly are. I wish you luck in this. Perhaps one day our civilizations will become friends and allies. Farewell,” Edward finished as he held a smile for a couple of seconds and then glanced at Rossi, telling her to stop recording.

“That was well said,” Jonathan said to his brother. “I hope they can discover themselves without too much bloodshed.”

“If they do, they will be doing well,” Alveraz responded.

“The Silizzarus have a lot to answer for,” Edward said grimly.

Jonathan nodded. “And they will. Now, let us keep our eyes open in case there are any surprises still waiting for us,” he said as he tapped a button on his command console and returned the image on the main holo display to show the Jantotos system.

Seven hours later, Sparrowhawk and the Allied fleet reached the system’s mass shadow without encountering any Silizzarus warships. One more system down, Jonathan said to himself as his fleet jumped into shift space. They now had just three more to go.

*

IS Sparrowhawk, 11th October 2513 AD, (six days later).

After leaving the Jantotos home system, the Allied fleet passed through another uninhabited system without incident. Then they were reminded exactly why their mission was so vital. In both of the next two systems, two barren radioactive wasteland worlds were detected. The amount of debris in each planet's orbitals and their heavy concentrations of refined alloys on the planet’s surfaces indicated that they had once been inhabited by an advanced civilization. Yet that was the only remains left of the people who had once called the planets home.

In the first system, as Sparrowhawk flew close to the radioactive moon that orbited the system’s largest gas giant, Jonathan felt sick. Thinking about the Imperial cities the Tanaka-lan’s raiding forces had nuked still made his blood boil. Almost every day he swore a time was coming when he would get revenge on the Karacknids for the murder of millions of Imperial citizens and his father’s death. But as horrible as the Karacknid raiders' actions had been, even they hadn’t been trying to wipe entire planets clean of inhabitants.

Jonathan shook his head at the images on Sparrowhawk's display. The Silizzarus had eradicated their neighbors without mercy. Everything that the sentient species had been—their history, their beliefs, their ethics, and their culture—were all gone. Nothing remained. “That is what they would do to us if they could,” Jonathan said into the silence that had descended on Sparrowhawk's bridge. “Remember it well. That will be Earth’s fate if we fail.” He knew he didn’t have to transmit his words across the fleet. Every ship was seeing the same thing Sparrowhawk was. His words would spread quickly enough on their own.

As they left the empty system behind and the Allied fleet jumped into the next system, which had an equally barren radioactive world, the fleet was given another reminder, though neither Jonathan nor his crew needed it. This time, the world was a large rocky planet close to its system's sun. It was hard for Jonathan to imagine how any species could live on such a warm planet. Yet there was ample evidence that they had. However, the Silizzarus had reduced their civilization to rubble just as effectively as their other neighbors.

All the way through the system, Jonathan fully expected to encounter a Silizzarus fleet. He knew if he were in his enemy's shoes, he would want to fight in an uninhabited system rather than in his species' home system. Yet, like in the previous systems, no enemy ships were sighted. Unmolested, the Allied fleet passed through the system and beyond its mass shadow. Now we find out what we are up against, Jonathan thought as a tremor ran through Sparrowhawk, signaling she had safely jumped into shift space. Worryingly, still none of the scout ships he and Alveraz had sent ahead of the fleet into the Silizzarus system had returned. But they cannot stop our entire fleet from entering! Jonathan hoped. Either way, we’ll soon find out. He was committed now. There was no turning back.

*

IS Sparrowhawk, 13th October 2513 AD, (two days later).

Acting with extreme caution, Jonathan jumped his fleet out of shift space ten light hours from the edge of the Silizzarus home system. Unless the Silizzarus had some way of tracking ships in shift space, there was no way they could know where his ships would appear. Even so, as Sparrowhawk opened a hole back into normal space and passed through the shift space tear, every muscle in Jonathan’s body was tight. When Sparrowhawk didn’t immediately come under attack, Jonathan relaxed slightly. Yet only slightly. Immediately his eyes went to the main display as the battleship’s passive sensors began to sift through every stray electromagnetic signal that washed over them.

Seconds later, he knew no ships were charging in about to fire on his fleet. After half a minute, he sat back in his command chair. With a great deal of effort, Jonathan had to roll his shoulders and work to release his tight muscles. For a full ten minutes he said nothing as he allowed his officers to assess all the data the fleet was detecting. He did, however, watch as the holo display continued to update with more information.

Far into the system, groups of ships were being detected as they moved about. Though the information was ten hours old, the ships were clearly not very stealthy. They were giving off copious amounts of radiation as they accelerated quickly through the system. At least five thousand different ships were identified. Most were moving towards a single point roughly between the edge of the shift passage the Allied fleet had traveled down and the Silizzarus homeworld.

Though there was no sign of any Silizzarus warships, their homeworld appeared to be a hive of activity. Where Edward had found it all dormant before, there were now thousands of small shuttle sized ships moving about it and many orbital construction yards. Though Sparrowhawk's passive sensors couldn’t see just what was happening within them, the amount of energy each was giving off suggested ship construction was progressing at a fast pace.

“Well,” Jonathan said when he felt he had waited long enough. “What do you make of them?” he asked as he turned to Iso and Harte.

“They are definitely not Silizzarus warships,” Harte responded right away. “Their reactors and engines are even less advanced than the Lolalians. But they are still powerful enough.”

“So all the ships appear to belong to one species?” Jonathan followed up.

Iso was the one who nodded. “They do. And by the looks of it, they entered the system about sixteen hours ago. Their engines leave a distinctive trace, and there’s no sign that any such ships were in the system before then.”

“So they are another species the Silizzarus have co-opted,” Jonathan concluded. “They must be desperate if they’ve brought them into their home system to help defend it.”

“And they may not be the only ones,” Iso pointed out. “If there are any other warships at the point that fleet is headed towards, then we might not detect them.”

“Yes, if they are willing to bring one species' fleet here, then why not more?” Jonathan mused. “That might explain why none of our scout ships returned. They could have thousands stationed all around the edge of the shift passage.” Jonathan paused as he thought about the possibility. He could send a couple of scout frigates and watch to see what might happen to them. Yet he didn’t want to just throw ships away. “Begin to take us in closer to the system,” he ordered instead. “Two percent thrust. I want a thin spread of stealth recon drones launched as well. Let’s see what they detect.”

For six hours Sparrowhawk slowly made her way closer to the edge of the Silizzarus system. Moving much faster, the waves of stealth recon drones Harte sent into the system closed with the system’s mass shadow far quicker. For most of their journey, they detected nothing. But then, they started picking up trace contacts. It took many passes by subsequent drones to get a firm picture of what was being detected. Eventually, many fresh ships began to be identified on Sparrowhawk's main display. Over a thousand were spread out between the Allied fleet and the edge of the shift passage. Their formation grew thicker the closer they got to the system’s mass shadow.

Edward was the first to recognize them. “They are Varyuni warships!” he said. “They are one of the species the Silizzarus infiltrated and used to oversee their neighbors, somewhat like the Eaglatons. Their ships aren’t as advanced as ours, but they will be well-armed nonetheless.”

“Well, whoever they belong to, they have the shift passage locked down tight,” Iso said. “And what are the chances that if we try and fight them, Silizzarus warships will jump in on top of us too?”

“Very high, I imagine,” Jonathan responded. “That’s probably how they have been destroying our scout ships. Even a scout ship that jumped in well back from the system’s mass shadow would run afoul of at least one of the Varyuni ships. That would create enough commotion for a couple of Silizzarus warships to jump in on top of them and take them out before they could recharge their shift drives.”

“Maybe we could use that to our advantage,” Alvarez commented. “I know I am not a tactical officer anymore, but if we jump a small squadron in, it might attract a few Silizzarus ships. Then we could do what they’ve been doing to us and jump our fleet in on top of them.”

“Or better yet,” Harte said as he adapted Alvarez’s idea. “What if we modified a few of our shift missiles? They could jump in looking like a flotilla of frigates. Then when the Varyuni begin to move on them, they could pull back. If the Varyuni and Silizzarus give chase, they would be revealing their positions, and we still have over a quarter of a salvo's worth of stealth missiles.”

“That sounds like a plan to me,” Jonathan said as he gave Harte a nod of respect. “Start making the preparations. The sooner we can clear the end of the shift passages, the sooner we can see what’s happening further in the system.” So far, none of the stealth recon drones that had passed the system’s mass shadow had detected anything deeper within the system. Yet Jonathan knew more of their enemy had to be there.

An hour later, Harte and his engineers had made the necessary alterations to the shift missiles. Jonathan had ordered the Imperial ships that had the rest of the fleet’s shift missiles to load them into their tubes. Since leaving Earth, Jonathan had been hoarding all of the special missiles his fleet had for when they reached the Silizzarus homeworld. His shadow and whirlwind missiles he would still hold back, but the shift missiles were ideal for the situation in front of his fleet.

“We’re ready to launch, Admiral,” Harte told Jonathan.

“Then proceed,” Jonathan ordered.

At a touch of a button, Harte launched fourteen shift missiles from Sparrowhawk’s tubes. They flew a short distance from the battleship and then powered up their small shift drives. In a flash, they disappeared into shift space. Sparrowhawk’s graviton sensors then detected them as they reverted to real space just ten light minutes from the system’s mass shadow.

Almost at once, six spread-out contacts came alive and began to close in on the shift missiles, which were emitting enough electromagnetic emissions to appear like warships. Reacting as any ship would, the shift missiles turned away from the new contacts and tried to run to safety. Over the course of the next thirty seconds, a hundred more contacts came out of stealth as they raced to help the Varyuni ships already trying to catch Harte’s converted missiles. Soon missiles began to be launched from the ships closest to the shift missiles.

Then new contacts appeared. They flashed in almost right on top of Harte’s missiles. There was only one type of ship they could be. Jonathan smiled. This was the first time they had faced Silizzarus ships outside a system’s mass shadow. “Hit them!” he ordered.

Just half a second later, Harte launched five hundred regular shift missiles. Half a second after that, they each tore a small hole into shift space and jumped to FTL speeds. They crossed the distance to their targets in a tiny fraction of a second. The first warning the Varyuni and Silizzarus crews got that they were under attack were the alerts their ships gave as they detected contacts exiting shift space. By then, though, the missiles were already detonating.

Six Silizzarus ships had jumped in to ambush the fake frigate flotilla. Three were destroyed outright, along with over two hundred Varyuni warships. Two of the remaining Silizzarus warships were also struck by the shift missiles, knocking down their shields and causing serious damage.

As soon as Jonathan saw his attacks had scored some hits, he nodded to Iso. Immediately, she gave Admiral Shraw and General Tasata-su their go orders. Both commanders' fleets disappeared from Sparrowhawk’s sensors only to reappear in the blink of an eye right on top of the Silizzarus warships. At once, they opened up on the stricken Silizzarus as they tried to finish them off. Even damaged, they proved elusive targets as they twisted and weaved in an effort to escape. At the same time, the one undamaged Silizzarus ship tried to cover them as it engaged and destroyed any Allied ship that came too close.

The Varyuni were clearly given emergency orders to save the Silizzarus ships. Within seconds of the Allied ships launching their attack, two thousand more Varyuni warships came out of stealth. They all turned towards the Allied ships and charged. “Resume firing,” Jonathan ordered Harte.

In waves of several hundred, Harte began to release thousands of shift missiles. The Imperial ships around Sparrowhawk fired until they emptied their magazines of the special missiles. The result was a slaughter. Unable to fire back, and unwilling to disobey their orders, the Varyuni ships died in droves. Harte targeted the ships nearest to Shraw and Tasata-su’s fleets and worked his way back through the enemy formations. Without shields and with only very thin valstronium armor, a single shift missile was able to take out all but the largest Varyuni warships. Hundreds died within the first minute. By the time the last shift missile flashed through shift space and struck its target, over two thousand five hundred Varyuni ships had been turned to space debris.

At the same time, Shraw and Tasata-su had completed their part of the plan. Each of the Silizzarus ships were hunted down and destroyed before they could jump back into the safety of shift space. The two Allied commanders also fought off and destroyed several hundred Varyuni ships that had come too close to their forces for Harte to target with his shift missiles.

“Jump us in,” Jonathan ordered as soon as his ships had run out of shift missiles. Seconds later, Iso jumped in the rest of the Allied fleet’s warships alongside Shraw and Tasata-su’s forces. They quickly formed up with one another and faced off against the remaining Varyuni warships.

With the Silizzarus warships all destroyed, a desire for self-preservation won out as the Varyuni saw sense. The remaining Varyuni ships all turned and fled deeper into the Silizzarus home system. The end of the shift passage had been cleared.

“Move us towards the system’s mass shadow and begin launching more stealth recon drones,” Jonathan ordered.

Just as the Allied fleet started to move forward, contact alarms began to blare. Deeper into the system, hundreds and then thousands of new ships began to appear on the holo plot. The fleet the Silizzarus had gathered to oppose Jonathan was maneuvering to confront him. “Now we will see,” Jonathan said to his officers as every eye on Sparrowhawk’s bridge fixed itself on the main display.

Chapter 25

Human history and the history of the galaxy are filled with examples of one army or fleet being forced to fight for their overlords. One would think an unwilling combatant would not be nearly as effective as a willing one, yet when shots begin to be fired, the unwilling combatant will fight just as hard to stay alive as anyone else.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk

Thousands of new contacts filled Sparrowhawk’s main display. The number rose astonishingly quickly until it stopped at forty-one thousand four hundred. Jonathan swallowed hard at the number. Though the contacts appeared to be split into five fleets, every single ship was maneuvering to place itself between his fleet and the Silizzarus homeworld.

Jonathan couldn’t help looking at his own fleet. He had left Earth with eleven thousand warships. Now he had just under eight and a half thousand arrayed around Sparrowhawk. He was outnumbered nearly five to one. Though he couldn’t see any Silizzarus warships among the gathering fleet, he knew they would be out there too. And they will have some surprises waiting for us, Jonathan was sure. Which means, we need to destroy this fleet utterly, or they will find some way to use it to destroy us.

“What is our analysis of those ships? What am I looking at?” Jonathan asked.

His question shook everyone out of their stupor. Suddenly, the bridge became a hive of activity again as Sparrowhawk’s officers got to work.

“The computer has identified six different types of ships,” Harte informed Jonathan a handful of seconds later. “It looks like the Silizzarus have gathered fleets from six different species.”

“There are five thousand more Varyuni ships making up a portion of that fleet. We have good intel on them now after Shraw’s brief fight with them,” Iso added. “We’re analyzing the reactors and drive systems of the others to get estimates on their capabilities.”

“Begin sending in active and stealth recon drones,” Jonathan ordered. “Sweep the entire system. I want to know if there are any other hidden fleets or minefields out there.”

For an hour, Jonathan largely sat in silence as his officers scanned the system and he listened to their reports. Twenty Silizzarus warships were discovered keeping station just behind the large fleet as it slowly moved towards his ships. Around the Silizzarus homeworld, thirty more of their warships had been detected in their orbital construction yards still being worked on. Beyond that, no more of the snake-like aliens’ ships had been found. But they will have more, Jonathan was sure.

There was also no sign of additional fleets belonging to other sentient species the Silizzarus had brought in. On that part at least, Jonathan had confidence in what his officers had found. All of the six fleets that had been gathered to oppose him were roughly similar to the Varyuni in their technological capabilities. It seemed the Silizzarus hadn’t allowed their neighbors to advance any further. That meant none of them had ships capable of avoiding detection by the Allied fleet’s advanced sensors.

Jonathan wasn’t quite as confident in the reports that suggested there were no minefields or other hidden Silizzarus weapon systems in the system. Yet if his fleet couldn’t detect them, what was he to do? He couldn’t keep second-guessing himself at every turn or he’d just end up fighting shadows.

“Rossi, call a conference with my senior commanders,” Jonathan requested when it was clear there was nothing more his fleet would learn by staying on the edge of the system. “Iso, Harte, Alveraz, Edward, with me,” he said as he stood. “It’s time to come up with a plan of action.”

With a nod to Mathis, Sparrowhawk’s Captain, Jonathan then led his officers off the bridge and into his adjoining office. Holo images of his senior commanders began to appear around them as they sat down at the small conference desk.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” Jonathan said when the final face joined them. “But now we know what we’re facing. So, how are we going to play this? What are your thoughts?”

“To start, I have some intel my people just decrypted that I think might be pertinent,” Alvarez said.

“Go ahead,” Jonathan said as he nodded.

“We’ve been intercepting a lot of transmissions between the ships of the six different alien fleets,” Alveraz began. “We know who each species is and are building a picture of each of their civilizations and cultures. The critical information we’ve been able to get is that at least two of the species appear to be here under duress.” Tapping on the command console built into the desk in front of him, Alvarez brought up an image of the forty thousand-strong enemy fleet. The six different groups of ships within the fleet were highlighted with different colors. Two of the largest began to flash.

“These ships belong to the Tardans and the Gilmoreans,” Alveraz explained. “The Gilmoreans' fleet is the one that we watched crossing the system. Communications between their ships indicate that both fleets have been forced here. Silizzarus ships turned up in their home systems and threatened to destroy their worlds if they didn’t cooperate. A Tardan colony was nuked from space, and a lot of Gilmorean orbitals were destroyed to drive the threats home. From the communications intercepts, it seems there is no love lost between these two fleets and the Silizzarus.”

“That would explain the twenty Silizzarus warships sitting behind the enemy fleet,” Harte said. “They are there to destroy any ships that try to flee.”

Alveraz nodded. “Just like in some of the wars in our species’ past, deserters will be killed.”

“So what do you want us to do with this information?” Superintendent Hallock asked. “I already feel guilty enough that we may have to destroy their fleets. Now it will be worse if I know they are fighting us against their will.”

“You think we can turn them?” Jonathan said, guessing where Alveraz was going.

Alvarez nodded again. “Put yourselves in their shoes. If a Silizzarus warship had turned up at Earth and forced us to bring our fleet to fight against some unknown enemy, wouldn’t we be itching to turn on them?”

“I think we would all have that sentiment,” Shraw growled.

“But they are here because they fear for their homeworlds,” Reverus cautioned. “Even if they are here at gunpoint, they will fight fiercely to protect their own. We all would.”

“What if we could show them that the Silizzarus can be beaten?” Alveraz pointed out. “If we can destroy enough Silizzarus ships and make it look like they are going to be the ones who lose this battle, then we could turn them to our side. It would give us a decisive advantage. Between them, they have thirteen thousand ships. Even if they just refused to fight us, it would even the odds a lot.”

“It is something to consider,” Jonathan said. “I suppose you have some idea about how we might go about sowing division among the enemy's ranks?”

Alveraz smiled at Jonathan. “I was thinking you could speak to them. You have inherited your father’s powers of persuasion. From our intercepts, all of the aliens the Silizzarus have brought here are confused. None of them knew about the Silizzarus more than a month ago. The Varyuni and the others think they’re here to defend an innocent species about to be destroyed by our fleet. Given that we jumped into the system and started shooting, we have confirmed what the Silizzarus have told them. But the Tardans and the Gilmoreans know better. If you spoke to them, you might be able to give them hope that the Silizzarus can be defeated.”

“That may be so,” Reverus said as he smiled at Jonathan. “Your family does have the uncanny ability to win over those who would be your enemies. But there is still the problem of making them think we can defeat the Silizzarus. To do that, we will actually have to beat them.” Reverus pointed a talon at the holo image of the six different enemy fleets. “But from what we know of our enemy, they will intend to sacrifice every one of those alien ships before they risk their own ships. We may have to fight our way through the Tardans and the Gilmoreans before we can convince them of the truth.”

“Getting the Silizzarus to fight us may not be as hard as you all seem to think,” Tasata-su said as he smiled, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. “You forget, we are in their home system now. Their homeworld is at our mercy. We are the attackers. We can use that to our advantage.” Tasata-su paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.

“Your Human fighters may not quite be the equal of our latest variants, but their antimatter missiles are impressive. How many do you think it would take to crack open the Silizzarus’ homeworld? They have many thousands of caverns underneath the surface where the rest of their species are connected to this neural network they have. Is that not so? A few antimatter missiles to the planet’s surface are sure to get their attention. They would have to fight us with everything they have or risk losing their world and their people.”

“You’re suggesting we commit mass murder?” Hallock asked in shock “For all we know, there are billions of their people down there. And many billions if not trillions more of their ancestors stored in their neural network.”

“Is that not why we are here?” Tasata-su asked, his tone indifferent. “They would wipe each of our species out if given the chance. How else are we to stop them?”

Jonathan felt the weight of Tasata-su’s question. It was something he had asked himself more than once during the journey from Earth. His objective was to make sure the Silizzarus never threatened any of the Allied species again. He still wasn’t quite sure how he was going to accomplish that. But that is a problem for later, he told himself, not for the first time. First, they had to defeat the Silizzarus defenses and take charge of their system.

“I do not like the idea of bombarding their planet either,” Reverus said to Tasata-su. “That is an atrocity my species could never condone,” he added as he held the Karacknid’s gaze. Though only Jonathan’s officers were physically present, the feeling of tension within the room rapidly rose. “However,” Reverus continued as he turned away from Tasata-su, easing the tension slightly, “that does not mean the Silizzarus have to know that. We need not bombard their planet to draw them out; we only need to threaten to do so. That would give us a significant tactical advantage by itself.”

Jonathan nodded as he saw where Reverus’ thinking was going. “We could lead their fleet on a merry chase and force them out of position.”

Reverus nodded back at Jonathan.

“If we are going to send fighters in against their homeworld, even if it is a ruse, then can I suggest we hit their shipyards?” Hallock said.

Jonathan’s eyebrows rose. He had never known any Kulrean to suggest such an offensive action before.

Hallock manipulated the holo display to zoom in on the Silizzarus world and their orbital construction yards. “My engineers indicate that at least six of their ships look very close to being finished. It may be that they are already ready to leave their berths. In any event, we should destroy their construction yards as soon as possible to prevent any more being made battle-ready.”

“That is one attack I have no problem endorsing,” Jonathan responded. “As soon as we get forces near those construction yards, they should be destroyed right away.”

“May I also suggest we need to learn more about the capabilities of the different alien fleets that stand in our way,” Harte said. “There are still many unknowns when it comes to their weapons systems. Perhaps we should try probing their positions before we commit to any major moves?”

“That is exactly what is needed, Lieutenant,” Shraw said. “We need to gather more information before we really threaten the Silizzarus homeworld. Then we will be in a better position to use the fact they have to protect their world at all costs against them.”

As other officers began to suggest just how Jonathan’s fleet could start probing the enemy fleets, the initial stages of a plan began to form. Jonathan made a few suggestions here and there, but largely, a strategy organically grew as the Allied commanders discussed how best to use their advantages and weapon systems. They all agreed they had to keep their strategy flexible, for no one doubted the Silizzarus would have some hidden forces or tactics they planned to employ. Yet the reality of the battlefield the Silizzarus had to fight on could not be changed. The Silizzarus wanted to defend their homeworld, and the Allied fleet had the capabilities to obliterate it. That forced the Silizzarus into a corner. A corner we will trap and obliterate them in, Jonathan promised himself.

“I think we are ready,” Jonathan said after the plan had been discussed from start to finish three times over. “I will contact these alien fleets and then we will begin.”

“As long as we don’t waste any time waiting for a response, Imperator. You must make it clear to them that action is the only response we will accept,” Tasata-su said firmly. “Either they join our side, or they at least run away. We would be giving our enemy an opening if we wasted time entering into an extended dialogue.”

“I agree,” Jonathan said as he gave the Karacknid a small bow. “I will be firm with them.”

Tasata-su showed his predatory teeth and then bowed more deeply to Jonathan. “It is nice to have an Imperator who listens to reason. It makes for a pleasant change.”

Taken aback by the compliment, Jonathan didn’t know what to do other than smile back and nod his head. “Let’s see if we can get the Silizzarus to dance to our tune for a change,” he said to all his officers. “We will keep a COM channel open between us all to make sure we miss nothing. There are too many moving parts for any one of us to think we can command our forces alone.”

Heads around the holo conference nodded and then began to disappear as Jonathan's senior officers left. “Send everything you have on these two species to my command chair,” Jonathan said to Alveraz and Edward as he stood. Then he walked back onto Sparrowhawk’s bridge. “Any update?” he asked when Mathis turned to him.

The battleship’s Captain shook his head. “Nothing specific, Admiral. Their fleet is still maneuvering towards us, but they are just over four hours away from entering missile range. No other additional forces have been detected.”

“All right, the fleet will be advancing momentarily. Send an alert to all our ships,” Jonathan said to his officers. “But first, I have to see if we can’t make some new friends.” Jonathan smiled at Mathis’ frown. “You will see soon enough, Captain.”

As he sat in his command chair, Jonathan pulled up the data files Alvarez’s intelligence agents had put together. He then began to read. Much of the information was fragmented, having been pieced together by joining up information gleaned from different intercepted communications. Other parts were marked as educated guesses as the analysts tried to read between the lines. After just ten minutes, Jonathan felt like he knew all he was going to about both the Tardans and the Gilmoreans. “I’m ready,” he said as he glanced over to Rossi and nodded.

His COMs officer tapped a few times on her console and then nodded back to Jonathan. Jonathan turned and looked at the holo images of the ships he was transmitting to. “Commanders and crews of the fleets gathered against us, I am Admiral Jonathan Somerville, commander of the fleet that has just entered this system. Among my fleet, nineteen different sentient species are represented. For a long time, the Silizzarus have treated each of us as their enemy. They are the species whose home system this is.

“However, we did not learn the Silizzarus were our enemies until recently. Not long ago, we discovered that Silizzarus agents have been infiltrating and manipulating many of our civilizations. They have sought to influence governments, culture, and have even started wars and civil wars. Through subterfuge and manipulation, they seek to control all sentient species in this sector of the galaxy.

“That is why our Allied fleet is here. We have come to put an end to their menace once and for all.” Jonathan leaned forward slightly in his chair as he continued. “That is also why I suspect you are all here. Let me guess, none of your species knew about the Silizzarus until just recently. Let me go further, none of you even knew about each other, did you?” Jonathan nodded as if agreeing with himself. “That is their modus operandi. They have kept you all in the dark about one another so that you cannot learn from each other or develop any kind of beneficial relationships.

“Until we discovered their home system, this has worked well for the Silizzarus. We believe this has been going on for the last millennia, if not longer. Now, however, their way of life is threatened. And so, they have used their control over your governments and societies to bring your fleets here. Some of you may think you are here on a noble cause, to protect a weak civilization from a stronger one. Yet others here know better. Some of you the Silizzarus have forced here under threat.

“As I speak, I am transmitting images we recorded from several nearby systems as we journeyed here. Sadly, we have discovered entire worlds the Silizzarus have destroyed, exterminating every sentient of the species that once called them home. I suspect they have threatened some of your own worlds with the same treatment.

“If that is the case, then I understand why your fleets are here. In your position, I would likely do the same. However,” Jonathan let an edge enter his voice, “you must know, all of our species' homeworlds face the same threat. We are here to fight for the safety and future of our peoples – and fight to the very last we will.”

Jonathan paused to let his words sink in. “Given what is at stake for all of us, then, I’m sure you can see that a bloody battle is about to unfold. None of us will back down… unless those of you who are here under duress join us. The Silizzarus are your enemies as much as they are ours. We are here to defeat them once and for all, and if we do, it will mean your species will be free of them just as ours will. Is that now what you want? I am sure that it is…

“But… think of the alternative. If you stand in our way and fight us and we fail, then think about what that will mean for your own home systems… You have already seen the Silizzarus are willing to threaten your people with extinction. Do you think that will end with this battle? If the Silizzarus win here today, every one of your species will become slaves of the Silizzarus. They are out of the shadows now. Your ships now know where their home system is. I fear it’s likely that even if your fleets win this battle, the Silizzarus will immediately destroy your ships as soon as ours are defeated. Your worlds may very well follow soon after.

“So, think carefully about what is about to happen here today. Whatever way this battle goes, the fate of every sentient species within three thousand light years will be decided. Choose carefully which side you are on. That is all the advice I can give you.”

Jonathan then remembered Tasata-su’s advice. “And know this, you are either for us or against us. And if you are against us, we will treat you as if you are the Silizzarus allies, whether you are so willingly or not. And as their allies, you are therefore a direct threat to our species’ very survival.

“So you can fight with us, turn and flee from the system, or we will destroy your ships. The choice is yours. I ask you to think carefully about your next actions” Jonathan stared as seriously as he could into the recording device for several seconds before gesturing for Rossi to end the transmission.

He then let out a deep breath. “Take the fleet in,” he ordered. “Let us see what they are going to do.”

Chapter 26

Antarian colonial space was vast, far larger than anything Humanity or her allies could have imagined at the time. If they had brought their full strength against us from the beginning, the wars would have been short and catastrophic.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

“Shraw, you take command of the screening forces,” Jonathan ordered as his fleet began to move into the Silizzarus home system. “Don’t move them out until the whole fleet passes the point where the Silizzarus can jump in on top of us, however.”

“With pleasure,” Shraw replied over the COM channel Jonathan had open with his senior officers. He spoke in a tone that conveyed the anticipatory grin Jonathan was sure he was sporting.

Jonathan made himself comfortable in his command chair. Shraw was by far his most aggressive commander, even more so than Tasata-su. That made him perfect for the first part of what their plan called for.

Wisely, the collection of alien fleets were moving slowly towards Sparrowhawk’s position. They didn’t want to build up too much momentum and so commit themselves to one course. Shraw waited forty-five minutes until the fleet was well within the system’s mass shadow. Then eight hundred warships and five hundred fighters began to break away from the Allied fleet. Split across a dozen flotillas and squadrons, they fanned out in front of the fleet to make sure no surprise attacks were coming against the main Allied formation.

An hour later, they started to come into contact with the forces the alien fleets had doing the same job. Small engagements broke out all across the frontline of screening forces. Shraw expertly moved different forces forward and backward as he drew in his enemy and ensured his Allied warships never fought without a numerical advantage. It quickly became apparent that none of the alien species had any fighters and so Shraw used his to decisively win any engagement that started to go against him.

Shraw was also careful not to engage any of the Tardan and the Gilmorean screening forces. This was something Jonathan’s senior commanders had discussed. Even if the Tardans and the Gilmoreans didn’t turn against the Silizzarus, making the Silizzarus and the other aliens think they might would cause their enemy to be over-cautious. As long as no Tardan or Gilmorean ships fired on any Allied ones, the Silizzarus wouldn’t know whether their pawns were loyal or not.

For over an hour, as the Allied fleet slowly moved into the system and the alien fleets also kept crawling forward at a snail’s pace, the back-and-forth battles continued. All the while, Jonathan’s staff officers analyzed every moment of the fighting. As he watched, Jonathan focused on the Tardan and the Gilmorean screening forces to see if he could discern what their senior commanders were doing. So far, none of their light ships had maneuvered to aid the screening forces of the other alien species. At the same time, they weren’t holding themselves back either. They were putting themselves in a position that if Shraw tried to move forward towards them, he would have to fight them.

Jonathan pressed his lips together at this sight. If the Tardans and Gilmoreans were thinking of turning on the Silizzarus, they weren’t showing any sign of it yet.

“It looks like both the offensive and defensive weaponry of all the alien species are roughly equivalent to those of the Varyuni,” Harte informed Jonathan. “The Dasardans have a slightly better missile range, and the Fan’tur’s tracking sensors for their point defenses are impressive. But none of them are close to being our equal. Their numbers are their main threat.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Jonathan replied. “Even if we are more advanced than them, continue working on analyzing their systems. We need to eke out every small advantage we can.”

“We are working flat out, Admiral,” Harte assured Jonathan.

“All right, Shraw, I think we have seen enough. Pull your forces back,” Jonathan said over his senior commanders’ COM channel.

“If you insist, Vice Admiral,” Shraw said, showing he had been enjoying the challenge of engaging the enemy screening forces.

As Shraw’s forces began to fall back, Jonathan started giving orders to Iso and his other staff officers. Quickly, Sparrowhawk and the rest of the Allied fleet began to increase their acceleration rates. Jonathan then started maneuvering his fleet. He wanted the enemy fleet to think he was coming for them and so that was exactly what he did. Moving his fleet left and then right relative to the alien fleets, Jonathan sought to bring them into missile range in a way that gave his fleet a distinct advantage. With significantly higher acceleration rates, he had the luxury of choosing when and where both fleets would fight. Jonathan, therefore, tried to loop around the alien fleet to hit one of their flanks.

The aliens’ response told Jonathan that a Silizzarus was commanding them, for the alien fleets didn’t maneuver to best protect themselves but instead to ensure they were always between Jonathan’s ships and the Silizzarus homeworld. To emphasize who was in control, the twenty Silizzarus warships remained directly behind the alien fleets, keeping them in line.

“Instruct Hawthorn he can start launching our fighters,” Jonathan ordered as his fleet neared their enemy.

Within minutes, Hawthorn launched and formed up his attack wing of eight thousand fighters. They stationed just above the Allied fleet, ready to swoop in with the first missile salvo. As soon as they were in position, Jonathan had his fleet carry out another maneuver. This time, instead of trying to flank the aliens, he made a beeline towards the Silizzarus homeworld. His acceleration advantage over the alien fleets the Silizzarus had gathered meant he could try to race past them even though he was nearly close enough to be drawn into a battle with them. The alien fleets responded immediately. Right away, their cohesion started to break down as each alien fleet raced as fast as it could to intercept Jonathan’s ships.

“Just as we thought,” Reverus commented. “They care nothing for defending one another. Protecting the Silizzarus homeworld is all that matters.”

“Or it is all that matters to their Silizzarus overlords,” Jonathan responded. “I doubt the commanders of those fleets have much say in what they are doing.”

“If that is the case, then being forced to fight this way has to be showing them what the Silizzarus really think of them,” Iso said. “That can only be a good thing for us.”

“It would only be a good thing if any of them turn to join us,” Tasata-su pointed out. “Which has not happened. We cannot waste time hoping for what has not happened.”

The Karacknid’s words put an end to the conversation. Jonathan gave Iso a conciliatory smile. He knew what she had been trying to say. “It is time, Hawthorne. Detach your fighters. Hallock, be ready.”

“We’re going now, Admiral,” Hawthorne responded.

Seconds later, all eight thousand Allied fighters leapt away from Jonathan’s warships. They moved onto a direct course for the Silizzarus homeworld and went to full acceleration. As their course was projected onto Sparrowhawk’s main display, it was clear none of the alien ships could stop them. This was the Silizzarus' weakness. By preventing the alien species’ technological progress, they had ensured that none of the species they had brought to defend their homeworld had the abilities to truly stop Jonathan’s fleet.

The deficiencies of the alien fleets they had gathered left the Silizzarus with only one other option. All twenty Silizzarus warships that had been keeping station behind the alien fleets abandoned their positions. With amazingly high acceleration rates, they raced after the fighters. Moments later, alarms blared as additional contacts were detected. More Silizzarus warships were jumping into the system, and another six came out of stealth deeper in the system as well. All raced to intercept Hawthorne’s fighters. They cannot allow any to reach their homeworld. The Silizzarus were finally showing Jonathan their full strength. And it is impressive, Jonathan had to admit.

“We’re tracking a total of thirty-six Silizzarus warships,” Harte reported. “The twenty that were shepherding the alien fleets will reach Hawthorne’s fighters first, catching them in fifteen minutes. Then the ten that jumped in from shift space will join the battle ten minutes after that. The others are much further away.”

“I think you’ll soon have to add four more to your count,” Iso said to Harte. “Look at the construction yards. There is a heck of a lot of activity around two of the yards. I think they’re getting ready to launch four more.”

“Forty,” Jonathan said out loud as he did the mental calculation. On average, in the battles they had fought with Silizzarus warships they had lost sixty ships for every Silizzarus ship they destroyed. We could lose upwards of two thousand ships, he told himself. And he suspected that would be an underestimate. If the Silizzarus combined all their warships together and attacked with the fleets of the aliens they were forcing to fight with them, they could do colossal damage to Jonathan’s fleet. And that assumed they didn’t have more still hidden! Hawthorne’s attack needs to work!

Whether Sparrowhawk’s officers sensed Jonathan’s tension or not, the bridge quickly descended into silence as every officer watched the progress of the Allied attack wing. All eight thousand of Hawthorne’s fighters strained their engines as they tried to loop around the first squadron of Silizzarus ships trying to intercept them. Right up until they were almost caught, Hawthorne made it look like he was trying to escape. Then, at the last moment, he turned his fighters to give battle.

“Hallock, make your move,” Jonathan ordered. Instantly, all eighty Kulrean worldships in the Allied fleet broke away from their positions and raced after the fighters. “Turn us,” Jonathan said a moment later. Sparrowhawk and her consorts then began to turn from the alien fleets as they used their superior acceleration rates to refuse battle.

Jonathan’s eyes never left Hawthorne’s fighters. As soon as they came into point defense range of the Silizzarus warships, hundreds began to die to the accurate fire the Silizzarus could put out. Over five hundred were shot down before any could fight back with their own weapons. The first to fire were the Imperial fighters as they released over ten thousand missiles at the Silizzarus. The chances of any actually hitting were extremely slim, but the Silizzarus had to take them seriously. The amount of point defense fire coming at Hawthorne’s fighters noticeably decreased as the Silizzarus started shooting down missiles.

Then, after taking several hundred more losses, the Eaglaton and Varanni fighters within Hawthorne’s forces came into range. Thousands of laser and grazer beams flashed through space towards the Silizzarus ships. With their small size, powerful ECM, and wild maneuvers, the Silizzarus ships were extremely difficult to hit. Yet working in groups of five hundred, the Allied fighters focused their fire on just eight Silizzarus ships, saturating space around them with energy beams. Three were hit by so many that their shields were battered down and they were vaporized instantly. The other five all suffered hits. Two lost their shields but suffered no damage, while the other three had armor sections blasted away and suffered significant damage.

Cheers filled Sparrowhawk’s bridge. Given how deadly everyone knew Silizzarus warships were, taking out three so quickly was no small thing. Yet as Jonathan’s officers celebrated, more of Hawthorne’s fighters died. All the Silizzarus ships that hadn’t been damaged tore into the Allied fighters as they fled. With acceleration rates that almost matched Hawthorne’s vessels, the Silizzarus chased after the fleeing fighters. However, Hallock’s worldships were racing to the fighters' rescue.

Understanding the threat the Allied fighters posed to their homeworld, the remaining fourteen Silizzarus warships chased them right up to Hallock’s worldships. Only a volley of phase cannon beams that knocked down the shields of two more Silizzarus ships, destroying one of them, turned the rest away. As a parting gift, the Silizzarus rippled off a salvo of missiles that crashed into the Kulrean worldships, damaging two vessels. Jonathan suspected that if it wasn’t for the fact that his entire fleet was barreling down behind the worldships, the Silizzarus would have just charged on in against them.

Instead, however, the Silizzarus turned away and moved to rendezvous with their other ships that had jumped into the system and the ones coming out from the inner system. “They will combine and place themselves in a position where our fighters can’t get past them without fighting them all,” Jonathan said. “We won’t be able to use that trick again.”

“No, but we just took out four of their ships and damaged another three. That is no small accomplishment,” Reverus pointed out.

“But it did take us nearly nine hundred fighters to do that,” Shraw grumbled. “We cannot keep that up for long.”

Jonathan nodded to himself. In truth, he would exchange all seven thousand of Hawthorne’s returning fighters and the additional two thousand they still had in their carriers to take out another twenty Silizzarus warships. That would be a trade he would accept in an instant. But they will not make it so easy again.

“Perhaps it is time we turned our attention fully onto our other opponents,” Tasata-su suggested. “As long as they are worrying about our fighters, the Silizzarus can’t add their strength with the alien fleets they have brought here. Now is our chance to take them out.”

“Yes, the aliens have had a chance to join us; they have made their choice. If we finish them, then it will just be us and the Silizzarus,” Jonathan agreed. “Let’s keep them separated until we can hit them with a crippling attack. Move us forward,” he ordered as he began to trace out a course on his command chair’s small holo display.

As the Allied fighters and Kulrean worldships rejoined Jonathan’s fleet, Jonathan kept trying to maneuver his fleet past the alien fleets. With the acceleration advantage he had over them, they were maneuvering wildly to try and keep up with him. The Silizzarus ships that had jumped into the system joined up with those who had been stationed behind the alien fleets. Then they began to fall back before the Allied fleet as they waited for their ships from the other system to join them.

For forty-five minutes, Jonathan kept both enemy fleets busy as he kept threatening to boost past them towards the Silizzarus homeworld. Then Hawthorne began launching his fighters once more. Again a wing of eight thousand formed up and set off away from Sparrowhawk on a course that made it look like they were going to try and charge past the Silizzarus ships and go for their homeworld. The Silizzarus squadron responded immediately. Matching the fighters’ moves, they kept themselves directly between Hawthorne’s force and their homeworld. Even if they thought Hawthorne’s maneuvers were another feint, they understood that it would only take one Allied fighter to break past them to cause untold damage. Just one antimatter missile slammed into their homeworld’s surface could kill billions of their people.

As Jonathan had instructed, Hawthorne expertly lured the Silizzarus warships further and further away from the Allied fleet. Then Jonathan made his next move. Every single one of his ships went to full acceleration as they made a feint to try and slip past the opposite flank of the Silizzarus squadron that Hawthorne was trying to get around. The Silizzarus fleet sent immediate orders to their alien subjects. Breaking formation with one another again, the alien fleets raced at their best possible speed to follow the Allied fleet.

Jonathan waited until the six alien fleets were spread out just the right amount. “This is it!” he said to his officers. “Now we turn.”

At Jonathan’s command, the Allied fleet made a sharp turn. While Hawthorne’s fighters kept the Silizzarus warships distracted, Jonathan’s ships charged into battle. Since entering the system, Jonathan had maneuvered against the alien fleet so as to put the Tardans and the Gilmoreans furthest away from his own ships when he made the charge towards the Silizzarus homeworld. Now, neither of their two fleets could fire upon his fleet without firing through their would-be comrades. Given that none of the alien fleets had fought together before, Jonathan was betting that trying to fire through another fleet would cause a lot of friendly fire. As his ships moved into missile range, neither the Tardans nor Gilmoreans even tried to fire. Instead, they broke formation with the other alien fleets and tried to maneuver around them to get a clean shot on the Allied ships.

Whilst they tried to join the battle, the Allied fleet got to fire off two salvos at the other alien fleets. Knowing that his bomblet and shadow missiles would be far more effective against the aliens, Jonathan filled his first two salvos with every last one he had. Before the missiles reached their targets, the three alien fleets that could, fired a total of three hundred and forty thousand missiles.

The number was daunting. It was the largest missile salvo Jonathan had faced since Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet had attacked New Shanghai. Yet he stared at it resolutely as his fleet continued to charge closer towards the alien fleets. He showed no emotion on his face. He knew his officers were glancing his way. Ordinarily, charging closer to a numerically superior enemy would be suicide. Already, all three alien fleets had turned to charge him as well, accepting the opportunity he was giving them to get into energy weapon range. However, his enemy was forgetting, he still had a significant acceleration advantage over them.

Before the Allied fleet had to defend themselves, they got to watch the first two salvos devastate the leading alien fleet. As each salvo approached the enemy fleet, the bomblet missiles accelerated out ahead of the rest. They then detonated before any point defensive weapons could open up on them. Each missile released ten thousand stealthed bomblets. The sensors of the ships of the first alien fleet were not sophisticated enough to detect them and the Silizzarus hadn’t bothered warning their underlings about the threat. The first hint the aliens got about the deadly wave of inert objects passing through their midst was when ships began to explode. Less than a quarter of a percent of bomblets actually struck anything, but it was enough.

Against Karacknid ships, the bomblets caused more confusion than destruction. However, the armor of the alien ships was far thinner than Humanity’s normal enemy. Each bomblet tore a large hole in whatever ship it hit. The lead alien fleet numbered nine thousand warships; nearly a thousand were destroyed by the bomblets. The sudden loss of so many ships shocked the rest of the fleet and destroyed their defensive fire patterns. As a result, thousands of mark VII and shadow missiles that might otherwise have been shot down breached their defenses. When the explosions stopped, another two thousand three hundred ships were destroyed.

The second Allied salvo proved even more devastating, wiping out another four thousand ships. In two savage attacks, the lead alien fleet was all but taken out of the fight. Guessing how effective his fire would be, Jonathan already had the next three salvos that were in space targeted on the second alien fleet that was made up of Varyuni ships. For their part, the Varyuni were no longer trying to race towards the Allied fleet. Instead they were rapidly decelerating to try and close with the third alien fleet so that both groups of warships could combine their defensive fire.

As far as Jonathan knew, none of the alien species the Silizzarus were forcing to fight for them had encountered antimatter warheads, stealth bomblets, or the miniature black holes created by his shadow missiles. If we encountered just one of them for the first time, we would be terrified of them, Jonathan was sure. Good! He thought. He wanted them to be terrified. He just wished he had more of the bomblet and shadow missiles.

There was no time for Jonathan to dwell on his wishes, for the first alien salvo was closing quickly with his fleet. The number of enemy missiles was massive. The only saving grace for Jonathan’s ships was that the three alien fleets had failed to coordinate their fire. Each salvo was approaching in three stages. Even so, Jonathan felt his heart rate begin to race. Harte and his officers had been analyzing the missiles from the moment they had left their tubes, but as yet, other than the Varyuni missiles, no one knew just how effective the others would be.

As the waves of salvos came in against the Allied fleet, a myriad of defensive weapons opened up on them. Sparrowhawk fired her long-range AM missiles first, seeking to further disrupt the incoming missiles' formation. Then flak cannons threw out clouds of shrapnel for the enemy missiles to fly through. Warheads that survived the shrapnel were targeted by arc emitters, laser beams, and plasma bolts. Then tens of thousands of short-range AM missiles joined the fight in the last few seconds of the enemy missiles’ charge.

Even as the first alien missiles began to strike their targets, the Allied warships’ point defenses opened up on the next section of the first incoming salvo. Jonathan winced as the first enemy missiles detonated amongst his fleet, fearing the worst. His eyes widened when each missile only released a small amount of thermonuclear energy. The power of the enemy’s warheads was tiny! They have probably been influenced to think that’s all the power they would ever need! Jonathan thought in delight.

Even weak thermonuclear explosions could be deadly, however. Several hundred missiles struck the Allied ships. Shields held off most of the destructive energies, but not all. Nearly a hundred warships suffered damage to their armor and outer hull, and twelve were actually destroyed.

Initially, losing just twelve ships to a third of the enemy’s first salvo seemed like a good exchange to Jonathan. The problem was, his fleet’s cohesion was slipping as his ships had to defend themselves from close-in missiles while also shooting down the second section of the enemy’s first salvo that was just entering maximum point defensive range. The result was inevitable; the Allied fleet’s defensive fire was not as effective against the salvo of Varyuni missiles that struck them second. This time, several hundred ships suffered direct hits and forty-two were destroyed.

Only the even more inferior missiles fired by the third alien fleet prevented their salvo from being the most devastating. With warheads about half as powerful as the first alien fleet’s, the last group of missiles to strike the Allied fleet destroyed just seventeen ships.

“That could have been worse, much worse,” Reverus said over the senior commanders' COM channel. “But we still have two more of their fleets about to join the battle. We can’t let our guard down.”

“We will blast the rest of them to smithereens,” Tasata-su responded firmly.

“Focus your best officers on analyzing their missiles’ capabilities,” Jonathan ordered his senior commanders. “We need to reduce the effectiveness of their salvos as much as possible!”

“Our missiles are hitting the Varyuni,” Harte called out.

Jonathan turned to the main display to see how the Varyuni dealt with the massive wave of death coming their way. With no more bomblet missiles, the Allied salvo wasn’t able to disrupt the Varyuni’s coordinated defensive fire. Nevertheless, many Allied missiles still burst through to strike their targets. Thousands of warheads detonated, releasing massive blue blooms of antimatter. Every thinly armored Varyuni ship touched by the antimatter was ripped apart by the resulting explosion. Sparrowhawk’s sensors detected at least a thousand enemy warships had been destroyed.

A good start, Jonathan told himself. But now his fleet had to defend themselves again. As the next enemy salvo approached in three stages again, the Allied fleet tore into them with their defensive weapons. The loss of defensive fire from the small number of Allied ships that had been destroyed in the first salvo was more than made up for by the improved targeting capabilities the Allies had gained from being able to study the enemy’s first salvo. The vast majority of enemy missiles were shot down. Less than three hundred struck Jonathan’s fleet, and only twenty-two ships were lost.

As the fourth salvo fired by the Allied fleet approached the Varyuni warships, they suffered another surprise. All of Jonathan’s Imperial and Varanni ships had been close enough to fire mark VII missiles. After flying through less than ten seconds of defensive fire, the bomb-pumped laser warheads detonated. Each missile sent three laser beams piercing into the Varyuni fleet. The destruction and shock they caused threw the Varyuni into confusion. Into the mayhem, the remaining Eaglaton, Kalassai, and Karacknid missiles charged. When the explosions cleared, over three thousand Varyuni ships were gone.

Jonathan wasn’t done surprising his enemy, however. “Turn us onto a heading of five five nine point two,” he ordered as soon as he saw how badly damaged the Varyuni fleet was.

“Turning now!” Iso shouted in response.

The maneuver swung Jonathan’s fleet closer to the Varyuni ships and shielded the Allied ships from the third alien fleet’s fire. It also hampered the Tardans and the Gilmoreans’ efforts to get a clear line of fire on Jonathan’s ships. Then, the Allied fleet revealed another weapon system the aliens had never been briefed on. As soon as they were in range, the Imperial striker-class dreadnoughts and Kulrean worldships opened fire with their phase cannons. A thousand of the deadly beams reached out to strike at Varyuni ships just as they tried to defend themselves from the fifth Allied missile salvo. Then thirty seconds later, as Allied missiles began to explode amidst their formation, another wave of phaser beams struck them again. The result was catastrophic for the Varyuni. With half their fleet already gone, the combination of the exotic energy beams and the additional missile salvo finished them off. Barely a couple of hundred warships were left intact. A third volley from the phase cannons took them all out.

Jonathan immediately set his sights on the third alien fleet. They were now alone and isolated. His maneuvers had put them directly between Jonathan’s fleet and the Tardans and Gilmoreans’ ships. With his acceleration advantage, Jonathan was now in a position to always be able to keep the third alien fleet between the final two groups of ships. The only way the Tardans and Gilmoreans could get at him would be to split their fleets and go around either side of the third alien fleet. However, doing so would allow Jonathan to charge one of them and take them on one-on-one. The holo display told Jonathan the commanders of the Tardans and Gilmoreans fleets understood this and were clearly loath to risk such a battle.

As a result, the Allied fleet was free to batter away at the third alien fleet. Already the smallest of the first three alien fleets and now firing alone, the strength of its salvos was less than a quarter of what the Allied fleet had initially faced. In the space of just fifteen minutes, Jonathan’s ships fended off two salvos from the aliens, losing less than thirty ships. In contrast, the three Allied salvos that struck the alien fleet savaged them. Two-thirds of their ships were blown apart or crippled. Just before Jonathan’s ships closed to phaser range, the remaining fifteen hundred alien warships all suddenly cut their engines.

Jonathan nearly jumped out of his command chair. He looked around at Iso and Harte. Their faces showed the same surprise.

“It’s the universal signal for surrender,” Hallock said excitedly over the commanders' COM channel.

Jonathan knew that. He didn’t know how the aliens knew that. If they had been sheltered by the Silizzarus for all of their existence, had they even fought in a war before? But that wasn’t his immediate problem.

“How can we trust them?” Tasata-su demanded. “We must finish them off now. One more salvo will do it!”

That was Jonathan’s problem. If the Silizzarus were involved, how could he trust this supposed surrender? He knew for certain the Silizzarus would have no problem deceiving him to save their homeworld.

“We cannot; they have surrendered,” Hallock insisted.

“Admiral, what do you want to do? Our latest salvo is just thirty seconds away from them,” Iso asked quickly.

Jonathan’s mind froze. If he was going to spare them, he needed to send the self-destruct codes to the missiles immediately. Yet if he spared them, his ships would come into heavy laser cannon range within minutes. There was no way he could reverse his ships in time. They are lying, a voice in his head told him. They will go active and hit thousands of your ships if you let them get too close.

“Admiral, what do you want me to do?” Iso pressed, doubt filling her voice.

Jonathan tried to think. He didn’t want to just murder tens of thousands of sentients, even if they were his enemy. Yet his species' future was at stake, along with every other species who had come to fight with him. And is it murder if they are really planning to double-cross you? Jonathan wasn’t sure. Then a new thought came to him. He cursed himself. It should have been his first thought. What would his father have done? The answer was obvious. His father had always given their enemies a measure of mercy. That was how he had won over the Varanni and the Eaglatons and many more. Jonathan also knew what his father would have said: Do not become like them, if we do, then what are we fighting for?

Jonathan was certain the Silizzarus would kill a surrendered enemy. If he tried to surrender his fleet now, he knew they would order the Tardans and the Gilmoreans to blow his ships up. And if the Tardans and the Gilmoreans refused, the Silizzarus would come with their ships and kill the whole lot of them. I cannot be like that, Jonathan said to the memory of his father as much as himself.

“Send the abort codes,” Jonathan ordered, finally finding his voice.

Seconds later, every single Allied missile detonated just outside of point defensive range of the surrendering alien vessels. “Send them a COM message ordering them to keep their reactors and engines powered down. Target them all with our phase cannons and then our other energy weapons as we come into range,” Jonathan directed. “If you detect even a hint of any power fluctuations from a ship, blow that ship apart.”

“Aye, Admiral,” Harte and then Rossi said.

Immediately, Jonathan was faced with a new problem. With the third alien fleet now not maneuvering against him, the Tardans and the Gilmoreans were quickly coming to a point where they could open fire on his ships. On the main display, the area where the two alien species could get a direct line of fire on him was rapidly approaching.

“Fire as soon as our tubes are reloaded,” Jonathan ordered. “Focus all fire on the Tardan fleet. We will destroy it first.”

Jonathan’s body tensed as the Tardans and the Gilmoreans finally brought his fleet into range. He knew he could take them. But the number of missiles they released was going to tell him just how many losses his ships were going to take.

However, nothing happened. The Tardans and the Gilmoreans continued on their course, but not a single ship fired. Jonathan looked around Sparrowhawk’s bridge in confusion. His ships were close to the Tardans and the Gilmoreans. Their missiles had to have enough range to hit his fleet. What was happening? He didn’t understand.

Then Rossi added to Jonathan’s confusion. “We’re being hailed!” she said in shock as she looked up to Jonathan with wide eyes. “They want to speak to you!”

Chapter 27

Even in the darkest of times, new friendships can still be forged.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Jonathan stared at his COMs officer blankly. It took a couple of seconds for her words to fully dawn on him. Doubt and shock washed over him as they did. Was this another ploy? Or had they actually listened to his plea for them not to fight? Just seconds after deciding to spare the third alien fleet, he had another momentous decision to make. This one was far easier, though. He knew what his father would do.

“Belay the order to open fire,” Jonathan said as he caught Iso’s gaze. “But if they open fire, respond in kind immediately.” As Iso nodded, he turned back to Rossi. “Connect me with whoever is hailing us. Let us see what they have to say.”

A moment later, the faces of two very different aliens appeared in front of Jonathan. One was covered in hair and had eight eyes that were far too spider-like for Jonathan’s comfort. Despite his experience dealing with many different sentient species, Jonathan couldn’t help wincing. The other was far more human-like. With a wide nose and mouth, and thick but short golden fur that covered his whole face, the alien made Jonathan think of a female lion. Surprisingly, both bowed their heads to Jonathan. He returned the gesture.

“I am Admiral Jonathan Somerville, commander of this fleet, and heir to the throne of the Human Empire,” he said by way of introduction.

“I am High Admiral Lasans,” the spider-like alien said, “Supreme Commander of the Tardan Defense Force.”

“And I am Admiral Racorian of the Gilmorean fleet,” the second sentient said.

“You have not opened fire on us. I presume that means you wish to cease hostilities?” Jonathan asked. “You should know that the Silizzarus will not take kindly to such an action. They will likely seek revenge.”

“We understand,” Racorian responded. “We know what is at stake. You were right when you spoke earlier. Both of our species have been threatened by the Silizzarus. We know they will kill us all.”

“Then why have you stopped firing? What is it that you want?” Jonathan asked.

Racorian answered again, taking the responsibility to speak for both commanders. “We do not wish to see our homeworlds destroyed. But neither do we wish to have our fleets slaughtered either. You have already shown you have capabilities that far exceed ours. Fighting you would only result in a slaughter for our peoples. We want to offer you a truce. Our fleets will fall back. We will remain in your rear to make it look like we are still trying to threaten you. The Silizzarus may not buy it. Already they are sending us orders to engage. However, given how easily you destroyed the other fleets, they cannot blame us for wishing to be cautious.

“While we pull back, you will be free to engage the Silizzarus ships and destroy them. Then their homeworld will be at your mercy. Though we do not know you or any of the species fighting with you, we now understand what you are fighting for. It is our hope that you can succeed in bringing an end to the Silizzarus threat to all our species.”

Jonathan was tempted by the offer. He knew he was going to need every ship he had to fight the Silizzarus warships. Losing several hundred finishing off the Tardans and the Gilmoreans was not ideal. Yet he could hear what Tasata-su would say in his mind. The Tardans and the Gilmoreans could not be trusted. As long as they were left in his rear, they would always be a threat.

“That is unacceptable,” Jonathan said as he shook his head. “You cannot simply sit this out. If you are not going to fight us, then you must join us. That is the only guarantee you can give me that I will accept. Otherwise, how do I know you will not attack us as soon as our backs are turned.” Jonathan hardened his voice. “You know we can destroy you with ease. I will not risk you betraying this promise and attacking us when we are engaged with the Silizzarus. Better to destroy you now and ensure you cannot threaten us later.”

“But what use can we be?” Racorian protested. “If your fleet can destroy us so easily, then we can be no threat to the Silizzarus. If we join you, we will all die.”

“Maybe,” Jonathan conceded. “But if you do not, you will most certainly die. And at least if you join us, you will die fighting for your species’ freedom. Is that not worth the risk?” Jonathan paused to let them ponder his words. Then he gave them an ultimatum. “Time is short. The choice is yours. Die by my hands or fight the enemy who would wipe your species from existence.”

Both commanders looked at one another, then turned their heads, presumably speaking to other officers not shown by the recorded images. “If we join you, how could we possibly make a difference?” Lasans asked.

Jonathan looked away from both commanders as he thought. The Tardans and the Gilmoreans' warships were slow and not very powerful. But combined, there were fourteen thousand of them. That was a lot of ships. “We use you as a decoy,” Jonathan said as he looked back at the officers.

“Our two forces can split up and try to move around the Silizzarus homeworld. Their greatest weakness is that they assume we are like them. The Silizzarus have had no hesitation nuking other sentient homeworlds into oblivion. They must fear we intend to do the same to them. We can use that. If your fleets try to go around the Silizzarus one way, mine can attack another flank. That will pin them in place and allow us to strike at them at will. It will also keep your fleets relatively safe. The Silizzarus won’t want to get bogged down fighting your ships for then my fleet could rush past them. It is my fleet they will be focused upon. Yet they will have to keep within striking distance of your fleet lest you get around them.

Again, both commanders looked at each other. Racorian gave Lasans a nod which the spider-like alien then returned. “Though we do not like it, we agree,” Racorian said. “If our choices are to fight you or the Silizzarus, we would rather fight the species who has threatened us with extinction rather than the one who offers us leniency.”

Jonathan smiled. “Then I am glad to have you with us. Hopefully, together we can stop the Silizzarus from doing what they wish to do to all of our species. My officers will send new headings for your fleets to you momentarily. Let us show the Silizzarus that we have joined forces while my fleet licks its wounds. Then we will maneuver against them. Be warned, though, my officers will be watching your ships closely. If there is any sign that you are going to betray us, we will fire first.”

Racorian bowed deeply to Jonathan. “We understand the position your fleet is in. It cannot be easy trusting us. We will make sure we do nothing to provoke you, Admiral.”

“Let us fight our common enemy together,” Jonathan responded. “And if we are victorious, I hope the day will come where we can form a genuine friendship rather than one forced at the end of a laser cannon.”

“That would be a pleasant day,” Racorian said with a nod. Lasans bowed to Jonathan and then they both disappeared.

Jonathan immediately switched to the COM channel with his senior commanders. “What are your thoughts?” he asked them all.

“I’m glad we’re not fighting them, Admiral, but it is quite the risk,” Shraw responded. “Maybe we should just order them to make for the outer system at full speed. That way, if they tried to double back and attack us, we would at least get ample warning.”

“Or we could still destroy them,” Tasata-su insisted. “Once they come close, we can blast them with our energy cannons.”

“I will not break my word to them,” Jonathan said sharply. “Any more than I would my word to you. I thought Karacknids held the word of their Imperator in the highest regard.”

Surprising everyone, Tasata-su bowed deeply to Jonathan. “You are right, Imperator, I apologize unreservedly. I misspoke. I did not mean to imply you should dishonor yourself by breaking your word.”

Jonathan did his best to hide his shock. “Apology accepted,” he said with a nod. “And I do appreciate your concern.”

“If I may,” Tasata-su said more tentatively. Jonathan nodded to him again and he continued. “What I was trying to communicate is that it is far too great a risk to let them close to us. We may be people of our word, but we know nothing about them. They may very well blast us with their energy weapons when we let them get close.”

“That is a risk,” Jonathan admitted. “But it is one we need to take. Take a look at the Silizzarus warships. Do you think we can get past them by ourselves? It took nearly a thousand fighters just to destroy four. And even if we could do it, do you think that is all the strength our enemy has? We will need our newfound friends before this is over.

“However, it doesn’t mean we won’t be cautious,” Jonathan continued. “I want them to join us so that the Silizzarus know we're working together. But as I told their commanders, we’re going to split our forces after that. It will best serve our purposes but also keep them out of energy weapon range so they cannot betray us.”

“It is still quite the risk to let them close, even for a short time,” Reverus pointed out.

“It is,” Jonathan agreed. “But remember who they are. For hundreds of years, if not millennia, the Silizzarus have conditioned these species to be at peace with one another. How likely do you think such a species is to go back on their word? Especially when it is more than likely their actions have already drawn the Silizzarus' ire.”

“It is not a lot to risk our cause upon,” Reverus repeated. “But I can see your argument.”

“I, for one, am in full agreement with you, Admiral,” Hallock said enthusiastically. “And I will instruct my best engineers to begin monitoring the two alien fleets as they close with us. If they do show any signs of betraying us, I will inform you immediately.”

“Thank you, Superintendent,” Jonathan said as he flashed the Kulrean a smile. “Now, let’s figure out how we’re going to take on the Silizzarus from here.” Quickly, Jonathan began to lay out the general plan that had come to him as he had spoken with the two alien commanders. As he expected, Shraw, Reverus, and Tasata-su had some good suggestions to add to his initial idea. Within minutes, they had a working plan.

“Our initial goal will be to probe the Silizzarus’ defenses,” Jonathan said when they were all satisfied. “They have to have more forces hidden. I am sure of it. Once we draw them out, then we can adapt as we go.”

After everyone agreed, Jonathan turned to Iso. “Recall Wing Commander Hawthorne. Let’s get his fighters landed and ready for their strike immediately.”

Over the next forty minutes, all of Jonathan’s plans came together. First, Hawthorne’s fighters gave up their pretended efforts to slip past the Silizzarus warships. As they raced back to their carriers, the Silizzarus followed them. At the same time, the Tardan and Gilmorean fleets closed with the Allied fleet. Tense pleasantries were shared, and some officers were even exchanged so that all three fleets had advisors on hand in case they had to fight together. All the while, Jonathan had Harte keep open a COM channel to Hallock’s engineers. At the touch of a button, Harte was ready to send thousands of phaser and laser beams smashing into their newfound friends, but thankfully it didn’t come to that.

Throughout the brief meeting of the three fleets, the Tardans and Gilmoreans were bombarded with messages from their former overlords demanding that they turn on Jonathan’s fleet. Both alien commanders shared the messages with Jonathan. He wasn’t surprised to see the Silizzarus were using a fake humanoid body to represent themselves. Racorian and Lasans had been shocked when he had shared with them just what the Silizzarus really looked like.

As soon as both fleets split up again, Jonathan’s intentions became clear to the Silizzarus. While his fleet moved to race around the Silizzarus warships’ left flank, the Tardans and Gilmoreans tried to pass by their right flank. Both fleets tried to plot out a wide course around the Silizzarus in an apparent effort to get the Silizzarus to split up. Jonathan doubted they actually would. If he were in the Silizzarus’ shoes, he would just charge in and attack the Allied fleet first and then turn and catch up with the slower Tardan and Gilmorean fleets. If that was what they chose, Jonathan was more than happy to oblige his opponents. If they actually split up, it would be all the better. He already had his fleet ready to turn and charge if that happened.

However, as expected, the Silizzarus did not split up. They knew that Jonathan still had another hand to play: Hawthorne’s fighters. If the Silizzarus committed against either his or the Tardan and Gilmorean fleet, then they wouldn’t be in a position to stop his fighters. And Jonathan knew that would be unacceptable to them.

As a result, the Silizzarus began to fall back towards their homeworld to prevent either enemy fleet from getting in behind them. For over an hour, Jonathan was happy to let the game of maneuvers play out as it brought him closer to his final target. However, he didn’t want to get too close. He needed to know what he was truly up against first. “I think it is time,” Jonathan said to Iso when the Silizzarus responded to his latest attempt to get in behind them by falling back even more. “Inform Hawthorne he can launch his attack wing. Tell him…”

Jonathan paused as he searched for the words. The truth was, he was likely sending many of Hawthorne’s fighter pilots to their deaths. Yet he had to. He couldn’t risk his fleet without knowing for certain what surprises the Silizzarus might have waiting for them. “Tell him, may fortune favor the brave.”

“I will, Admiral,” Iso responded.

Jonathan hid a grimace. His words sounded empty to him. Especially given what he was asking many of his pilots to attempt. Several of his father’s famous speeches ran through his head. Did you just come up with them on the spot? He asked the memory of his father. Or was it just natural? Jonathan didn’t know.

“Hawthorne’s fighters have all been slow-launched,” Iso informed Jonathan eight minutes later.

“Ok, send out the rest,” Jonathan ordered.

Moments later, the first squadrons of the rest of the Allied fighters – a force numbering five thousand strong – began to be flung out of their tubes. No one knew if the Silizzarus’ keen sensors could detect Hawthorne’s slow-launched fighters at the range they were away. If they could, then they would know something was up. But even if they did, there was no way they would miss the second group of five thousand, and so they would have to focus their attention on them.

To make sure of it, Jonathan gave his next order. “Turn us towards them, full acceleration.”

With five thousand fighters arrayed around them, all eight thousand four hundred Allied warships turned onto a direct course for the Silizzarus warships. Jonathan was giving them no choice; unless they wanted the five thousand fighters that were leading his fleet in towards their homeworld to break past them, the Silizzarus warships would have to stand and fight.

Chapter 28

Though the days of nimble fighters charging through enemy fire are long gone, they live on in many of our most popular holo dramas. A student of the Karacknid Wars era will quickly learn that such battles were even more terrifying than what they have seen in the dramas.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As his commander charged the Silizzarus warships, Wing Commander Hawthorne crossed his fingers, hoping his force could slip past the Silizzarus unnoticed. For fifteen minutes, at just five percent thrust, his four thousand fighters crept away from the approaching battle. On a secondary screen, the point where his fighters would have enough room to blast around the Silizzarus was marked. Ten more minutes, Hawthorne said to himself. We can do it!

Nervously, he kept looking back and forth between where his fighters were and the Allied and Silizzarus fleets. As long as the Silizzarus focused on Jonathan’s attack, he would be fine.

“We are going to make it,” Hawthorne said out loud in excitement. His fighters were now just one minute away from reaching the point they couldn’t be caught. His excitement only lasted a couple of seconds though as his mind turned to what was coming next. Outwardly, it looked like the Silizzarus homeworld had no defenses. There was no way that was true. We’re about to charge into the unknown. That thought tempered Hawthorne’s excitement.

Mere seconds later, his Hellcat beeped at him. Hawthorne gasped. “No!” he cried out. Eight Silizzarus warships had suddenly broken away from their fleet. They were all accelerating to intercept his force.

Panic gripped Hawthorne for half a second. It was followed by dismay. His fighters had been so close to getting past them unscathed. But we can still make it! he told himself. “All fighters to full acceleration,” Hawthorne ordered immediately. “They’ll catch us briefly, but we have to try and get through their fire. Don’t stop for anything!”

Grabbing his throttle, Hawthorne pushed his fighter’s engines to their absolute maximum. Then he began to turn onto a direct heading for the Silizzarus homeworld. Another beep from his Hellcat drew his attention to the five thousand fighters Admiral Somerville had with his fleet. They were all breaking away from the Allied warships. They’re going to try and waylay the Silizzarus warships! Hawthorne realized as his hope rose slightly. The fighters were going to take heavy losses, but if they could slow some of the Silizzarus, his force would have a far greater chance of getting past them. Fight well, he thought to his pilots who were about to die to give him a chance to complete his mission.

As Hawthorne’s fighters continued to try and race around the Silizzarus, the other fighter force smashed into the eight that had broken away from the main Silizzarus fleet. Knowing what the fighters were trying to do, the Silizzarus barely slowed at all. Instead, their defensive weapons lashed out at the fighters, shooting them down in tens and then hundreds. Yet thousands of Allied missiles, and then just as many laser and grazer beams, reached out towards the Silizzarus ships. Only then did they begin to carry out evasive maneuvers.

Five of the eight warships suffered hits. Two of the warships’ shields deflected everything fired at them. The shields of the other three warships all failed. Two were savaged so badly by the laser beams that hit them that they lost all power. The third had laser beams punch through its armor several times, yet it continued on, matching the acceleration rates of its other comrades.

The speed of the Silizzarus ships meant that they quickly began to pull ahead of the Allied fighters. Before they got out of range, they blasted nearly three hundred more out of existence. Then, the Silizzarus warships formed up with one another again and continued on towards Hawthorne’s fighters.

The sight of them made Hawthorne gulp. The evasive maneuvers the Silizzarus had been forced to carry out had bought his fighters an extra twenty seconds or so. With the higher momentum his fighters were building, it meant the Silizzarus would only be able to bring them into range with their defensive weapons for two minutes. After that, Hawthorne’s fighters would begin to edge ahead of the Silizzarus ships. Eventually, the Silizzarus would catch him again. But we will make it to their homeworld first.

Quickly, Hawthorne did some mental calculations. In the space of two minutes, the Silizzarus would have a very good chance of destroying half of his fighters, if not more. Zooming in on the Silizzarus force, Hawthorne looked closely at the warship that had suffered several hits. Though its main engines were clearly intact, it had to have lost a lot of external sensors and maneuvering thrusters. If we can take out that damaged one, or even just delay it further, that will help, he was sure.

“Squadron Leader Takeda, I have a new task for you,” Hawthorne said solemnly. “I want you to take your squadrons and attack the damaged Silizzarus ship. If you can destroy it, you will increase the number of our fighters that have a chance of surviving their attack on us.”

“They’re not going to take kindly to us charging them like that,” Takeda said.

“No,” Hawthorne replied. “But I see no other way. Assign a squadron to each of the other warships, but focus the majority of your fire on the damaged one. If I thought we could complete our mission without asking this of you and your fighters, I would.”

“I understand Wing Commander, we will do what must be done,” Takeda said. “We will make our turn now.”

“Godspeed,” Hawthorne replied. “And thank you. Tell your pilots, they will not be forgotten.”

“Aye, Wing Commander. Turning now,” Takeda said, a sense of finality filling his voice.

As Takeda’s twenty squadrons peeled off from Hawthorne’s much larger force, Hawthorne waggled his wings at them. Sensing what was happening, many other fighters did the same. As they disappeared into the cold blackness of space, Hawthorne didn’t take his eyes off them. He knew it would be the last time he saw them.

It didn’t take long for the two hundred and forty Allied fighters to race into range of the Silizzarus warship’s defenses. As soon as they did, Takeda’s fighters started dropping like flies. Yet as they charged, they flew and fought like demons. Knowing none of them stood a chance of surviving, the Allied pilots threw caution to the wind. The Imperial fighters that fired their missiles didn’t even try to get away. Instead, they charged on in, plasma cannons blazing. Less than a fifth of the fighters equipped with heavy energy cannons made it into attack range. When they fired, two of the undamaged Silizzarus ships were actually hit. Both of their shields easily deflected the destructive energies, but it forced all the Silizzarus warships to go evasive.

The decision to begin evasive maneuvers came too late for the already damaged Silizzarus ship. Four beams struck it. Two failed to penetrate its armor, but the other two hit spots that were already damaged. Both burned deep holes into the warship. One laser beam reached right down to the ship’s reactors, destroying many of the reactor’s systems. A fraction of a second later, an overloading reactor blew the ship apart.

Hawthorne pumped his fists into the air despite the almost total loss of Takeda’s pilots. They had given the rest of his force a chance. “Great shooting!” he said to the dead pilots. Even as he watched, the rest of the pilots were shot down as the Silizzarus vented their rage on them.

Hawthorne activated his COM unit to speak to all his pilots. “Our brothers and sisters just gave their lives to give us a chance to get past these ships. Let’s not have them die in vain. I want you all to fly like you never have before!”

Hawthorne’s words were met with a chorus of affirmatives and battle cries. Then the Silizzarus were upon them. For one minute and forty-eight seconds, the Silizzarus warships were able to keep the Allied fighter force in range with their defensive weapons. Not a single Allied weapon fired back at the Silizzarus. Instead, every pilot focused everything they had on their evasive maneuvers.

Sweat poured off Hawthorne’s face, and he lost all track of time as he threw his Hellcat into evasive maneuver after maneuver. At least twice, waves of exotic energy beams swept past his fighter, narrowly missing. Around him, he was aware of far too many small explosions as his comrades were hit and destroyed.

Then, suddenly, the enemy fire ceased. For at least five seconds, Hawthorne continued his evasive twists and turns, not even aware that he wasn’t under fire. Then he realized he hadn’t seen any enemy energy beams for several seconds. Stealing a glance at one of the secondary displays, he saw they were out of range. Out of extreme caution, he kept up his evasive maneuvers for another ten seconds before he began to lessen them as he relaxed. Then he asked the question he didn’t want to know the answer to. “Squadron leaders, check-in. Give me a strength report.”

A minute later, Hawthorne knew. One thousand eight hundred and ninety-four of his three thousand seven hundred and twenty fighters had been hit and destroyed. He was horrified at the number. Yet he knew the losses could have been worse. He still had a significant portion of his force left. Which means, we can do what we came here to do. Keeping his emotions in check, Hawthorne methodically set about reorganizing his squadrons. Then he turned his fighters’ noses towards the Silizzarus homeworld.

Finally, we’re going to get to see what other defenses the Silizzarus had. And we will find out if any of us are going to survive this, Hawthorne said to himself.

Less than a minute after his fighters broke past the Silizzarus warships, space around the enemy’s homeworld came alive. Hawthorne groaned as his Hellcat picked up several thousand satellites powering up and filling space with emissions from their targeting sensors. They were clearly defense satellites. Four more Silizzarus warships also revealed themselves. They had been staying hidden in a low orbit around their homeworld. Activity around the orbital construction yards also stepped up, and within five minutes, a single warship left its construction berth and moved to join its four comrades.

Well, we came here to find out what extra defenses they have, Hawthorne said to himself, trying to put a brave face on it.

Quickly, he began to give orders to his Squadron Leaders. Over the next several minutes, his eighteen hundred fighters split up into their squadrons and spread out. The idea was to make it look like they were trying to get at least one squadron through the Silizzarus defenses to be able to slam missiles through the planet’s atmosphere. In response, the five Silizzarus warships split up, and many of the defense satellites showed they were very maneuverable as they too spread out across the planet.

Hawthorne analyzed the defense satellites as best he could. Each was about half the size of his Hellcat. At best, he reckoned they had only two of the Silizzarus' small energy point-defense cannons. Yet each one would only need to shoot down one of his ships to obliterate his force. Each Silizzarus warship was equipped with forty of the weapons. Given how much damage they could do, Hawthorne was certain the satellites could easily defend their homeworld if his attack had been real.

Thankfully, Admiral Somerville hadn’t given Hawthorne quite such a suicidal mission. His goal was to draw out the Silizzarus defenses, not engage them all. Though he did have one target he needed to hit. The massive amount of activity around the orbital construction yards suggested more Silizzarus warships were close to being ready to be launched. Hawthorne’s job was to make sure that never happened.

When they were ten minutes out from the Silizzarus homeworld, Hawthorne sent updated flight paths to his squadrons. At his command, they were all to converge again and swoop in on the construction yard.

Before he could give the command, however, Hawthorne’s Hellcat suddenly started beeping furiously at him. Hawthorne’s eyes shot to a secondary screen. It was showing a massive energy build-up on the planet’s surface. Hawthorne frowned. What on earth could be happening? Then he remembered the ground-based shipyard Edward Somerville had seen ships landing in when he had discovered the system months ago. A sinking feeling engulfed Hawthorne as he zoomed in his Hellcat’s optical scanners. A massive circular hatch on the planet’s surface had suddenly split in half as its two ends retracted away from one another. The Silizzarus had more defenses!

Seconds later, four more Silizzarus warships began to emerge from the hatch, one after the other. Before Hawthorne could groan, smaller contacts began to zip past them. In the space of a couple of seconds, hundreds of small vessels zipped out of the hatch and past the warships. Their size made Hawthorne think they were more defense satellites. Yet as they raced up through the planet’s atmosphere, they didn’t start to decelerate to enter orbit. Instead, they kept accelerating. Within half a minute, two thousand of the small craft had emerged from the underground shipyard. All of them accelerated up out of the planet’s gravity well on an intercept course for his fighter wing.

Hawthorne swore. They had to be Silizzarus fighters! He swore again. His Hellcat sensors weren't getting a very good read on them, so there was no way to tell for sure how powerful they would be. But one thing was certain: if they were Silizzarus-designed fighters, they would be deadly!

Hawthorne contemplated turning his fighters around and trying to flee. Yet then the orbital shipyards would be free to continue pushing out more warships. And we won’t know how powerful those fighters are, he told himself. Though he hated the decision he was about to make, he knew strategically, he had no other choice. He had to think of the bigger picture.

“Squadron Leader Harkin, we’re going to split our force. You are to take a third of our wing and take on these new fighters. I will hit the construction yard with the rest of our fighters. Buy us the time we need and figure out just how effective those fighters are, but disengage as soon as our strike goes in. Don’t take any more risks than you have to.”

“I understand, Wing Commander. We will do our duty,” Harkin responded.

“Thank you, Squadron Leader. We will break in thirty seconds,” Hawthorne said. He then switched his COM channel to speak to all his pilots. “Give them hell!” he ordered just before the thirty seconds were up. “All squadrons break onto your new headings!”

All one hundred and sixty of Hawthorne’s squadrons immediately turned away from their apparent assault on the Silizzarus homeworld. Within sixty seconds, they had formed up into two tight formations. One dove in towards the charging Silizzarus fighters while Hawthorne led his group towards the construction yards that were sitting in high orbit around the planet.

The Silizzarus reacted at once. Every warship they had and many of their defense satellites began to move as they tracked Hawthorne’s group. For a moment, Hawthorne thought the Silizzarus fighters were going to slow and intercept him too. Yet their formation remained intact as they instead chose to focus on Harkin’s fighters. Hawthorne guessed that to them, it looked like Harkin was still planning to try and strike their homeworld.

By the time Hawthorne’s force reached the construction yards, two Silizzarus warships and forty of their defense satellites had gathered to greet them. Forgetting about everything but the enemy in front of him, Hawthorne led his fighters in. Right away, fighters all around him began to be shot down. Several hundred died in the space of twenty seconds. But the beauty of attacking the construction yards was that they were a massive target. At extreme range, Hawthorne was able to ripple off the two anti-ship missiles from his fighter. He then continued to fly in towards the construction yards in an effort to draw more Silizzarus fire to give his Varanni and Eaglaton fighters more of a chance to reach their firing point.

Three hundred Allied fighters equipped with energy cannons reached attack range. Unable to dodge, the construction yard was hit by almost every single beam they fired. Hawthorne hollered in excitement as he saw the massive orbital station be struck hundreds of times in the space of a couple of seconds. Every construction berth was ripped apart. Hawthorne even saw a partially built ship that had tried to escape be struck by several beams and be blasted into debris.

As his fighters pulled up and away from the remnants of the construction yard and its Silizzarus defenders, Hawthorne knew his losses would be bad. When he checked on one of his secondary screens, he gasped. Just eight hundred of the twelve hundred fighters who had led the attack had swept through the Silizzarus’ defensive fire.

Next, he looked for Harkin’s force. Swiveling his head left and right, Hawthorne started to get worried. He could see the Silizzarus fighters. They were already accelerating again and moving to try and cut off his force. Yet he couldn’t see Harkin’s fighters. Where are they? Hawthorne asked as he accessed his sensor data and played back Harkin’s battle with the Silizzarus fighters.

What he saw made him gasp. In a battle that had lasted less than two minutes, every single one of Harkin’s fighters had been shot down. They had done well, taking nearly three hundred Silizzarus fighters with them, but they had been wiped out nonetheless.

The Silizzarus had achieved a kill rate of two to one, Hawthorne thought as he looked back at his current sensor data. There were still three thousand of the small fighters, and they were all racing to catch his fleeing wing. We’re not going to make it, Hawthorne realized. The Silizzarus fighters had a far greater acceleration rate and likely had higher maximum speeds as well. Hawthorne glanced further afield to where Admiral Somerville’s fleet was engaging the main Silizzarus fleet at long range. If those fighters have anti-ship capabilities, they will take us out as we flee, then charge Somerville’s warships as well. It could be a slaughter.

Hawthorne could only see one solution. He had to take out as many of the Silizzarus fighters as he could. He took a deep breath and nodded to himself. Since he first signed up to be a fighter pilot, he knew the odds had been against him. Sooner or later, this day had always been coming. Tapping his COM unit, Hawthorne sent a message out to Sparrowhawk. “Admiral, we’ve destroyed the construction yard but as your sensors have likely seen, they have fighters. They are fast and very maneuverable. My wing has no hope of getting back to you. If we try, we’ll be picked off one by one. We’re going to engage them and buy you as much time as we can. I fear these fighters will come for you next. I’ll have my fighters transmit all the sensor data we get until the end. It’s been an honor serving you, Admiral. May you serve our people well as Emperor one day.”

Switching COM channels, Hawthorne spoke to his fighters. “Pilots, listen up. You’ve seen what these Silizzarus fighters did to Harkin’s force. They’re going to slot in behind us and blast away at our rear until we are all gone. We’re not going to make it that easy for them. On my mark, we’ll turn and engage. There’s no coming back from this, so if you have any last messages, transmit them to the flagship. I’ll give you one minute and then we make our turn. Every fighter we destroy will be one less to attack our friends back in the fleet. Let’s spend our lives dearly.”

Hawthorne gave his pilots the time he promised to send their last messages. His Hellcat detected hundreds being sent to Sparrowhawk. Then, when the minute was up, he gave the order to turn. As he expected, every single fighter turned with him as he eased his flight stick over. Pride swelled up in Hawthorne’s chest. We will not be killed easily, he thought towards the enemy fighters.

“Begin evasive maneuvers early,” Hawthorne warned his pilots several minutes later. The sensor readings his Hellcat had taken of Harkin’s battle with the Silizzarus fighters indicated they were armed with the same exotic energy cannons Silizzarus warships had. With no clear reading on how big their effective range was, Hawthorne wanted to be cautious.

Within a minute, he learned he had made the right call. Without warning, two fighters near his Hellcat exploded. Shock washed over Hawthorne. The Silizzarus had opened fire even sooner than he had thought possible. Gritting his teeth and clinging tighter to his flight stick, Hawthorne urged his fighter on. The enemy fighters were free to fire at his fighters for twelve seconds before his fighters could begin to fire back.

Hawthorne’s teeth ground tighter and tighter into one another as more fighters exploded all around him. Then all his frustration poured into a yell as he finally got close enough to fire his two anti-fighter missiles. As soon as he could, Hawthorne then opened up with his plasma cannon, sending hundreds of bolts racing off after a single Silizzarus fighter. He yelled again when it was blown apart by his shots.

Seeking out another target, Hawthorne blasted it apart in a matter of seconds. As he looked for a third, something started to feel strange. It took him a second to realize what it was. Silizzarus fighters were being shot down in droves. Allied fighters were dying quickly too, but not nearly as fast as they had been. Both groups of fighters had been slowing as they came into range with one another, both seeking a fight to the end. Now, close in, the Allied fighters, despite being less nimble, were hurting their enemy.

Hawthorne was confused. He didn’t understand why things had changed so much. His fighters were outnumbered more than three to one. In a close-in dogfight, they should have been overwhelmed far quicker than they were. His eyes narrowed as he watched two Silizzarus fighters in front of him. As he tried to line up a shot on one, something felt off about it and its comrade.

It's their evasive maneuvers. They are so similar, he realized. Almost… as if they are preprogrammed… Hawthorne thought. He found it hard to believe, who would use preprogrammed evasive maneuvers? Everyone knew they were far less effective. Yet his eyes told him otherwise. Then it all slotted into place in his mind. The Silizzarus were a secretive species. They didn’t like to leave their homeworld. And they are all connected to their neural network where they are immortal. Of course, none want to fly small fighters into battle. All the fighters all drones!

Hawthorne quickly activated his COM unit. “Admiral Somerville, they are all autonomous fighters,” he transmitted towards Sparrowhawk. “They can’t match our pilots’ instincts in close combat. But their combined fire is extremely effective at long ranges.”

The combination of his revelation and his desperation to transmit what he had learned diverted a lot of Hawthorne’s attention away from his flying. The distraction proved fatal. When he hadn’t been looking, three Silizzarus fighters, flying in perfect formation, had crept up on his rear. They waited patiently until they all had targeting locks. Then they fired. Hawthorne’s evasive maneuvers threw off the first beams that zipped past his Hellcat, but before he realized just how much danger he was in, follow-up energy beams struck true. One beam tore down his shields, and three more vaporized his Hellcat.

Though the Allied pilots gave a good account of themselves in the close-in melee battle, within a minute of Hawthorne’s death, every single one of his fighters was hit and destroyed. The remaining Silizzarus fighters formed up with a mechanical efficiency and turned towards Sparrowhawk and her comrades.

Chapter 29

At the outset of the Second Karacknid War, the Imperial Fleet numbered over thirty thousand warships. Before the tide fully turned, that number would fall to less than a sixth of what it once was. The losses in ships and crew were vast, even when compared to our modern era.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As Hawthorne’s fighters charged to attack the construction yard, Jonathan did his best to distract the Silizzarus warships. At extreme range, his fleet exchanged missile salvos with the enemy. Initially, with eight Silizzarus warships breaking off to try and intercept Hawthorne’s force, his fleet had the upper hand. But then the surviving five of the eight rejoined the battle.

Both sides suffered losses. By the time Harte called Jonathan’s attention to the Silizzarus construction yard to see it explode, four Silizzarus ships had been destroyed at the cost of six hundred and thirty Allied warships. Then Hawthorne’s final warning reached Sparrowhawk.

Jonathan watched in horror as the Silizzarus fighters decimated Hawthorne’s force. Then, to his surprise, the Allied fighters fought back when they got to close range. However, their resistance only lasted a couple of minutes, then they were all gone. A sinking feeling came over Jonathan when the remaining two and a half thousand fighters turned their noses directly toward his flagship. Seconds later, the six Silizzarus warships protecting their homeworld broke orbit and, at almost the same acceleration rate as the fighters, charged to join the battle as well.

Jonathan had no idea what kind of anti-warship weapons the Silizzarus fighters had. Yet he didn’t need to know. Whatever they were, they would be deadly. Even if they just used the small anti-fighter energy beams they had killed Hawthorne’s fighters with, they would probably have enough firepower to cripple his fleet. The power from the exotic energy beams fired by the Silizzarus warships was enough to shatter the largest of Allied ship’s shields. It was why Jonathan had been engaging them at long range with just missiles. If the fighters got into range with their two and a half thousand smaller energy cannons, they would pummel his fleet into debris.

There was only one way Jonathan could see to save his fleet. “We need to charge them!” he said calmly over his commander’s COM channel. “We have to bring the nearest Silizzarus warships into energy weapon range before those fighters get to us.”

“You are right, Imperator, there is no other way,” Tasata-su responded right away.

“We are with you, Admiral. Give the fleet the order,” Reverus said.

“We will go down fighting, no matter what,” Shraw growled.

Jonathan wasted no more time. “Iso, turn the fleet. We close with the Silizzarus immediately. We will have to split up,” he added to his Chief of Staff and his senior commanders. “If we don’t try and maneuver around the nearest warships, they’ll just fall back and wait for their fighters to join them. Each fleet needs to try and flank them as we charge.”

Understanding his orders right away, the Allied fleet began to break apart as it charged the remaining Silizzarus warships that had been blocking their way. The seven thousand nine hundred Allied warships split into six different fleets. Right away, the Silizzarus concentrated their fire on just one of the fleets. Yet there was nothing Jonathan could do about it.

“Launch as many of our fighters as are refueled and rearmed,” Jonathan snapped. “We’re going to start losing carriers at this range. I want every fighter off them that is ready. They are to hold back though. As soon as we close with these warships, they are to race around them and intercept the enemy fighters.”

“Understood, Admiral, we’ll get off as many as we can,” Harte responded.

Jonathan couldn’t help cursing as a wave of Silizzarus missiles crashed into a fleet made up mainly of Vestarian and Crian warships. Their defensive fire was easily overwhelmed, and hundreds of ships died as the deadly Silizzarus warheads connected with them. Two more salvos slammed into his allies as he watched helplessly. By the time the Allied fleets reached energy weapon range, almost all of the eight hundred Vestarian and Crian ships had been destroyed.

If Jonathan hadn’t known about the power of the Silizzarus energy weapons, he might have thought it was his fleet’s turn for revenge. Initially, the Allied ships with phase cannons did slice into the Silizzarus numbers, destroying three more ships. Yet twenty-four remained. All of them opened fire with their exotic energy cannons a handful of seconds before the Allied fleet could fire their laser cannons. Hundreds of Allied ships died. Then a deadly melee broke out as ships twisted and turned to try and dodge incoming energy beams. Everyone knew it was a fight to the finish. Though the Allied fleet outnumbered the Silizzarus a hundred to one, it took hundreds of beams to knock down a Silizzarus ship’s shields and crack its armor. Often, just one Silizzarus energy beam obliterated its target.

With each ship basically maneuvering and firing by itself, Jonathan had nothing to do but watch the mounting losses. All around Sparrowhawk, ships exploded in great balls of fire while others simply disappeared from the holo plot as they died silent deaths. Allied battleships, Kulrean worldships, and Kalassai cityships came under the most fire. They disappeared in their hundreds as the Silizzarus sought to take the largest enemy ships out of the fight.

“It’s taking too long!” Jonathan said to himself in concern. Half of the Silizzarus warships were gone. Yet so too were over two thousand four hundred of his own. That wasn’t even the main problem, though. The Silizzarus warships were so nimble it was proving extremely difficult to hit and destroy. Yet if they were hard to hit, how much harder would their fighters be? On a secondary holo display, Jonathan could see the Silizzarus fighters racing to join the battle. They were closing at an alarming rate.

Jonathan shook his head in despair. We are not going to destroy all their ships before the fighters get here. Frustration engulfed him. His body trembled as his muscles tensed. He wanted to do something; to give some order or to shout some command. Yet his ships were already fighting with everything they had. A half-hiss, half-groan escaped his lips. Several officers looked over at him. Jonathan strained to find the right words to reassure them. Before he could, a Silizzarus missile slammed into Sparrowhawk’s shield.

The energy released by the warhead instantly tore down the battleship’s shield. Destructive power then blasted through her armor as if it wasn’t there. Bulkheads and inner decks were vaporized. A tenth of the warship’s mass was melted to slag.

On the bridge, everyone was violently thrown about in their command chairs. Jonathan didn’t black out, but only because his augments kept him conscious. The bridge’s lights went out and several consoles exploded from electrical surges. The shaking lasted only a handful of seconds, yet it felt like an eternity. Jonathan was sure it was only going to end when they were engulfed in one final explosion. Yet it never came. Instead, a black calmness descended upon the bridge.

Then the moans began. Seconds later, emergency lighting finally kicked in. After blinking rapidly several times, Jonathan looked around to see his officers in disarray. Several were slumped over their command chairs motionless. At least one was covered in far too much blood for Jonathan’s liking. Others, though, began to straighten up and look around. Jonathan felt a small measure of relief when he saw Mathis raising his head.

“Captain,” Jonathan called over to him. His relief increased when Mathis turned his head and their eyes met. “We need to make sure the ship is still carrying out evasive maneuvers. And then we need to reconnect with the fleet. They need to know I’m still alive.”

Jonathan’s words brought more life to Mathis’ eyes. “Of course, Admiral! At once!” The Flag Captain’s words were quickly followed by others as he called out to his Lieutenants, checking on them and then issuing more orders.

Within thirty seconds, communications had been re-established with Sparrowhawk’s auxiliary bridge and engine room. Though the battleship had lost a lot of maneuvering thrusters, she quickly began carrying out as many evasive maneuvers as she could in case she was targeted again. A moment of horror filled the bridge when the first estimates of the damage reached them. The Silizzarus missile had struck Sparrowhawk’s nose. The forward five percent of the battleship was simply gone, and the next fifteen percent looked like it had been hit by a giant hammer. Yet the warship’s reactors and engines were still largely functioning. As were most of her defensive weapons not in the sections directly hit by the missile’s destructive energies.

Somewhat confident his flagship wasn’t going to be destroyed from under his feet by a secondary explosion, Jonathan forced himself to forget about Sparrowhawk the moment he was reconnected to his commanders’ COM channel. “Commanders, you’ll be glad to know we’re still here. If a little beat up. How is the battle going?”

“Admiral Somerville!” Shraw said enthusiastically. “It’s great to hear your voice. We feared the worst.”

Jonathan too felt relief. The rate at which dreadnoughts were being destroyed by the Silizzarus meant all his commanders were in jeopardy. “Thank you,” he replied.

“The battle continues, Admiral,” Reverus said in a more measured voice. “I will have my officers send over our sensor data. As you will see, our losses are still mounting. More worryingly, the Silizzarus fighters are approaching. Ours are about to intercept them.”

Moments later, a secondary holo display on Sparrowhawk's bridge sprang to life as it began to project the data from Reverus’ flagship. Jonathan grimaced at what he saw. Hundreds more Allied ships were gone. It looked like four more Silizzarus ships had been destroyed too, but the rest were still fighting as they twisted and turned their way through the Allied fleet’s disjointed formation. Out beyond the dense swarm of swirling warships, two thousand Allied fighters were racing to meet the approaching Silizzarus ones.

As Jonathan watched, the Silizzarus fighters opened up on their enemy. Now that he knew what he was looking at, their coordinated fire was obvious. The Silizzarus ignored two-thirds of the Allied fighters and instead focused all their fire on just one-third. Within eight seconds, almost all of their targets were destroyed. Then the Allied fighters that had them, released their anti-fighter missiles. Having to try and dodge the incoming missiles severely reduced the Silizzarus fighters' fire. Even so, as both groups of fighters crashed into one another and then passed by each other, the Silizzarus gave as good as they got. Less than a thousand Allied fighters survived the encounter. In return, they took out just four hundred Silizzarus craft.

The rest of the Silizzarus fighters, all two thousand one hundred of them, started to slow but didn’t turn. Instead, they prepared to join the melee being fought between the much larger ships in front of them. Jonathan tensed as they approached. Tens of thousands of Allied defensive weapons reached out towards the fighters. Reverus or Shraw had obviously organized a hasty defense, as drone cruisers and PD frigates raced out to meet the enemy fighters in an effort to blunt their attack. They took out three hundred more of the small Silizzarus craft, but they also revealed just how deadly the small enemy ships were. As soon as they came into range with their exotic energy cannons, the Silizzarus fighters started blasting away at the Allied ships' shields. Within seconds, frigates' shields were knocked down, and then energy beams began punching through the valstronium armor. Tens of the frigates began to die, and just seconds later, cruisers joined them.

Then the Silizzarus fighters came into range of the main Allied fleet. Death and destruction rained down on any Allied ship that fell under the Silizzarus fighters’ guns. Working in swarms of several hundred, they blasted their way through the Allied fleet. At the same time, the Silizzarus warships took the opportunity to band together and then return to cutting wide swaths of devastation through Jonathan’s fleet. The Allied Fleet did its best to fight back. Silizzarus fighters died in their hundreds and occasionally so did their larger comrades. Yet the losses were far higher on the Allied side.

Jonathan swore, groaned, and slammed his fist into his command chair in frustration. Sparrowhawk’s point defenses were lashing out at any fighters that came near her, but other than that, there was little his flagship could do. It was a miracle no one had targeted them yet. The damage Sparrowhawk had suffered and her ineffective fire was probably the only thing keeping her alive. With every ship fighting for its very survival, often working with only the two or three nearest Allied ships as they tried to coordinate their fire, there was nothing for Jonathan to do, even if his officers and Sparrowhawk's COM systems were up to coordinating the fleet's fighting.

Feeling stranded and isolated and fearing death was just seconds away, anger surged through Jonathan. I have failed you, Father, he couldn’t help thinking. His mind then went to his mother and everyone on Earth and the rest of the Empire’s colonies. I have failed you all!

Jonathan’s emotions only fell further as he watched his fleet’s losses continue to mount. Within a minute of the Silizzarus fighters joining the battle, the Allied fleet’s losses grew to a third of what it had started with. At that point, the Silizzarus' advantage began to grow. More and more Allied ships continued to die while the rate at which the Silizzarus were losing ships quickly started to slow.

A gasp from Iso made Jonathan’s head whip around towards her. She raised a hand towards one section of the holo display. “Hallock’s worldship!” She all but whimpered. “It’s gone!”

Jonathan cursed again. Another one of his father’s friends was dead and there was nothing he could do to avenge him or help the others!

“Look at Tasata-su’s fleet!” Harte shouted mere seconds later.

On the display, Tasata-su’s flagship and nearly five hundred ships around it began to flash. They had formed up into a tight ball and were rushing towards Sparrowhawk.

“This battle is lost, Imperator,” Tasata-su said over the COM channel. “We must get you out of here. It is all we can do now unless you plan to make your last stand here.”

Jonathan’s anger surged again. In such a tight ball, the Karacknid warships were attracting a heavy amount of Silizzarus fire. Instead of firing back to their best ability, Tasata-su’s ships were focusing on getting to him. “There is no escaping this!” he bellowed to Tasata-su. “We cannot outrun their warships or fighters. All we can do is take as many of them with us as we die. Stop coming to me, General. That is an order. Kill as many Silizzarus as you can. Kill our enemy. That is your Imperator’s order!”

“Yes, Imperator, as you wish!” Tasata-su replied, his voice full of hatred for the Silizzarus. “We will fight to the death for your honor, Imperator. And long may these scum remember us!”

Seconds later, the Karacknid force broke apart, forming small phalanxes that gave chase to the nearest Silizzarus warships and fighters. Though they continued to die in droves, they charged to almost point-blank range with their enemies, blasting them apart even as they themselves were torn to shreds by exotic energy beams.

As he watched them die, Jonathan felt his body begin to relax. There was nothing more he could do. Like Hawthorne had recognized less than half an hour ago, he now knew it was only a matter of time. They will destroy the most threatening ships and then they will come for Sparrowhawk… At least Becca will survive. She, General Johnston, and the fleet's ground forces were with the supply fleet well outside the system. No doubt they were watching the slaughter. If we destroy enough of the enemy, they may make it home to bring the news of our defeat.

Jonathan closed his eyes as a fresh sense of failure washed over him. If Becca and Johnston did make it back to Earth, it was likely they would only beat whatever force the Silizzarus would send to exact revenge by a matter of weeks. Then Earth will burn, along with all our other colonies! Jonathan thought as he cursed the Silizzarus. They were pure evil!

“Admiral, look! Look!” Harte suddenly called out. “The Tardans and the Gilmoreans—they have come!”

Jonathan’s eyes snapped open. Sure enough, thousands of new contacts were flooding into the holo display. Ships marked as Tardan or Gilmorean began to fire their energy weapons, overwhelming any Silizzarus ships that came too close. A single beam from a Silizzarus energy cannon sliced right through the armored Tardans and Gilmoreans ships, but it didn’t matter. Up close, the Tardan and Gilmorean laser cannons were almost as effective as Allied cannons, and with fourteen thousand ships suddenly joining the fight, tens of thousands of cannons pummeled the Silizzarus.

Jonathan’s hope soared. They were not defeated yet!

As the Silizzarus struggled to reorganize themselves, Jonathan saw an opening. The Tardans and Gilmoreans had thrust themselves right into the middle of the giant close-range melee. As the Silizzarus struggled to regroup, about a third of their force was isolated from the others. “All Allied ships are to focus your fire on these ships,” Jonathan ordered over his senior commanders’ COM channel. “Let’s take them all out while the Silizzarus try to deal with the Tardans and the Gilmoreans.”

In response to his order, hundreds of Allied ships surged towards the isolated Silizzarus. In the span of thirty seconds, over a hundred fighters were destroyed, and a volley of phase cannon beams took out one of the isolated warships. From there, the Allied ships pressed their advantage. Swooping in so close that the nimble Silizzarus warships couldn’t dodge, they pummeled four more warships into debris. The fighters that had been protecting the last two warships then scattered, fleeing to join up with the larger Silizzarus force that was decimating the Tardans’ and Gilmoreans’ numbers. The final pair of Silizzarus warships became the focus of all of the fire from a large section of Jonathan’s fleet. They quickly succumbed to the fire focused upon them.

For several moments after the death of the two Silizzarus warships, the battle felt like it was put on pause. Even as tens of thousands of energy beams were flung across space, both sides took a breath as they reorganized themselves. Then they hurled themselves at each other for the final time.

Thousands of Allied, Tardans, and Gilmoreans ships died as the Silizzarus fought with a vigor only someone defending their species' homeworld could muster. Yet the Allies knew the stakes as well, and so they fought almost as hard. The battle lasted just four more minutes. In that time, another fifteen hundred Allied and five thousand Tardans and Gilmoreans warships were destroyed. Yet crucially, all but two Silizzarus warships and four hundred of their fighters were also taken out. Realizing they could no longer win, the meager remaining Silizzarus forces turned and fled back towards their homeworld and the safety of the defense satellites still in low orbit.

Cheers erupted around Jonathan as Sparrowhawk’s officers celebrated their survival as much as their victory. Though many officers looked to Jonathan with grins and raised fists, Jonathan could not share their sentiments.

He instead was staring at the remnants of his fleet. No words or even thoughts could come to him. He had entered the system with over eight and a half thousand warships ready to do battle with the Silizzarus. Now less than three thousand six hundred contacts remained projected on Sparrowhawk’s secondary display. A horror that drowned out everything else filled Jonathan. Millions of his people had been slaughtered by the small snake-like aliens. Countless ships that he desperately needed to defeat the Karacknids once and for all were gone.

And all because the Silizzarus couldn’t just leave us all damn alone! Jonathan finally thought as his eyes turned to the Silizzarus homeworld. In an instant, his horror morphed into anger. “Prepare all the warships that are still battle ready,” he said as venom filled his voice. “Plot a course for the Silizzarus world. We are going to nuke their world back into the stone age!

Chapter 30

In war, there is a moral line the Empire must never cross, for if we do, we will lose the support of hundreds of our friends and allies. Yet if a senior officer is honest with themselves, there is always a small question in the back of one’s mind: What if now is the time it is necessary? What if there is no other choice? If crossing the line is the only way to stave off extinction, can I cross it? Every naval cadet should consider these things carefully.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Iso responded to Jonathan’s enraged order without question. Less than a minute after the final few Silizzarus turned and fled towards their homeworld, Sparrowhawk and every Allied ship that could, turned to follow them.

However, an eerie silence followed Jonathan’s outburst. Mathis, Iso, and Harte all shared looks with one another. Jonathan didn’t notice. His eyes smoldered as they bore holes into the Silizzarus homeworld. In his mind, mushroom clouds were already erupting from the planet’s surface. With the Silizzarus' subterranean civilization, he would have to blow deep holes into the planet’s crust before he could wipe out their neural cities, but that didn’t matter. He had more than enough antimatter missiles. He would crack the entire planet in half if he had to!

After a couple of nods back and forth, Iso was the one who confronted Jonathan. “Admiral, did we hear you right? Do you want an orbital strike prepared?”

“Of course, what else does 'nuke them back to the Stone Age' mean?” Jonathan snapped without looking over to Iso.

“It’s just, that was an option we discussed and quickly dismissed on our journey here,” Iso tried to point out.

“I am aware of that,” Jonathan said as he finally turned to her. He then gestured to the holo image of their fleet. “That was when we had nine and a half thousand warships. Not this ravaged, ragtag remnant of a force. The Silizzarus have to pay. And they must never be allowed to kill so many of our people again!”

Unbeknownst to Jonathan, Iso had opened up the commanders’ COM channel as Jonathan had started to speak.

“What is this, Admiral Somerville?” Reverus asked. “You are planning to nuke the planet? You can’t be. Even after everything we have lost, we cannot become like them. We cannot.”

Deep inside, Jonathan knew he shouldn’t reply as he wanted to, but his anger controlled his words. “The last time I checked, I was the senior commander here, Vice Admiral. It is my fleet the Silizzarus have all but destroyed. I will determine the appropriate response.”

“Wiping them out is exactly what this enemy needs, Imperator,” Tasata-su said in a very different tone to Reverus. “They are too powerful. If we do not stop them now, they will be a constant threat to us. That is something no sentient species should have to put up with. You have been very lenient with my own species and the others you have fought. But now is not the time for mercy.”

“No one is advocating for mercy,” Shraw said slowly. “But Jonathan, think about what Hallock would say,” he pointed out.

“Hallock isn’t here, is he?” Jonathan snapped. Again, a part of him instantly regretted his words, but it wasn’t enough to make him take them back.

“If not Hallock, then what about your father?” Shraw pressed as his voice rose. “I know he would not do this. I have seen him suffer even greater losses than we have today and still keep his anger in check. This is not a decision we should make after so many deaths. It would insult their sacrifices. Be honest with yourself, Jonathan. What would your father say about this?”

Jonathan’s heart froze. For just a couple of seconds, all his anger and rage vanished. In his mind’s eye, he could clearly picture his father sitting in his command chair on Victory’s bridge. Just before he had charged into battle with Tanaka-lan’s superdreadnought, he had spoken with Jonathan. There was one phrase Jonathan knew he would take to the grave with him: ‘stay the course.’

So much had been communicated in those three words. His father had known he was going to his death. He had known Jonathan would be the one to succeed him as Emperor. He had envisioned the great challenges that would come his way. He knew I would struggle, as he must have done time and time again over the years.

The vision and words repeated themselves in Jonathan’s mind. Stay the course.

Jonathan’s hands tightened into fists. His father had stayed his course, at the cost of his own life. No matter the cost, I have to stay the course, for him!

And if he could, I can, Jonathan told himself as he felt his grief and anger trying to push him in another direction. Shraw was right, Father would never want us to become like them.

With a great deal of effort, Jonathan tried to let go of his decision. It was hard, though. Very hard. Intellectually, he knew they couldn’t nuke the Silizzarus, no more than he could have shot all the Tardan and Gilmorean ships at point-blank range. Both acts would cross a line that would make him no different than the Silizzarus. Yet it was tempting, very tempting. The anger and rage bubbling up within him promised him that it would be so satisfying.

You must live with the anger, Jonathan said to himself. That is the cost you have to pay. It is the least you can do after everything he sacrificed for you.

With a deep breath, Jonathan rescinded his order. “Fine. Cancel the preparations for an orbital strike.” His voice then hardened. “But we are going to make sure they never again put ships into orbit. And if that means we need a nuke or two, I am not ruling it out.”

“That is all we ask for now, Admiral,” Shraw said, more than a hint of relief filling his usually gruff Gramrian voice.

“Thank you, Admiral,” Reverus added. “I understand your anger. I share it. But it cannot rule us.”

“I apologize, for my words to you both,” Jonathan replied as he felt himself starting to calm down. “I went too far.”

“There is no need to apologize, Admiral. We are all friends here. And we have been through a lot together,” Reverus said. Shraw grunted his agreement.

“Thank you,” Jonathan replied, feeling a genuine warmth that his father’s friends now considered him to be among their number. “Now, let us finish what is left of their orbital defenses, and then we will have to decide how we proceed from there.”

“A wise decision,” Shraw agreed.

“I fear we may come to regret this change of course, Imperator,” Tasata-su said in a very different tone. “But I will abide by your decision.”

“Admiral, if you have a moment,” Rossi said tentatively from her COM’s station. “Admirals Racorian and Lasans have been requesting to speak with you.”

Jonathan suddenly felt guilty. He could tell from Rossi’s tone she had been holding off telling him about the Admirals. She didn’t want them hearing me threatening to nuke the Silizzarus. They would have thought us as bad as our enemy. And now we’ve kept them waiting when they saved us! “Connect them to the commander’s COM channel,” Jonathan requested.

“Admirals, sorry for the delay,” Jonathan said the moment the two aliens' faces appeared in front of him. “You have my deepest thanks and that of my people for your intervention on our behalf. Though my fleet’s losses are grievous, they would have been total without your aid. We are forever in your debt.”

“We could not let your people die for nothing, Admiral,” Racorian said, taking the lead in speaking for both Admirals again. “And we knew the Silizzarus would come for us once they had destroyed your fleet. However, we accept your thanks with the gratitude it is given. Perhaps now we are already closer to becoming true friends – as you spoke of before, we have both suffered grievous losses.”

“Yes, I am sorry for the many ships and people that died to help us,” Jonathan said as he felt his anger rising again. “None of us should have had to fight here. Yet instead, hundreds of thousands of our peoples are dead.”

“There will be many on our homeworld who will grieve when news of what has happened today reaches them,” Racorian said as he nodded, a very human-like gesture. “There are also many of our ships that are badly damaged, and we have people stranded in evacuation shuttles that we need to begin to rescue. That is why we wish to speak with you so urgently. The Silizzarus are obviously retreating. Perhaps there is something we do not understand, but does your fleet need to attack their world immediately? Would it not be wise to launch search and rescue operations and stabilize our damaged ships? Then we could attack together.”

“Together?” Jonathan responded. “Do you mean you would continue to fight with us even after all the losses you have suffered?”

Racorian nodded again. “We have come this far, Admiral. We are committed now.”

Jonathan didn’t have to think long about Racorian’s suggestion. He had already rescinded the order that was the reason for his fleet's charge. “Very well, we will slow our advance and await your ships. You may leave your more damaged ships and any additional ships that are needed to care for them behind. Do not take too long, however. We do not know what other surprises the Silizzarus may yet have for us or what other weapon systems they are currently concocting. If you want to finish this with as little additional bloodshed as possible, we must act quickly.”

“Then we will see to our damaged ships and join you as soon as we can,” Racorian promised.

*

An hour later, the Tardan and Gilmorean ships slotted in beside Sparrowhawk and what was left of the Allied fleet. This time, Jonathan felt no reservations about their presence. They had proven they could be trusted. The five thousand ships missing from their number were all the evidence he and his other commanders needed to know neither species posed a threat to them anymore.

The combined fleet of twelve thousand warships then slowly approached the Silizzarus homeworld. Every sensor in the fleet watched the planet closely, looking for any signs that there were hidden weapons systems or more fighters or other vessels ready to come blasting out of the subterranean hangar. However, nothing was detected. The only defenses that stood in their way were the defense satellites and the two Silizzarus warships that had fled from the earlier battle.

With relative ease, Jonathan swatted them aside. First, he fired two full missile salvos at the warships. With the defense satellites spread out across the planet to protect it from being nuked, they couldn’t aid the warships. Despite how effective the warships’ point defenses were, they couldn’t shoot down all of the tens of thousands of missiles Jonathan threw at them. Their return fire destroyed a further fourteen of Jonathan’s ships, but it was a small price to pay.

After the warships were destroyed, the Silizzarus had no more offensive weapon systems that could hit the combined fleet at extreme range. As a result, Jonathan sat back and fired missile salvo after salvo towards the planet as he systematically overwhelmed and destroyed every single defense satellite. Though it took three hours, he remained on the bridge the entire time just in case the Silizzarus had one last surprise to spring.

Then, when the last defense satellite was destroyed, Jonathan ordered his fleet into a low orbit. “Take us over the large hatch that leads to whatever underground hangar those fighters came out of,” Jonathan ordered.

Minutes later, the holo image of the Silizzarus homeworld rotated until the massive hatch came into view. It was sealed tight. “Destroy it,” Jonathan ordered.

On the holo image, four streaks of light and smoke flashed down from the top of the image to strike the hatch. The tungsten spears smashed into the area around the hatch. They penetrated through more than a hundred meters of rock before their momentum caused massive explosions. The image showed the hatch breaking free from the rocks around it and tumbling down into whatever hangar was below it just before a massive dust cloud was thrown up into the atmosphere, shrouding everything.

Jonathan finally stood up from his command chair. “Signal for General Johnston and the supply fleet to join us,” he said as he caught Rossi’s gaze. He then turned to Iso, “Arrange a senior commanders' conference as soon as they get here. We need to decide what we are going to do next. Make sure to invite Racorian and Lasans.”

“Understood, Admiral,” Iso replied. “Do you have any orders for us in the meantime?”

Jonathan raised a hand and pointed at the Silizzarus homeworld. “Get me as detailed scans of that planet as you can. Start sending drones into low orbit and try landing some of our autonomous rovers. I want as detailed a picture of what is really under there as possible.”

“Aye, Admiral, we will get straight to work,” Iso said.

Jonathan shook his head as he smiled at his Chief of Staff. “Not this time, Commander. Get the arrangements for the commanders’ conference together and then you, Harte, and Rossi are going to retire for some sleep. I want you at your best when General Johnston gets here. Brief your replacements on what I want and then retire to your quarters. That’s where I’m heading right this minute.”

“Okay, Admiral, we understand,” Iso said as Harte and Rossi nodded as well.

*

Eight hours later, as Captain Jantalo stepped into Sparrowhawk’s main conference room, Jonathan held out his hand to the Kulrean Captain. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Captain. Hallock has been a dear friend to my family since before I was born. I appreciate you taking his place to represent your people. But I hope you’re not offended if I say I wish he were still able to be here instead.”

“No offense taken, Vice Admiral,” Jantalo said as he warmly gripped Jonathan’s hand. “I share your sentiments entirely. Superintendent Hallock’s death is the first time a Superintendent has been killed before retiring in over two thousand years. His death will send shockwaves through our society when news reaches Kulthar. But, he died putting his life on the line to protect our people. It is my hope that his example will inspire many others to do the same.”

Jonathan had to hide a secret smile. Despite the real grief he felt for Hallock, he knew from many interactions he had had with Jantalo that the Kulrean was one of the most pro-war Captains in the Kulrean fleet. That didn’t make him quite as eager for combat as any of Jonathan’s human Captains, but he wasn’t far off. Jonathan had been happy to hear the other Kulrean Captains had elected him to take Hallock’s place as their commander.

“I too hope his example will inspire your people,” Jonathan said. “As I hope yours will as well, Captain. You now have an important role to play in what will transpire here today and in the months to come.”

“I will not let my people or you down, Vice Admiral,” Jantalo said formally as he gave Jonathan a small bow. “It is my honor to serve both them and you.”

Jonathan returned the bow and then gestured for Jantalo to head on into the conference room where most of Jonathan’s senior officers were already seated. Next to arrive was General Tasata-su. Though Jonathan was well used to interacting with Karacknids now, his body still stiffened as the warrior approached. Years of watching holo dramas, fighting simulated battles, and even childhood nightmares where the Karacknids were always the enemy had left their mark on his psyche. Still, without hesitation, Jonathan held out his hand to Tasata-su, knowing the Karacknid could slice off his wrist with one swipe of his claws.

“I’m very glad to see you alive and well, General,” Jonathan said warmly. “Your ships threw themselves into the final fight with the Silizzarus with the same recklessness my people have come to fear. Those who died in the battle brought great honor to themselves and to me. Though I am glad you are not one of them.”

Tasata-su gave Jonathan a toothy smile. “I confess, I am not used to being so warmly greeted by my Imperator, but I could get used to it. I too am glad to still be alive and gladder still to see you in good health. Your death would throw all the free Karacknids who swore allegiance to you into disarray. I am glad that has not happened.”

“And, I hope, you’re glad I’m alive for my own sake too?” Jonathan said as he returned Tasata-su’s smile.

“Of course, Imperator, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise,” the General said as he quickly bowed deeply to Jonathan.

Jonathan laughed and touched Tasata-su’s elbow to encourage him to rise. “I am teasing you, General. It is a Human thing. I know you meant no insult. I too am glad my death did not bring more hardship on those within your people who are trying to change your civilization’s ways.”

Movement behind Tasata-su made Jonathan look to see Iso appear around the general’s large frame. Following Jonathan’s gaze, Tasata-su half-turned. A small growl escaped his lips. “Please, go and take your seat, General,” Jonathan said as he touched Tasata-su’s elbow again. “And don’t worry yourself,” he added as he gestured to the two special forces marines guarding the entrance to the conference room. “I am well protected.”

As Tasata-su moved into the conference room, Jonathan bowed deeply to the two aliens Iso had escorted from Sparrowhawk’s main hangar. “Admirals, it is a privilege and an honor to welcome you to my flagship and to this senior commanders’ conference. Both of you have earned my thanks, my trust, and a place here at this discussion. Please accept my handshake as an offer of friendship and thanks for your willingness to fight and die alongside my allies and me.”

“We take it gladly,” Racorian said as he engulfed Jonathan’s hand in his lightly furred paw. The alien stood several inches above Jonathan, and the rest of his body, though largely covered in some kind of ceremonial armor, reinforced the impression of a lion that Racorian had given earlier. Muscles and golden fur were visible on every part of Racorian’s body that was not armored.

Lasans scuttled up to Jonathan on eight legs as Racorian stepped aside. The alien then took Jonathan’s hand in four of his own. “Thank you for your warm welcome, Admiral,” he said. “When my fleet was forced to leave its homeworld, we did not foresee all that has come to pass happening. While we mourn our losses, we are thankful we decided to side with you.”

“Indeed we are,” Racorian agreed. “I for one wish I had never heard of the Silizzarus. Yet we cannot ignore the threats they made to our species nor the power their ships have. We are very grateful that the species of your alliance embarked on this endeavor to put a stop to their activities.”

“Then come and join this conference,” Jonathan said as he stepped aside from the hatch and gestured for both commanders to enter. “Let me introduce you to my friends and fellow commanders.”

Jonathan spent the next ten minutes introducing the rest of his commanders to the two new alien Admirals. With Shraw, Reverus, Johnston, Becca, Alveraz, and Edward all present, it took some time to explain to Racorian and Lasans who everyone was and the positions they held within the fleet. Finally, Jonathan felt the two newcomers had enough context to begin the meeting.

“If everyone doesn’t mind,” Jonathan said as he stood and gestured to Iso, “my Chief of Staff will bring us all up to date on where things currently stand. Then we must come up with a plan to deal with the Silizzarus once and for all.”

Around the conference table, heads nodded and everyone turned to Iso, ready to begin.

Chapter 31

It has been said often that if Emperor Somerville or any of the great leaders of the Karacknid War eras saw the full extent of the Empire’s size today, their minds would struggle to grasp the expansion we have undergone. Yet do any of us truly grasp the size of the Empire even in our own day? Can anyone ever understand what it means to have three thousand inhabited systems? Can we fathom what several trillion citizens actually look like? I doubt it. However, even if we cannot grasp the extent of our Empire, we all know for what we fight: for our families, our friends, and our Emperor. —Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

“Thank you, Admiral,” Iso said as she stood. With a tap on the control she held, she projected an image of the Silizzarus homeworld above the oval conference table the commanders were all seated around. “These are the latest scans of the planet our ships and drones have been able to gather. As you can see, there are no signs of life on the planet's surface. However, beneath the surface, there are many subterranean caverns and tunnels. Almost all of these appear uninhabited and void of life, yet in a few, there are small energy sources.”

Iso nodded towards Edward. “We believe the energy sources are from the autonomous combat drones Commander Edward Somerville and his team encountered when they infiltrated the planet's surface months ago.

“As you can also see, for many of the deepest caverns we have discovered, there are clearly tunnels that lead from them deeper into the planet’s crust. At best, our scans have only been able to peer a kilometer and a half below the planet’s surface. The many dense mineral deposits scattered across the planet's surface prevent us from seeing further. Given what Edward Somerville’s team encountered, we believe there are many more caverns deeper under the planet.

“This,” Iso continued as she changed the image to show a large crater, “is what remains of the hatch that we believe led to a sizeable underground hangar. Our scans show that the shaft underneath the hatch goes down vertically for over a mile. We have no idea how much further the shaft goes, but it could be many miles. What seems certain is that whatever hangar facilities are under the surface were unlikely to have been significantly damaged by the hatch falling down the shaft. At best, the hatch may have destroyed whatever facilities were within several hundred meters of the bottom of the shaft. At worst, the hatch may have gotten lodged within the shaft and done no damage whatever to whatever is below it. Either way, we have to conclude that there is a sizeable Silizzarus construction yard somewhere deeper under the planet’s surface.

Again, Iso changed the image; this time it showed a visual of hundreds of fighters emerging from the hatch when they had ambushed Wing Commander Hawthorne’s fighters. “Given that there was no indication the orbital construction yards our fighters destroyed were constructing any of these fighters, it stands to reason that the fighters were constructed beneath the planet's surface. We also know that the orbital construction yards themselves were only recently built, which means the Silizzarus likely built all of their warships underground prior to the completion of their orbital construction yard.

“What this means is that the destruction of the Silizzarus orbital construction yards has only reduced our enemy’s ability to produce warships and fighters, not negated it. In time, they are likely capable of rebuilding the fleet that we have destroyed.”

“Which is why we are all here,” Jonathan said as he jumped in. “We have defeated the Silizzarus fleet, but the threat is far from negated. However, before we turn to that question, there is one more thing I wanted Iso to bring our new friends up to date on. Please continue, Commander.”

Iso nodded. In as short a time as possible, she then proceeded to explain to Racorian and Lasans everything they had learned and guessed about the neural network the Silizzarus had built, the likelihood that almost all of their species lived within it, and the possibility that they uploaded the consciousness of their dead into it as well.

“That is truly astounding,” Racorian said. “To be able to commune with all of one’s ancestors must be an experience indeed!”

“Not to mention the prospect of one’s consciousness existing forever,” Lasans added. “I guess it explains some of why they are so secretive.”

“And why they had so few warships, despite how advanced their civilization is,” Racorian said.

“But it also is an indication of how fiercely the Silizzarus will fight us,” Jonathan interjected. “And is an indication of the dormant capabilities of their species. Imagine what our victory here today will do to their culture. Even if their species hates leaving this neural network, if their existence depends on it, I am sure they would force themselves to. If the Silizzarus ever get the chance to build up their forces and extend their strength across the galaxy, they could build and man tens of thousands of ships. None of our species would survive something like that.”

“So then we must put an end to their ability to threaten any of us,” Reverus said solemnly. “All of our species' futures depend on it. So… what are we going to do?”

Here we go, Jonathan thought as he took a deep breath. Since leaving Earth, this had been the question in the back of his mind. It had stayed there because no answer had come to him. He had hoped they would be able to defeat whatever defenses the Silizzarus had prepared. Yet he also hoped their losses would not have been quite so grievous. But now the real question needed an answer. Short of genocide, how were they going to stop such an advanced race from ever being a threat again?

Jantalo cleared his throat. As he spoke, he didn’t look in Jonathan’s direction, though Jonathan knew the Kulrean’s words were for him. “One option we need to take off the table from the start is the nuclear one. For our sakes and for the sake of our new friends, we need to make it clear we are not going to simply nuke the world from orbit. That would be unacceptable and go against the very ideals that drove us all to come here in the first place.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Jonathan said. He waited for Jantalo to look at him and then he nodded. “My father would never have contemplated such a thing, and neither will we.”

Jantalo nodded back. “Now that is clear, may I then suggest we try and speak with the Silizzarus leadership.” The Kulrean held up his hands as several officers sat forward in their chairs. “I know we have tried opening a dialogue with them before, but things have changed. We have their homeworld under our guns. They are likely sitting down there in fear that nuclear missiles may begin dropping on them at any moment. Surely, they would be open to speaking with us.”

Before any of Jonathan’s other commanders could speak, Racorian surprised everyone by jumping in first. “Perhaps I have spoken too hastily, but may I ask, what would be the goal of these discussions? The Silizzarus have threatened my species' homeworld with nuclear devastation. Our nearest colony is just eleven days' travel from here. For a Silizzarus ship, it is probably no more than two days' journey. What guarantee or promise could they possibly give that we would trust? All it would take for them to destroy my species would be to build one of their warships and sneak it into our home system. I’m sure they could destroy our planet with their advanced weapon systems with ease.”

“You do not speak too hastily, my new friend,” Shraw said as his lips peeled back over his razor-sharp teeth, giving a Gramrian smile. On his long velociraptor-like mouth, it was very intimidating. Yet to his credit, Racorian didn’t flinch. “That is exactly the question that needs answering.” Shraw turned to Jantalo. “I do not wish to be rude, Captain, but what would be the goal of these negotiations? What would we seek to get from them?”

“Disarmament, military observers, some kind of occupation force… Whatever we here deem necessary to ensure that they are incapable of ever building a space force again,” Jantalo answered. “It may be that the Silizzarus would never agree to such terms. But if they think the alternative is nuclear holocaust, perhaps they would.”

“For the sake of argument, let us say they did agree to such terms,” Tasata-su responded. “We would be betting everything on our ability to outthink this enemy. We would have to anticipate every way they may try to rearm and ensure we have the mechanisms in place to either prevent that or spot it before they are able to complete whatever ships they might seek to build. We would always be looking over our shoulder, watching and waiting for the next trick they might try. Is that how we all want to live?”

“But unless we are prepared to wipe them out, is that not always going to be the case?” Jantalo pressed. “Short of killing every last Silizzarus, whatever we agree on here today will inevitably leave open the possibility that they may find a way to rebuild a fleet and threaten us in the future.”

And therein lies the problem, Jonathan thought as he felt the anger and loss that had driven him to order his fleet to charge the Silizzarus homeworld start to simmer within him again. The Silizzarus had shown they had no qualms about wiping out entire sentient civilizations. He had no doubt they would lie, steal, and murder, and do whatever else was needed, for them to break out of whatever sanctions he and his fellow commanders imposed upon them. And yet we must try, Jonathan told himself as he thought of Superintendent Hallock. If his father’s friend had been present, he would have been even more insistent than Jantalo that they try speaking with the Silizzarus.

“It is worth attempting, if nothing else,” Jonathan said into the silence that developed after the inconvenient truths Jantalo had spoken. “I agree with Captain Jantalo. The first thing we should try is to open negotiations with them. We can come up with a list of demands that we have and at least see if they would agree to some, if not all of them. At the very least, if they do speak to us, we may learn more about them. However, I hold out little hope that we will get anywhere with this. So, for now, let us assume they refuse to speak to us. What should be our next approach?”

“Perhaps we should consider a blockade,” Racorian suggested. “I am sure my political leaders would be willing to allow your alliance to construct a supply base in our nearest system. From there, you could base a fleet here indefinitely. We could even build orbital stations around the planet to keep an eye on the Silizzarus.”

“And what about their underground shipyard?” Shraw asked. “What if they were to build up a massive fleet of their warships in secret and then launch them against us? Even if we covered their planet in orbital battleships, they could still break out.”

“That would be a risk,” Reverus admitted. “But if we remained vigilant, we could mitigate it. To launch their ships, they would have to construct a new shaft up to the planet’s surface. If we placed the most sophisticated sensor systems we have all across the planet’s surface, we would get advance warnings of any attempt to launch new ships into space. It would be child’s play to fire a few tungsten spears from orbit to destroy any such shaft. We would essentially be keeping them locked up in their subterranean tunnels.”

“That assumes they could not find a way to spoof our sensors,” General Johnston countered. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” he continued as he looked around at the gathered officers, “but I would not feel comfortable trusting the future of our species to our ability to detect every possible trick the Silizzarus could come up with. We know they are more advanced than us in many areas, even more advanced than the Kulreans. Are we certain they could not find a way to trick our sensors and construct a new shaft once they had built a hundred, or maybe even a thousand more of their warships?”

“That does feel like we would only be delaying the inevitable,” Alveraz said. “But what else can we do? Invade their underground caverns? Capture and imprison all their people? Are we going to then take on the responsibility of housing and feeding their entire civilization for the rest of time?... We all agree they have shown they cannot be trusted. So unless they accept whatever terms Admiral Somerville offers them, we’re going to have to use force to get our way. And if we’re not prepared to simply wipe them out, then we will have to monitor them indefinitely.”

As Alveraz spoke, Jonathan felt the weight of his words. The man his father had chosen to lead Imperial Intelligence was right. They needed a permanent solution. Yet any permanent solution was going to end up being a massive undertaking. And if we don’t get it exactly right, it could end up being our undoing.

Alveraz’s words seemingly had the same impact on the rest of the gathering. A silence quickly settled upon them all as they each thought through just how enormous a task it would be to either fully blockade the Silizzarus’ homeworld or try and land ground troops and subdue their civilization.

Jonathan started to feel guilty. It was his meeting. He was the head of the Allied fleet. He was supposed to be the one with the answers. He had come to the meeting hoping they could thrash out a plan together. Yet if he didn’t have one that was actually feasible, how could he expect his subordinates to be better prepared than he?

For at least a minute, no one spoke. Jonathan wracked his brain as he tried to think of a new idea, or at least find the right words to encourage everyone to be more positive. Though it was only a minute, it began to feel a lot longer. The hope and optimism everyone had brought to the meeting after their victory over the Silizzarus fleet began to fade.

Catching Jonathan by surprise, Becca was the one who broke the silence. “If we are not willing to simply nuke them, and we are not confident we can blockade them, then perhaps we need to take a page out of Commander Somerville’s playbook,” she said slowly. Becca paused to smile at Edward before continuing. “In order to escape the underground caverns, his small party tricked the Silizzarus into thinking they had placed nuclear bombs near some of their neural network cities. It worked and bought them the time to escape while the Silizzarus frantically looked for the bombs. As we know, they value their neural network fanatically. They are like religious holy sites. We should use this.

“What we need to do therefore is land troops, secure the underground caverns where their people are living hooked up to this neural network, and place nuclear devices at every single one of them. Then we make them an offer they can’t refuse. They can remain in their neural network where they can no longer interfere in other civilizations. We can maintain a force in this system protecting their world from any other species that might want to harm them. And to ensure they play ball; we can have forces based under the planet's surface in their caverns to monitor them to make sure they show no signs of rearming.

“If they do, then we nuke them. In fact, we can automate the whole process so that no one actually has to push the button. We set up the nukes and whatever monitoring systems we deem necessary and then we tell them what we have done. That way it will be their decision. If they choose to live peaceably, they will survive. If not, they will be sealing their own doom.”

Jonathan stared open-mouthed at his wife. He hadn’t expected her to say much in the meeting; never had he thought she intended to put forward her own solution to their main problem. And it is a good one, and something she has clearly thought through. Though she spoke with an outward calmness, Jonathan knew her well enough to sense the edge in her words. She was angry. But she wasn’t letting it rule her. She has lost a lot of good people too, he reminded himself.

As Becca finished, Jonathan looked around the room to gauge everyone’s response. They had already agreed not to just nuke the Silizzarus, but what Becca had suggested felt different. At least, it did to him. “Well, what do you all think?” Jonathan asked when he couldn’t tell how Becca’s idea was being received.

“You are proposing the potential annihilation of the Silizzarus as a species,” Jantalo said to Becca. “You do understand this?”

Becca nodded. “I understand fully. Yet this will only happen if the Silizzarus insist on trying to continue their murderous ways. They would be bringing it on themselves. Given everything we know they have already done and what they would like to do to all of our species, I do not think I would lose any sleep over the end of their civilization if they are the ones who cause it.”

“Cause it, is a fine moral veneer to put on your idea to try to make it more palatable,” Jantalo countered. “I am not sure my people would see it that way.”

“If we plant the bombs, inform the Silizzarus that they will only go off if they try to build ships or launch them into the planet’s atmosphere, and they then go ahead and try and do this, I would say they are the primary cause of what would follow,” Becca responded, defending her position with a strength that impressed Jonathan. “I am no moral philosopher, but I understand what our role in planting the bombs would be. However, let us not forget that we are at war with this species. We are not talking about some neutral civilization. By their actions, they have forfeited the right to be treated fairly.”

“Perhaps we need to look at things from another perspective, Captain,” Reverus said as he bowed to Jantalo.

For a moment, Jonathan thought he was about to go against Becca’s plan, but then he too surprised Jonathan.

“Suppose we pursued a blockade policy. One where we kept a war fleet in orbit around the system and even built armed orbital stations to monitor the Silizzarus. What would we do if we detected them constructing a new shaft from their underground shipyards to the planet’s surface? Inevitably, we would have to bombard the area from space to stop them from launching their ships. We would be willing to do this despite the collateral damage such an action might cause to their underground cities, would we not?” Reverus paused to let everyone consider his question.

“Now suppose we detected two shafts being built simultaneously. Would we not bombard them both? Or what if it was ten or twenty? Unless there is a number that you say we would stop at, to pursue a blockade policy would be to commit us to shattering the entire surface of the Silizzarus planet in an effort to keep them from ever launching any ships into space again. If we take it to its logical conclusion, if we are serious about preventing the Silizzarus from regaining access to space, then we must be prepared to shatter their planet and risk destroying all of their subterranean cities. In essence, Sergeant General Somerville’s idea gets us to the same place without the expense of a millennia-long blockade.”

When Reverus finished speaking, again the convention fell into silence. Jonathan met Becca’s eyes across the conference table and gave her a smile and nod of approval to show her he was impressed. But next time, maybe run your ideas past me first, he thought towards her, making a mental note to bring it up with her later. If he had known, he could have lent his own support to her idea. But then, we wouldn’t have arrived at it organically, Jonathan thought as he looked around at the rest of his subordinates. Most were nodding or looking contemplative as they thought through everything that had been discussed.

“I’m still far from happy with the idea,” Jantalo finally said. “But I take the point, Vice Admiral. If the Silizzarus are hell-bent on deploying more warships to space, we may eventually be faced with the choice of risking their extermination or letting them escape. There are other concerns with this plan, however. We have already lost a great number of ships. Any landing on the surface is bound to come at a great cost of life.”

“That has occurred to me as well. None of my warships are equipped with soldiers that can be deployed to the surface,” Racorian said. “I’m afraid we would be of little use in this endeavor. And yet you have said your sensors have detected these autonomous defense robots in many of the caverns beneath the planet’s surface? Surely the Silizzarus anticipated that you might try to land troops on the planet and have prepared accordingly.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” General Johnston said. “If the Silizzarus feared we had come here simply to nuke their planet, they may have put little effort into strengthening their ground defenses. In any case, my marine battalions have been training to fight against these autonomous robots since we left Earth. We are ready to take them on.”

“As are my Gramrian warriors,” Shraw assured everyone.

“And mine,” Tasata-su echoed.

Jonathan nodded; that sealed it for him. “I think we have found a solution to a very tricky problem,” he said as he spoke for the first time. “My team and I will come up with a list of very strict stipulations under which we might consider a Silizzarus surrender. I will forward it all to you for your approval and then I will attempt to make contact with them. If they do not reply or refuse these terms, then we will pursue my wife’s proposal.

“We have suspected for many months now that the Silizzarus’ unique civilization drives both their propensity to keep themselves hidden from other sentient species and to control or even destroy those around them. Using it against them feels like the best way to keep them under control. Let’s flesh out exactly how we might do this and then begin our preparations.” Jonathan smiled at Becca again and then gestured towards her. “General, perhaps you could share more of how you envision us accomplishing this?”

Becca smiled back and then began to answer right away, showing she had anticipated the question. “The key will be planting the first nukes. From there, I believe our task will become a lot easier. But, we must be prepared to follow up with our threats. If we are not and the Silizzarus call our bluff, then this will never work.” Continuing, Becca outlined how the fleet could land ground troops and begin to penetrate deep into the planet’s underground caverns.

As he sat back and listened, Jonathan had to keep a smile from his face. Despite all the losses he had suffered and the great weight of the problem in dealing with the Silizzarus, seeing his wife in her element brought him joy. And you thought you couldn’t become an Empress one day and lead, he thought towards her. Jonathan knew that if his mother could see his wife, she would be proud. As am I.

Chapter 32

Sometimes in war, things just come together perfectly.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Constitution, Karacknid fleet base system, 3rd November 2513 AD.

Three weeks after pretending to turn away from pursuing the Gal-tak fleet, Scott and Georgia sat on Constitution’s bridge, staring at their quarry once again.

“It doesn’t look like they have been here much longer than us,” Scott commented. “Their fuel and supply freighters are still in high orbit.”

“If so, they have wasted no time seeing to their ships,” Georgia responded.

Scott nodded. Just over five thousand Gal-tak clan warships had escaped her fleet as she had pursued them north through The Wilds. Now, all but seven or eight hundred appeared to be in low orbit around the system’s fourth planet. That was where the Karacknid had built a fleet base and currently almost all of the warships from The Wilds were crowded around or within the fleet base’s construction and repair yards.

“If there is going to be another civil war as the clans fight over who will be their next Imperator, I’m sure the leaders of the Gal-tak clan want their fleet in fighting shape as soon as possible,” Scott said. “They will want to have a say in who the next Imperator is.”

“Well, it’s too bad for them we’re about to put a spanner in the gears of that plan,” Georgia said confidently. “With your permission, I could take my fighter wing in and hit them hard. Bunched up like that and taken by surprise, we’ll be able to do a lot of damage.”

Scott brought a hand up to rub her jaw as she considered the suggestion. Alongside the fleet they had chased north, twelve hundred other Karacknid ships were active within the system. Most were medium cruisers or smaller, likely left behind by Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet to protect the fleet base. About a third were patrolling the system’s southern shift passage and so were no concern to her, but the rest were either in high orbit above the fleet base or patrolling the approaches to the system’s fourth planet. A small squadron was even watching the system’s northeastern shift passage.

Currently, that was where Constitution and Scott’s fleet was holding station. Thanks to a hidden shift passage discovered by Kalassai dark matter sensors fifteen years ago, and a FOB that still had enough fuel to help Scott’s fleet reach the hidden shift passage, her fleet was now in behind the Karacknid border. It had taken an extra seven days longer than if she had just come to the fleet base along the same route the Karacknid fleet had, but the delay had been worth it to get in behind the enemy. Even so, sending in Georgia’s fighters unsupported was still a risk. Scott’s fleet only had four thousand three hundred fighters left after picking up spares and replacement parts from the FOB.

But what other option do we have? Scott asked herself. She could race her fleet in towards the fleet base. It would be child's play to brush aside the squadron watching the shift passage her fleet was currently in. The ships patrolling the system’s southern shift passage wouldn’t be able to catch her before she got to the fleet base, and the fleet base’s garrison would prove little trouble for her six thousand warships. Yet the rest of the Karacknid warships would see her coming a mile away and be able to undock from their repair yards and prepare to face her. Scott wasn’t sure what condition they would be in, but considering they managed to survive the trip all the way through The Wilds, they would likely be able to put up a good fight.

“What if we send a small force around the outer edge of the system?” Scott said as she thought out loud. “We could include a few light carriers. They could then jump in as if they have come in through the southern shift passage and engage some of the Karacknid forces there. That would likely draw a lot of the fleet base’s garrison in that direction and open up a clearer path for your fighters and my ships to sneak into the system. Then I would be in a position to support your attack.”

Georgia shook her head. “Even a small force would put their fleet on alert. What if they think it is a scouting force for your fleet? They’ll want to get out of their construction yards as quickly as possible just in case.” She shook her head again. “No, the only way I can see us taking advantage of this is if my fighters try and slip in close.”

“That fleet base will be designed to protect itself from a fighter strike,” Scott pointed out. “And they could have their own fighters on top of whatever the fleet has left.”

“But the fleet won’t have many,” Georgia countered. “They sent them all against us the last time.” Georgia then held up a hand. “But you’re right, we may very well take a beating.” She pointed at the Karacknid fleet. “But look, we have a chance to catch them with their pants down. My fighters can cripple their fleet, then you can come in and finish off the fleet base’s garrison and the fleet base itself. If we can do that, we will have opened up an invasion path into the Gal-tak’s territory.”

Scott knew her Wing Commander was right. Tactically, if she wanted to destroy the Karacknid fleet and the fleet base, it was the best option. Yet there was more to consider. She flicked her eyes to Georgia. Since she had first begun flying fighters, Georgia had built a reputation for herself within the fleet apart from the fact that she was her father’s daughter. In the pursuit north through the Wilds after the Karacknids, she had solidified that reputation all the more. There was no other fighter pilot like her in the Allied fleet, nor even, as she was now showing, a Wing Commander as aggressive or successful. But she can’t survive every battle, Scott thought.

The Second Battle of the Wilds, as many officers had started calling their pursuit of the fleeing Karacknid battlefleet, had been massively successful. With far fewer ships, they had been able to divide the Karacknid battlefleet and then crush a number of its fleets. But if we lose Georgia, our success will be empty.

Scott knew there was another option open to her. She could charge in with her fleet, engage the fleet base’s garrison, easily wipe them out, then pivot and strike at the four hundred ships defending the system’s southern shift passage. Destroying another thousand Karacknid warships would be no small accomplishment and it would weaken the fleet base defenses for an eventual attack by a more powerful fleet if that was what the Allied senior commanders chose to do.

Less risk, and still a good reward, Scott told herself. But as she glanced at Georgia again, she knew her Wing Commander wouldn’t be happy. There was a fire in Georgia’s eyes. She wanted to avenge her father’s death. Scott recognized it easily, for she felt the same, yet she knew she had to think strategically and not base her decision solely on emotion.

“We are not going to get a better chance at this, Admiral,” Georgia said, reading some of Scott’s mind. “You heard my brother before he left to deal with the Silizzarus. He wants to take the war to the Karacknids. By the time we return to Earth and gather a large enough fleet to return here, they will have repaired all their ships and might even have brought up reinforcements. My pilots and I know the risks of what we signed up to do. Let us do our duty,” Georgia pleaded.

Scott knew Georgia was right. There would be no better chance. It is the strategic choice. You can’t let sentimentality drive your decisions either, Scott told herself as she realized where part of her concern was coming from. She still felt James’ death like it happened yesterday, and she knew it would be even worse for his family. If Georgia was killed too, it would break them. And yet it is what they all signed up to, Scott said as she repeated Georgia’s words to herself. “All right,” Scott said as she came to a decision and gave Georgia a firm nod.

Let’s avenge James’ death one more time. Though if she was honest with herself, Scott also wanted revenge on the commander of the Gal-tak clan fleet. The enemy commander had tricked her when he had escaped from Scott’s fleet in The Wilds. Now she wanted to return the favor. “But my fleet isn’t going to sit by idly. We’ll give you a diversion to get your fighters the best chance of getting in close,” Scott said to Georgia.

A wide grin spread across Georgia’s face. “That is fine by me, Admiral.”

“Then here’s what I propose,” Scott said as she began to outline her initial thoughts.

*

Four hours later, Georgia stared at the Karacknid fleet base with her own eyes through the canopy of her Talon fighter. It was slowly growing bigger and bigger as her fighters approached. With just sixteen ships watching the system’s northeastern shift passage, it had been child’s play for her to lead her four thousand three hundred fighters around them. The slow cruise into the inner system in stealth had a couple of hairy moments when Karacknid patrols came close to discovering her wing, but in both cases, small course changes had averted detection. The enemy’s patrols were simply too predictable to be effective.

Gradually, the system’s fourth planet became so big that it filled Georgia’s view out of her canopy. Orbital stations, patrolling ships, and many of the five thousand strong Karacknid warships huddled around construction yards all became visible to the naked eye. Anytime about now, Georgia thought towards Scott. With her small course changes, she wasn’t exactly on the schedule she and Scott had worked out before Georgia had launched her fighters, but they had included some room for unexpected delays.

Just two minutes later, Scott did as she had said she would. A beep from Georgia’s gravimetric sensor alerted her to the fact that new contacts moving with high acceleration had been detected. As they appeared on one of Georgia’s secondary screens, Scott’s fleet was a sight to behold. All six thousand five hundred of her warships jumped out right at the edge of the system’s mass shadow. Just seconds later, the Karacknid scout ships that had been there disappeared as they stopped accelerating, telling Georgia they had already been blown apart. At the same time, the Allied warships turned their noses towards the Karacknid fleet base and went to full acceleration.

It didn’t take long for thousands more contacts to begin to appear around the Allied fleet. To anyone that didn’t know better, it looked like Scott was launching all her fighters. The swarm of small contacts quickly formed up into an arrowhead formation and then began to boost ahead of the Allied fleet.

Nodding in approval at the apparent efficiency of the fake fighters that Georgia knew were really active recon drones, she then turned her attention back to the Karacknid fleet base. What she saw made her smile. Already pandemonium had broken out. Hundreds of the eight hundred strong garrison fleet were scrambling to put themselves between Scott’s fleet and the fleet base. Almost as many active recon drones had already been launched and were racing towards Scott’s fleet to get a better read on the makeup of her ships. As Georgia watched, fighters began to be launched from several orbital hangers. Several hundred quickly formed up and moved away from the planet. They were joined by another hundred that launched from the few small carriers that were part of the garrison fleet. Crucially, no fighters were launched from the main Karacknid fleet that was still in low orbit.

Though they were still in low orbit, the five thousand Karacknid warships that were undergoing repairs were not idle. Georgia’s Talon was able to detect massive energy spikes from many of them as they powered their reactors back up to full in preparation for leaving the construction yards they were in. If they actually managed to leave and come out of low orbit, Georgia would have been upset. Yet Scott’s timing was almost perfect. Georgia’s fighters were close enough to make sure none of the warships would get out of harm’s way.

And they still haven’t seen us, Georgia thought in glee. Her fighters were approaching on almost the opposite angle to where Scott’s ships were. All of the enemy warships, fighters, and recon drones that were moving out towards Scott’s ships were heading in the wrong direction. Georgia waited just twenty more seconds until the fighters were at the point the enemy fighters couldn’t turn around to catch her. “Now you get to see us,” she said to her enemy.

With a tap on her COM unit, Georgia activated it. “All pilots, we go active in five seconds. This is it. We can hurt them badly with this attack. Forget about the fleet base’s defenses, focus all fire on the warships and construction yards. Let’s kill some Karacknids!”

Grabbing her throttle, Georgia pushed her Talon to full acceleration. All three hundred and sixty of her squadrons did the same. Immediately, the gravimetric waves produced by their impulse thrusters announced their presence to every Karacknid warship in the system. It didn’t matter now though, the targeting data on Georgia’s main screen told her she was just ninety seconds away from entering range of the Karacknid orbital stations’ point defenses. If they were shocked by Scott’s appearance in their rear, they have to be flabbergasted now! Georgia thought in excitement.

What happened next though, took the smile from Georgia’s face. Within ten seconds of her fighters announcing themselves, Karacknid warships began to undock from the orbital stations they were attached to. Though they were just frigates and destroyers at first, they immediately turned towards her fighters and began to accelerate as soon as they were free. They want to prolong how long they can open fire on us for!

Georgia made a snap decision. “Ignore all ships coming towards us, push through them and focus on their capital ships! Begin evasive maneuvers now.”

Following her own order, Georgia began to twist and weave with her Talon. Instead of having seventy-five more seconds until the enemy could open fire on her, the leading frigates and destroyers would bring her wing into range in just thirty. Georgia took her last opportunity to check on the other Karacknid forces in the system. A quick glance at a secondary screen told her the Karacknid fighters and garrison’s warships were racing in after her towards the system’s fourth planet. They are too late, she thought. Then she focused entirely on her evasive maneuvers and the nearest Karacknid frigates rising up to meet her.

Over five hundred light Karacknid ships had now detached from their repair yards. Georgia gritted her teeth and prepared to fly into the teeth of the enemy fire. The destroyers and frigates were going to hurt her wing, but she didn’t want to waste a single missile on them. All of them were for the enemy’s most powerful ships.

Here we go, Georgia thought as the lead frigates opened fire. Initially, only a handful of beams came her way, yet as more Karacknid warships got into range, the weight of fire quickly ramped up. Around Georgia’s Talon, the shields of other Allied fighters began to flare, then small explosions started erupting. Georgia ignored everything but the handful of warships directly in front of her. Within seconds, she was amongst them. They were so thick and tightly packed that she had to twist and swerve tightly to avoid a collision. So many fighters were trying to pass through them that several smashed right into the small Karacknid ships causing severe damage. Thankfully though, as the wing zipped by them, the fire from the frigates and destroyers significantly dropped as they feared hitting each other.

In just a handful of seconds, Georgia was through. Instantly the weight of point-defense fire radically increased again. Every orbital battlestation and warship that had undocked from their repair yards could now target her fighters. All around Georgia’s Talon, Human, Varanni, and Eaglaton fighters succumbed to the deadly fire. From their rear, the Karacknid frigates and destroyers turned and began to pour more fire into the Allied squadrons. The space between the two groups of ships became a killing field. Twice Georgia’s shields flared as they were hit with glancing blows by laser beams. Sweat trickled down her forehead and back as Georgia put every last ounce of strength and skill she had into maneuvering her fighter.

A fraction of a second before her fighter beeped at her, Georgia sensed she had finally come into range. It was time to turn the tables on the gunners slaughtering her people! Instantly, she lined up the nose of her Talon onto one of the largest construction yards. At least twenty enemy warships were still docked with it. Pulling her trigger, Georgia sent a grazer beam slashing into the construction yard. With a slight twist of her flight stick, she maneuvered the beam to cut the unarmored orbital station almost in half. Everywhere her beam touched sent secondary detonations rippling along the inside of the construction yards which sent fiery explosions blowing up through its hull.

A moment later, the construction yard broke in half and began to tumble down towards the planet as the planet’s gravity took hold. Several ships successfully undocked as they tried to flee. Yet the spinning remains of the yard smashed into two even as they tried to maneuver away, gouging deep holes in both ships. Others still docked were flung away from the station as its centripetal force broke the ships' docking arms. Some of them began firing their maneuvering thrusters as they sought to regain control, but others also began to be sucked down by the planet’s gravity.

Georgia watched just long enough to let out a shout of joy. Then she refocused almost all of her energy on her evasive maneuvers. She did allow herself to take in one wider glance at the Karacknid supply base. Thousands of energy beams had been fired by the Eaglaton and Varanni fighters in her wing. All across the supply base’s orbital construction yards, repair yards, orbital stations, and capital warships were spinning out of control. Many expanding balls of debris told her other ships had been detonated outright by the energy beams that had struck them. Despite the carnage that her attack had caused, however, there were still many intact ships and defense stations hurling laser beams at the charging fighters. They knew the danger was only half passed.

As soon as they came into range, the Hellcats and Devastator bombers released their missiles. Almost five thousand antimatter warheads leapt away from the Human craft and raced towards the remaining Karacknids. The enemy defensive fire immediately switched onto the missiles. Hundreds and then well over a thousand were shot down. The majority, however, reached their targets. Both on Georgia’s primary sensor screen and as she looked through her canopy with her own eyes, the planet in front of her disappeared as its orbitals were engulfed by bright blue antimatter detonations. In the midst of the expanding blue bubbles, thousands of smaller explosions rippled across the planet’s orbitals. Every ship and station touched by the antimatter immediately detonated.

As the antimatter slowly dissipated, it revealed a scene of utter destruction. Almost every orbital station had been hit. Many were simply gone; others had been turned into thousands of chunks of debris, and still others listed badly or were spinning out of control from the damage they had suffered, streaming air and debris from their wounds. As the debris from destroyed and damaged ships alike was flung out across the planet’s orbitals, they crashed into many of the still intact stations and warships, causing tens of thousands of small flashes.

“All fighters, pull up and around the wreckage,” Georgia ordered as she took one hand off her flight stick and began tapping furiously on one of her consoles. “Follow my course,” she added as she transmitted the new heading she wanted her wing to follow. With the Karacknid warships and fighters still charging in behind her fighters, they were not out of the woods yet. To reinforce that fact, laser beams began zipping past Georgia’s Talon on all sides as what was left of the Karacknid fleet still in orbit opened fire.

For fifteen seconds, Georgia’s fighters jinked and weaved as they charged down into the planet’s gravity, then they pulled their noses up and slingshoted around the planet. In the blink of an eye, the enemy fire ceased as they lost line of sight on Georgia’s wing. As soon as she was safe, Georgia let out a deep sigh of relief. Then she forced herself to check the secondary screen that showed the status of her wing. She shook her head slowly as she saw the data. Over half of her force was gone. Just seventeen hundred fighters were still arrayed around her Talon.

But we crippled them! Georgia told herself. She didn’t know the exact numbers yet, but she was certain the vast majority of the Karacknid warships and construction yards had been destroyed. They came to conquer our worlds and kill your father, and now they are dead! And we’re not done yet, she thought as her sensors beeped at her. The fighters that had been lured out towards Scott’s fleet were rounding the planet as they continued to pursue her wing. The enemy’s intent was clear; they had no desire to let her fighters get back to their carriers to land, refuel, and launch another attack.

Not yet, Georgia told herself as her fingers twitched at the thought of turning her wing around to engage them. Sure enough, less than a minute later, Karacknid frigates and destroyers began to round the planet as well, joining the chase. Time is on our side, Georgia knew. With Scott’s fleet still charging into the system towards the fleet base, the Karacknid warships couldn’t pursue her forever.

For thirty minutes, Georgia was content to let her fighters pull away from the system’s fourth planet. She led them on a looping course that would eventually let them rendezvous with their carriers. Behind them, the Karacknid fighters' momentum advantage meant they were slowly gaining, but it was not quickly enough to be of any real concern. In contrast, the higher acceleration rates of her fighters meant both groups of small craft quickly outpaced the Karacknid destroyers and frigates. Not for the first time, the Karacknids' aggressiveness and thirst for revenge did not serve them well. Georgia waited until the enemy fighters were too far ahead of the frigates and destroyers for them to support one another, then she turned her wing.

“Let’s take them out now so they cannot threaten our carriers!” she said to her pilots. “And let’s avenge the friends we just lost. This time we have the numerical advantage.”

With controlled fury, the Allied fighters charged the Karacknids. Too late, the Karacknids attempted to slow and turn, but they were caught alone and isolated. Their deceleration and loss of momentum sealed their fate. Georgia’s fighters slashed into them, first releasing thousands of anti-fighter missiles, then laser beams and plasma bolts shredded the Karacknid fighters. Outnumbered three to one, they lost three-quarters of their numbers in just one pass. Georgia alone shot down two fighters, and her missiles took out a third.

Content to have decimated the enemy’s numbers and to have lost just a hundred fighters of her own, Georgia didn’t slow and turn back around to finish the job. Instead, she made sure the nearby Karacknid warships couldn’t catch her and continued her fighters' acceleration on their new trajectory.

For an hour, Georgia led her wing as they circled around the system’s fourth planet, seeking to rendezvous with Scott’s fleet. Their attack on the Karacknid fighters lengthened the time it took to reach their carriers, yet without any fighters of their own, the Karacknids could no longer threaten Scott’s fleet before it reached what was left of the fleet base and warships still in orbit.

From the cockpit of her fighter, Georgia got a bird’s-eye view of the battle that erupted as Scott’s warships came into range of the Karacknid fleet base. All eight hundred warships of the fleet base’s garrison had fallen back into low orbit to take a position around the surviving orbital battle stations. One thousand warships from the Karacknid fleet had also survived and they joined the defense, though many looked to have suffered serious damage.

When both sides opened fire at extreme range, Georgia’s main display filled up with missiles. Crucially, the Allied fleet’s weight of fire outnumbered the Karacknids’ three to one. With most of their capital ships gone, the disparity was actually even greater for far more of the Allied missiles were larger capital ship missiles. The result of the disparity was a quick, one-sided battle. It took Scott’s fleet just five salvos to batter down the Karacknids’ defenses and put an end to the resistance. While Georgia did see missiles exploding amongst the Allied fleet, her fighter’s sensors detected less than four hundred ships being destroyed.

By the time Georgia’s Talon began to approach Constitution’s hangar, Scott had moved her fleet closer to the Karacknid planet. Georgia was able to watch through her canopy as scores of tungsten spears flashed through the planet’s atmosphere and clouds to strike the surface. Large dust clouds were thrown up into the atmosphere by every strike as Scott methodically destroyed anything on the planet’s surface that looked to be a part of the Karacknids’ military-industrial complex.

*

IS Constitution

When Scott saw Georgia entering the bridge, she turned her command chair and stood to greet her friend. “Congratulations, Wing Commander. Your force devastated their fleet. Your pilots proved themselves once again.”

“And your fleet finished the job admirably,” Georgia replied. “I had quite the view from my fighter.”

Scott smiled. “I didn’t want to give them a moment’s respite.” She gestured towards the main display that was currently showing the system. “The four hundred ships they had watching the southern shift passage have declined to engage us. They’re fleeing towards the north-western shift passage. I imagine they’ll be bringing news of the attack to all the nearby systems.”

“The Gal-tak clan will be worried we will follow up with more attacks,” Georgia responded.

Scott’s smile widened as she pointed at three groups of Allied warships that were already heading after them.

“You plan to continue advancing into their space?” Georgia asked, her eyebrows rising.

Scott shook her head. “Not us. We don’t have the fuel for it, and we need to get our ships back. Many of our vessels need a month or two in a repair yard themselves. But we can spare a few ships to harass the nearby systems just to emphasize the point.”

“My fighters could join them,” Georgia said eagerly. “I could transfer over to one of our pocket carriers again. I’m sure there would be a few opportunities for some fighter strikes against weak targets.”

“Not this time,” Scott said. “We need to go back to Earth. Hopefully, there will be some news of your brother’s assault on the Silizzarus by then. If he is successful, then there will be a council of war. We will need to decide how we’re going to continue our fight against the Karacknids, and I think both of us should be there for that.” Georgia screwed up her face, but Scott held up a hand. “Like it or not, you’re second in line to the Imperial throne after Jonathan. We have no idea what is happening with him on the far side of our space. I think we’ve risked ourselves enough for one campaign. We’ll fall back, regroup, rearm, and be ready to strike again all the stronger once your brother’s ships join us.”

Scott could tell that Georgia was far from happy with the idea, but as she held her friend’s eyes, Georgia’s face slowly softened. Then she nodded. “Aye, when we come back with more ships, we can do far more damage.”

Scott grinned. “Exactly what I was thinking. We’re not done with the Gal-tak clan yet. This was just the entrée.”

Chapter 33

There is a time for talking and a time for fighting.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk, 14th October 2513 AD, (nineteen days previous).

Ten hours after the senior commanders' conference, Jonathan and his staff felt confident they had put together a comprehensive list of demands for the Silizzarus. “I guess it’s time to find out if they are willing to talk,” Jonathan said. “Rossi, open up a channel, let’s see what happens.”

“Channel open,” Rossi responded a moment later.

Jonathan glanced at Iso, who mouthed ‘good luck’ to him, then he began. “Silizzarus civilization, I am Vice Admiral Jonathan Somerville, son of James Somerville and heir to the throne of the Human Empire. I introduce myself in the hope that we may enter into a dialogue. Though I suspect no introductions are necessary for your people likely know far more about me and my species than I do about you.

“However, as you have now learned, we know more than we once did. We know your agents have infiltrated my species' civilization and sought to influence and sway the politics and policies of our Empire. We know you have done the same to many of our neighbors. We also know you have sought to stir up war in our sector of the galaxy. We know this because we have captured some of your agents and even one of your warships.

“We also know you have infiltrated many other species, even the Tardans and Gilmoreans, who you forced at gunpoint to come and fight for you here. Worse, you have nuked entire species into oblivion. In short, we know your civilization is a plague on this part of the galaxy.

“That we know this much may be obvious to you, for we are here after all, and we have defeated your fleet and have locked you up within your homeworld. What you may not know are the other things we have learned about your species. Things like the neural recorders that are implanted within your people’s brains and the neural network all of your species are linked up. A network we suspect houses the consciousness of your living and also your dead as well.” Jonathan leaned forward to make his next point. “Which means, we know how important your neural network is to you.

Jonathan paused for a moment, then sat back. “As a result of all this, your world that gave birth to your species and your civilization may now become its tomb. Our fleet has more than enough antimatter and nuclear missiles to shatter this planet and kill every last one of your people. Doing so will put an end to your evil once and for all… However… we are not like you.

“We do not wish to be the cause of your species' extinction. Not if there is another path we could take together. Before I present my terms, however, there are several more things you must know. The first is that we will never fully trust you. Your species has committed far too many heinous crimes to ever be trusted again. From this moment on, your species has lost the freedom and right to send your people into space.

The second is that your time of lurking in the shadows is over. Many species now know of your existence, and I have already dispatched many small ships to spread the word to all the nearby civilizations. Never again will you be able to manipulate your enemies from the shadows. Thirdly, and lastly, this means your species must adapt to survive. You have been defeated, and you cannot expect things to stay the same.

“With those things in mind, let me present my terms to you. Some of these are non-negotiable; others, if you’re willing to enter into peace talks, could be discussed and adapted to better suit both of our sides in this conflict. So, here are our terms.” Jonathan took a deep breath and then launched into them.

“Your species will completely disarm and forsake the design and construction of any weapon systems or technologies that could be used as weapon systems.

“You will also hand over all of your weapons technologies to my scientists and technicians and aid us in understanding them and adapting them for our purposes.

“You will accept that you have forfeited the right for your species to leave your homeworld. We will construct orbital stations and maintain a fleet in the system that will ensure that not a single one of your species ever passes through your planet’s atmosphere again.

“More than this, you will allow us to land military forces on your planet. These forces will have free rein to patrol across your planet's surface and into its deepest caverns. They will be responsible for monitoring all the actions of your civilization to ensure that you’re not undertaking any activity that is forbidden.

“Finally, your species will be confined to your neural network. We recognize this is the most important thing to your people, and so we do not wish to deprive you of it. Rather, for everyone’s sake, we believe it will be better if your people remain within your network. Then, you can be no threat to any other sentient species.

“If you live up to these terms, then we agree not to destroy this planet, nor your neural cities, nor interfere in your neural network. In fact, part of the responsibility of the fleet we place in the system will be to protect your world and protect your civilization’s way of life. We will therefore take on the responsibility of ensuring that no other species seeks to interfere with your neural network. In this way, we believe your species can continue to live as it desires, and yet we can be assured that you will no longer be a threat to any of us.”

“These are the terms of my allies and I. If you do not accept them peacefully, then believe me when I say this: we will force them upon you militarily. If that must happen, then we are prepared for the bloodshed that will follow. But let me emphasize this,” Jonathan said as he leaned forward again. “The bloodshed will be on both sides. We will take the fighting right to your underground cities and there will inevitably be collateral damage. If you chose this option, then the blood of your people will be on your own hands.”

Jonathan paused and sat back in his command chair before finishing. “So, you have heard our terms. I await your response.”

To everyone’s surprise, they didn’t have to wait long. “There is a signal coming up from the surface!” Rossi reported before anyone could speak. “It’s audio only.”

“Let’s hear it,” Jonathan said as his surprise gave way to a feeling of pessimism. If the Silizzarus had intended to make a deal, he felt like they would have wanted to speak face to face.

“Blasphemous invaders, know that by entering this system you have desecrated the temple of our species and the wellspring of eternity. All of your lives are forfeit. You will be hunted down and exterminated. Then your civilizations will be destroyed.

“By shedding Silizzarus blood, you have committed the most heinous of acts. None shall escape our people’s wrath. Flee now, or our vengeance will find you immediately.”

“That’s it,” Rossi said. “There’s nothing more, Admiral.”

“Well,” Jonathan said slowly as the small glimmer of hope he had held out that they could come to a peaceful agreement died. “I think they made their position clear. Rossi, connect me through to General Johnston, if you please.”

Johnston’s face appeared in front of Jonathan a moment later. He was clearly in a large conference room and was surrounded by his staff officers. “Admiral, I heard your transmission. It was fair. I guess they didn’t go for it, though.”

“They did not,” Jonathan agreed. “How soon can you and Becca begin your landings?”

“We need at least another hour, and really I would prefer two,” Johnston replied.

“Then take it,” Jonathan said. “At this point, they have to suspect we intend to land troops on the planet’s surface. Why else would we not have nuked them already? So, I’d rather you be as prepared as possible than count on the element of surprise.”

“You’re giving us permission to proceed with the backup plan, then?” Johnston asked.

Jonathan nodded. “They’re clearly not willing to talk, so let's see if we can enforce our will upon them. Let me know when you’re ready to begin.”

“We’ll be in touch as soon as we are,” Johnston confirmed.

Jonathan smiled at one of his father’s oldest friends and then sat back in his command chair when the COM channel ended. “Keep monitoring the planet’s surface for any anomalies,” he ordered. Then he got comfortable as he prepared to wait.

*

IS Mayflower, (two hours later).

“That’s it, General,” Becca said as she looked up from the holo table that was currently displaying an image of the Silizzarus homeworld. “Everything is in place.”

“Good work, Sergeant General. Signal Admiral Somerville and let him know we are ready to proceed with his permission,” Johnston replied from the other side of the table. They and their staff officers had spent the last four hours in Mayflower’s main CnC room putting the final touches on the landing operation.

Becca nodded to Johnston and then half turned away from the other staff officers as she pulled out her COM unit. A moment later she was talking to Rossi, Jonathan’s COM officer, and then she was face to face with her husband. “We are ready to begin with your permission, Admiral,” she said formally, though she gave Jonathan a smile that was warmer than necessary.

“You have it, Sergeant General. Begin as you and General Johnston see fit,” Jonathan replied. Then he leaned in and lowered his voice. “And be careful, Becca. You have a far bigger role to play in our Empire’s future than just winning this battle. No unnecessary risks.”

“No unnecessary risks,” Becca agreed, but she felt she had to add more. “But I will do whatever is needed to end the Silizzarus threat. That is why we are here, and why so many of our people have given their lives already. I will not let their memory down.”

Becca could see on Jonathan’s face that he wanted to argue the point or at least repeat his request for her to be careful, yet he didn’t. She appreciated his restraint. “I will see you when this is over, husband of mine,” she said quietly. “Until then, focus on your part in the center and don’t worry about me.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “As if that were possible.” He then nodded. “We will speak when you are victorious, Sergeant General. Now get to it.”

Becca gave Jonathan a half salute. “Aye, Admiral.”

Jonathan returned the gesture, and then they both ended the COM channel. Becca immediately turned back to Johnston. “Admiral Somerville said we can proceed as we think best, General.”

Johnston gestured towards the holo table. “This is your plan, General. You give the order.”

A small wave of doubt and fear ran through Becca. She and Johnston had checked, double-checked, and triple-checked everything. Yet was there something she had missed? Was she about to get a whole bunch of her people killed? Inevitably some were going to die, perhaps even many. But if she had made a mistake and more died than necessary it would be entirely on her. You have done your best, she told herself as she summoned her resolve. Now is the time for action, not more planning. Reaching out to the holo table, Becca activated its COM unit. “All primary landing forces. This is your go order. Repeat, this is your go order. Begin landing operations.”

Becca’s order set into motion ten squadrons of fighters and shuttles. Each raced away from the Allied fleet and began to quickly descend through the planet’s atmosphere. As they did, they spread out to cover a massive area. The Silizzarus homeworld was made up of three continents, one of which was far larger than the other two combined. This continent was Becca’s target. Spread out, almost equally distant apart, the ten forces charged down towards their designated LZs. First, the fighters swept the area in an effort to draw the fire of any hidden weapon systems. Yet they met no resistance.

Next, a handful of shuttles raced out to each LZ, and when they too weren’t fired upon, they briefly landed to disgorge their marines. The marines quickly fanned out, securing the LZs, and then more shuttles began to land. Within five minutes, the first wave of each force had been fully landed. One thousand marines secured each of the LZs. Then, without waiting for further support, the bulk of their forces quickly moved towards the key tunnel openings that were close to their LZs. Within minutes, their lead platoons were in the caverns, and all the forces began to head deeper as they explored and searched for routes leading to the Silizzarus neural cities believed to be deeper within the planet’s crust.

As a second wave of reinforcements landed at each of the ten LZs, Johnston and Becca watched the data streams from all ten landing forces, monitoring the progress of the initial phase of their plan. Initially, the marines made quick progress. The first few kilometers of their advance underground had been mapped out for them by orbital scans taken of the subterranean caverns. Then the progress slowed as marine platoons began to split up again and again as they encountered forks in the tunnels that had to be explored.

Not long after, they began to encounter resistance. Initially, just one landing force encountered a pair of combat robots. Both were quickly dispatched with just three losses. But then more were encountered. Within twenty minutes, it was clear the robots were closing in on each landing force as the marines began to be assaulted from the front and flanks as the robots used their superior knowledge of the tunnels and caverns to their advantage.

Though the losses began to quickly mount, Becca wasn’t overly concerned. The landing forces were doing their job. As they continued to go deeper and spread out, a far more detailed map of the system of underground caverns and tunnels was being built up on the holo table in front of her. At the same time, the ten marine forces were drawing out the Silizzarus defenses and testing their capabilities. As the fighting continued, Becca’s attention was drawn towards four of the landing forces. Each was located in a rough circle around the point where Commander Edward Somerville’s small raiding force had entered the subterranean caverns months ago.

On her map, Edward's initial LZ was marked, along with the route his force had taken deep into the caverns to one of the Silizzarus neural cities. When she had briefed the fleet’s senior commanders, she had stressed the importance of reaching the first city as quickly as possible. The best way to do that was along the one route known to lead to a city. All of Becca’s initial ten landings were designed to probe the Silizzarus defenses and draw forces away from Edward’s route.

Given that the four marine forces closest to Edward’s LZ were coming under the heaviest attack, Becca guessed the Silizzarus had anticipated they might try and land forces in that vicinity. Though she was sure her diversionary attacks were working as they drew Silizzarus forces towards them, Becca didn’t want to overestimate their success. They will still have a lot of combat robots defending the path down to Edward’s neural city. It is going to be a bloody affair.

Yet Becca could see no other way. Without knowing exactly where her forces were to go, how could they land tens of thousands of marines and charge them deep under the planet’s crust when they could all walk into a dead end, or worse, an ambush? Given the Silizzarus would be intimately familiar with their cavern system, she and Johnston had agreed they could not commit the main bulk of their force without knowing for certain where their targets really were.

“It looks about the right time for phase two of your plan,” Johnston commented as he reached out and selected three of the ten LZs. Two were part of the four around Edward’s LZ, but the other wasn’t. “These are three of the five coming under the most attack. Let’s reinforce them and let the Silizzarus think these are our three main thrusts. With luck, we’ll draw a few more of their robots away from our true line of attack.”

“Aye, General,” Becca said, then she began to give orders to their staff officers and then contacted the Colonels in command of the initial reserve forces. Half a minute later, three hundred fresh shuttles raced down through the planet’s atmosphere and disgorged an additional three thousand six hundred marines. Quickly they moved into the system of caverns and tunnels as they sought to reinforce their brethren.

For another fifteen minutes, Becca and Johnston largely watched in silence as their landing forces continued to advance and explore. As the losses across all ten landing forces passed fifteen percent, Becca started to grow concerned. The deeper the marines went, the more effective the Silizzarus defense got. Every kilometer the marines progressed opened up more tunnels and caverns that they had to be wary of. The longer the battles lasted, the easier it became for combat robots to flank the marine forces or even cut off a number of squads and try to surround and kill them.

Thanks to their training and skill, the marines were fighting with an equal measure of savagery and efficiency. Every time a combat robot appeared, it was swarmed, overwhelmed, and blown apart by hypervelocity missiles and a cloud of plasma bolts. At the same time, dead and injured marines were quickly evacuated up out of the caverns and to the waiting shuttles that took them back up to space. Even so, progress quickly began to slow as too many tunnels and caverns were found for the marines to explore them all, and they encountered stiffer and stiffer resistance.

“I think it is time, General,” Becca said as she looked up at Johnston. “If we wait any longer, our forces will get bogged down and they will start to suspect they are all diversionary attacks.”

“I concur, you may get to your shuttle, Sergeant General. Godspeed and good luck,” Johnston said as he held out his hand across the holo table.

The look of confidence on Johnston’s face gave Becca a boost. She gladly returned his firm handshake and smiled at him. “Thank you, General.”

“Just make sure you come back to us,” Johnston said as she let go and started to turn. “I don’t want to be the one to deal with your husband if you don’t.”

“Yes, sir,” Becca said formally, then she nodded to her staff officers and led them out of the CnC room. Time to play our part in this, she said to herself as they moved quickly toward the main hangar and their command shuttle.

Chapter 34

The marines learned many lessons in their battle with the Silizzarus, lessons that would prove invaluable against the Antarians.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As soon as Becca was strapped into her flight seat, her command shuttle took off. As it raced out of Mayflower’s main hangar and out into space, it was joined by three hundred more. Without waiting to form up, they all raced down towards the planet’s atmosphere. Each shuttle breached the atmosphere separately to make it impossible for the Silizzarus to know where their intended landing area was. Only at the last second did they begin to converge. Fighters swept over Edward’s former LZ, then the first shuttles began to land.

Within twenty seconds, the LZ was declared secured. Then in three waves, all three thousand four hundred special forces marines were landed. Becca’s command shuttle was one of the last to touch down. By the time it did, her lead platoons and squadrons were already within the tunnel system and rapidly making their way deeper underground. Speed was key to her plan’s success.

“All right, there’s no sense lingering here,” Becca said to her command staff, “let’s get a move on.”

Several officers acknowledged her words, and then they all quickly made their way out of the command shuttle. While Becca was in her usual combat armor, her officers were all in adapted command and control armors. Together, the different armors gave Becca’s staff the same CnC capabilities her command shuttle normally gave her. With the mineral-rich deposits that covered the planet’s crust, no signals would be able to reach orbit or the planet’s surface from the depths to where the marines would have to advance. That meant to stay in command, Becca had to go down into the subterranean cavern system with her force.

As Becca advanced towards the tunnel her force was attacking down, the Imperial Guard marines Jonathan had assigned to her fanned out around her while her staff officers followed. On her HUD, Becca kept one eye on the progress of her lead platoons. She had personally briefed all of the Majors and Colonels leading the rapid advance, so she had supreme confidence in them. Even so, she had to fight the urge to micromanage each group as they moved through the caverns and tunnels. Becca felt like she knew the twisting, winding route to the neural city by heart, but she had to trust her officers did too.

Quickly though, Becca saw something that made her frown. One of the narrower passages they had selected to lead their attacking force through was blocked off. Live images from one of her squads showed it was full of boulders that looked like they had fallen in from the tunnel’s roof. Edward’s battle with the Silizzarus combat robots, Becca knew right away.

During his retreat, Edward had used explosives and hypervelocity missiles to blow up sections of the tunnels to hamper his pursuers. One of the tunnels his after-action report had indicated was open had in fact been destroyed.

Stay calm, Becca told herself. This was something they had anticipated. Indeed, without her say so, the Lieutenant leading the squads at the front of their push pulled several of them back and began to redirect their courses. Within thirty seconds, a workaround had been found, and the path the rest of the rapidly advancing force was to take was changed.

“The lead squadrons are approaching the depth where our probing forces began to encounter resistance,” one of Becca’s officers informed her.

“Make sure they are all alerted,” Becca responded.

A full minute passed as the regiment of special forces marines continued to charge deeper underground before they encountered the first Silizzarus combat robot. Its power signature meant it was detected a handful of seconds before it launched its attack. That was more than enough for special forces marines. With an efficiency even better than the other marine forces had, Becca’s leading squadrons flanked the robot and slammed four hypervelocity missiles into it, ripping it apart.

The short engagement only signaled the beginning of the battle. Within minutes, many combat robots were flinging themselves against Becca’s marines. Progress quickly slowed to a snail’s pace as every cavern and tunnel had to be checked and double-checked. Initially, the combat robots attacked in ones and twos, but as they were easily rebuffed, they began to appear in greater and greater numbers.

Even so, by the time ten minutes had passed since Becca’s shuttle had touched down, her assault force was halfway towards their target. Already they had penetrated almost as deep as any of the other probing forces. We’re going to do this! Becca allowed herself to think. The sheer speed of her attack was working. Whereas the other probing forces had quickly begun to be attacked along their flanks, Becca’s force was moving too deep too fast.

The Silizzarus were having to throw everything they had at her lead squads in a desperate attempt to slow them down. The problem the Silizzarus had was that every time they killed or injured some of Becca's special forces marines, another squad was instantly there to take their place. Though there was a steady stream of injured marines being called back towards the surface, the assault was still making progress.

“Ah, General, look at what a micro drone from Delta platoon has just spotted,” a tactical officer said to Becca as he highlighted something on Becca’s HUD.

Selecting the flashing icon, Becca watched the few seconds of visual recordings that had been sent back by the drone. She bit back a curse. In a large cavern less than five hundred meters ahead of her point squads, at least fifty combat robots were gathering. Many appeared to take up defensive positions around boulders and other rock formations in the cavern’s floor. Quickly, Becca enlarged the map of the local section of caverns. She cursed again. There was no way around the cavern, at least, none that Edward’s raiding force had mapped out.

“Tell flanking squads to begin to fan out,” Becca ordered at once. “They are to push their nano drones out further too. See if they can find any side tunnels that bypass that cavern. Send a flash alert to Colonel McMasters as well. Make sure he knows what he is about to come up against. Tell him to hold his point squads back until he has a force large enough to push in and take the cavern. We can’t delay. He is to make an attempt to take it as soon as he is ready.”

“Yes, General,” Becca’s COM officer responded before relaying her orders.

Just over a minute later, Colonel McMasters had his platoon in position. Even as she continued to move quickly through the caves and tunnels, Becca’s fingers itched to be at the head of her column with McMasters. She hated seeing marines going into battle without her being with them. Yet before she could get to their position, the fight was over.

McMasters’s platoon used shaped explosives to blow three new tunnels into the cavern. Then they sent thirty hypervelocity missiles screaming up to strike the roof of the cavern, sending rocks and debris raining down onto the combat robots. Chaff and smoke grenades were hurled into the cavern adding to the confusion. Then the special forces marines charged. Two hundred of them raced into the cavern, hurtling over rocks, and dodging blind fire from the robots, they moved to point-blank range. That was when the destruction started. Plasma bolts burned through the weakened back armor of the combat robots, destroying their internal systems. Hypervelocity missiles were fired at almost point-blank range to shred others. Even explosive charges were stuck to several combat robots by the nimblest marines. As they darted away, the charges were detonated, blowing off one of the robot’s arms or smashing in its torso.

By the time Becca and her command staff reached the cavern, McMasters’s platoon and ten others had already come and gone through the battleground. Becca paused to assess the scene. Stricken combat robots were strewn all across the cavern. At least twenty dead marines were laid out along one side of the cavern, and not far away, several very badly injured marines were being tended to by combat medics. Ahead of her, Becca could now hear the signs of fighting as McMasters’ and the other lead platoons had already begun to encounter more caverns that were being fiercely held by combat robots.

As she checked her HUD, something caught her eye. There were two semicircles to her east that were devoid of nano drones. “What is this?” she asked her staff officers as she highlighted the two areas.

“Several of the nano drones in the area have been taken out,” her sensor officer responded at once. “We have diverted others to those locations already.”

Becca’s eyes narrowed as she assessed the position of all her forces. The caverns directly ahead of her were being defended as heavily, if not more heavily, than the one she was standing in had been. The two areas to her east were just back from those caverns. It’s a hammer and anvil! she realized as her eyes widened. “There are more combat robots there. Many of them. I am sure of it.” Without waiting for a reply from her officers, Becca checked the ever-expanding map of the caverns and tunnels around her. She then checked on the latest status report from the reinforcements she was expecting. Every special forces marine the fleet had was already with her, but that didn’t mean her marines were going to have to fight alone.

“Start laying out mines and remote explosive charges along these caverns and tunnels,” Becca said as she highlighted several sections to the east of where her main force was advancing. “Order the regiment to fall back to these three caverns,” she continued as she selected three caverns to the west. “Then instruct McMasters and the other platoon leaders that they are to prepare to fall back. I want all our forces in these three caverns. We’re going to set up killing fields and let them charge us there.”

“Aye, General,” her Chief of Staff responded.

Next, Becca quickly used her HUD to tap a message to the commander of her reinforcements. Then she sent a marine sprinting back up through the tunnels to meet the force she hoped had already been landed. “Let’s get ourselves moving too,” she said to her staff officers. “I don’t want us to be the only ones caught out in the open when the hammer falls.”

As her lead platoons fought a fighting retreat, Becca made her way to the center of the three caverns she had chosen. Then she, her Imperial Guards, and her staff officers took a position at the rear of the cavern, ready to join the fight if they were needed.

“General, our drones are detecting movement to the east. Combat robots are charging,” Becca’s tactical officer reported just seconds after they got into position.

“Let the first few get past the explosives and mines and then start detonating them,” Becca ordered. “Signals, tell our lead platoons to get back into these caverns immediately.”

Moments later, the distant sounds of loud explosions began to echo into the cavern. Then the remnants of shockwaves blew dust into the cavern. Through the dust, more marines began to appear as they sprinted away from the combat robots chasing them. Quickly they sought cover within the cavern. It didn’t take long for the Silizzarus robots to begin to appear. More hypervelocity missiles than Becca could count slammed into the first two that appeared. Then more burst past their destroyed brethren and a massive firefight broke out.

“These are just the ones that were blocking our advance and chased our lead platoons,” an officer informed Becca. “The eastern robots are quickly approaching now too.”

Becca peeked her head up over the rock she was taking cover behind to see the fight with her own eyes. The cavern she was in was massive, easily a kilometer in length. Already, though, the charging robots had made it one hundred meters into the cavern. The wreckage of at least ten spent robots littered the entrance into the cavern, but five or six had made it to some cover. Laser cannons at the end of each of their six arms were spitting death in every directions as they sought to suppress the marine’s fire and allow more of their kind into the cavern.

“We are needed!” Becca said to her officers as she raised herself a little more and whipped her plasma rifle up. Lining it up on one of the robots, she sent a stream of plasma bolts towards one of its exposed arms. To her satisfaction, three bolts landed and together they melted the robot's laser rifle to slag. Two more arms suddenly whipped around towards her, however. Becca swore as she ducked down behind her large rock. She felt multiple laser beams strike it as the vibrations rattled her inside her armor.

“Stay down General!” the Lieutenant in charge of her Imperial Guard marines called out as Becca asked herself how long it would take for the robot’s laser beams to melt through the rock. By now there were so many explosions and shockwaves reverberating throughout the cavern that Becca couldn’t tell what the Imperial Guard marines were doing. Yet two seconds later the Lieutenant shouted to her again. “All clear, for now!”

Poking her head back up, Becca saw the combat robot had been shredded into an almost unrecognizable pile of junk. Even so, other robots were still trying to charge into the cavern. Becca’s HUD told her nine hundred marines were in the cavern. Almost all of them were pouring a steady stream of plasma bolts, hypervelocity missiles, and grenades onto the attackers. It was a withering amount of fire. However, the wreckage from every combat robot that was destroyed ended up providing cover for the next one to attack. Stray fire and explosions also created craters and piles of rubble that hampered the marine's fire even more.

Once again, Becca lined up her plasma rifle and a target and began to fire. This time she released a burst of eight bolts and then ducked back down behind her cover. She slightly repositioned herself and then poked out to fire again. As she did, she was just in time to see the hammer force of combat robots appear. Their coming was impossible to miss. Instead of charging through the tunnel that led into the cavern in threes and fours, suddenly ten combat robots came hurtling in. Right behind them, ten more were charging and firing too.

“Hit them with everything we’ve got!” Becca screamed over the din of the fighting.

Hypervelocity missiles rained down on the robots. Many fell, but almost as many made it to cover where they couldn’t be hit directly. Then their arms appeared from behind rocks or piles of wreckage, and a great deal of fire began to hit the marines’ positions. Again, Becca raised her head just enough to assess the situation. Quickly, she began giving orders to several platoons, directing them to flank the robots’ positions so they could be hit in the rear. Just as her eyes returned to the tunnel entrance, two massive explosions rocked the cavern. Boulders and fist-sized chunks of rock were hurled into the cavern. Becca flinched as she instinctively ducked down.

When she looked up again, she swore. The robots had blasted two new holes into the cavern. Now, many more of them were storming out of the dust as they sought to overwhelm her force. Immediately, Becca realized her marines were in serious trouble. She had chosen the three caverns because there was only one entrance into each of them. She had wanted to limit the ability of the robots to overwhelm her force. Now she had trapped her marines instead.

“Hit the roofs of those new tunnels!” Becca shouted. “Take them down.”

Hypervelocity missiles streaked through the dust-filled cavern to smash into the tunnels. Though rocks and boulders began to collapse around them, Becca watched as robots tried to force themselves through the rubble, blasting away at the rocks with their laser rifles. “Keep hitting the tunnels,” she ordered more calmly. Then she returned to directing her forces against the robots already within the cavern.

Though the cavern was large, they were still fighting over a relatively small area, making it hard to get behind the robots. Squads of marines were cut down as they tried to sneak past the robots, while others were successful in getting close enough to hurl grenades or slam a hypervelocity missile into the robots' rear armor. Fire from marines further back within the cavern continued to cut down many of the robots trying to rush through the main tunnel. Even so, more robots began to gain position within the cavern. They then started to advance quicker than Becca’s forces could destroy them.

Reluctantly, Becca began ordering the squads closest to the tunnel back. Her HUD was telling her that already one hundred and fifty marines were down. “All platoons are to fall back to the rear of the cavern,” Becca ordered. “We are going to set up one concentrated firing line and obliterate anything that tries to reach us.”

All around the cavern, marines sprang into action in response to her orders. Becca leaned out from her cover and began to give covering fire to her forward squads. As they sprinted back towards her position, a handful of marines were cut down, but for the most part, the robots were taken by surprise as all their targets scattered. Then the robots came out from behind their own cover. Lightning quick, they charged for the back of the cavern. At the same time, more continued to pour into the cavern through the main tunnel and one of the smaller ones they had blasted open and then reopened after Becca’s marines had caved it in.

As she continued to fire, Becca also spared a second to take in the scene before her. At least fifty robots were now charging her position. One was falling almost every second, but two or three were taking its place as the full force of the robot flanking force was now throwing itself against her position. The few reports she was receiving from the other caverns told her the marines there were in a similar position. Another minute and we’re going to be overrun! she was sure. Come on, General, now is the time.

Becca’s eyes darted to the tunnel at the rear of the cavern, hoping her thoughts had summoned them, yet she saw only more robots charging in. Screaming, Becca lined up her plasma rifle and did the only thing she could do; she fought for her life as she slammed plasma bolts into the nearest robot. Next, she started hurling grenades from her utility belt. Three robots were felled from a combination of her fire and the marines around her. Still, their enemy continued to get closer. And as they did, their fire became more accurate.

Around Becca, her staff officers and Imperial Guard began to fall. The Lieutenant in charge of her protection detail moved himself right beside Becca along with two other Imperial Guards. They didn’t stop her from continuing to fire, but they crowded her so much that they were bound to get hit before she was. Even though she knew death could be just a handful of seconds away, Becca’s anger flared. She wanted to fight, not be crowded out. She said nothing, though, for their fire was just as needed as hers.

“Down!” the Imperial Guard Lieutenant suddenly shouted as he shoved Becca back behind a boulder. He then cried out as a laser beam struck him in the chest. With a thud, he fell down beside her. Becca screamed in rage when she saw the hole in his armor and his melted torso. She knew he was dead.

Half crawling, half stumbling, she moved to a new firing spot and then popped her head back up. A robot was just twenty meters in front of her. Guessing it was the one that had killed her Lieutenant, she screamed again as she pointed her plasma rifle and held its trigger. Her own safety forgotten, Becca continued to pour fire into the robot until plasma bolts began to melt through its armor and destroy its insides.

Only then did another Imperial Guard marine reach her and drag her back behind more cover. “Keep moving, General, don’t sit still. You’re too easy a target otherwise!” the Sergeant shouted as he brought his combat armor’s face right next to hers.

Becca nodded and felt a little embarrassed by what her anger had led her to do. Then she stole another look out at the battlefield. The robots had almost reached her line. As soon as they did, they would be able to fire into the sides and backs of her marines’ positions. It’s almost over! she thought as her mind went to Jonathan. Then something changed. Further away, near the front of the cavern, the rearmost robots began to slow. Moments later, they were turning. As they did, the robots closest to the marines’ positions also faltered.

Then Becca saw them. Gramrian warriors. Ordinarily, the large raptor-like aliens were a sight to behold in their armor. Now they were something even more. Like a tidal wave, they charged through the tunnel with a speed that surpassed even augmented Human special forces marines. Laser rifles and razor-sharp claws cut apart the robots still within the tunnel at point-blank range. Then hundreds of the Gramrians were streaming into the cavern, pouring fire upon the robots. General Gransha had come!

“Hit them, marines!” Becca ordered as she popped up fully from behind her cover and began to fire once again.

In those moments, her plan came together. She had reversed what the robots had tried to do and completed her own hammer and anvil. While her marines were the anvil, the Gramrian warriors slashed into the backs of the robots like a giant hammer, obliterating them with their deadly fire.

Chapter 35

At the outbreak of the Second Karacknid War, the combined Imperial Marine and Colonial Militia numbered five hundred thousand troops, the vast majority of which were militia. Today, over a hundred million marines stand ready to fend off the Antarians wherever they might try to raise their banners of war.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

Within sixty seconds, the fight was over. As Becca stood up from behind her cover, she looked around to see many other marines doing the same. Not all stood, however. Quickly, her staff officers began to see to the dead and wounded around her while Becca gave orders to her commanders to see to their wounded. Then other shapes began to come out of the dust the fighting had thrown up.

“Sergeant General Somerville, are you okay?” a rough Gramrian voice called out.

Becca stepped towards it. “Over here,” she replied.

General Gransha and several of his staff officers became recognizable as they closed in on Becca. “Your timing is impeccable, General,” Becca said as she saluted the Gramrian. “And your people fought well. The robots had no idea what hit them.”

Gransha returned Becca’s salute and then looked around at the signs of fighting that filled the cavern and the wounded and dead marines being attended to. “It looks like it was a close-run thing, General. I’m sorry we didn’t get here sooner. We encountered several of those robots blocking our path as we approached.”

“Their attack was more vigorous than we anticipated,” Becca responded. “But it would have been much worse if they had hit us in the tunnels while our force was far more spread out. My commanders tell me we suffered the most casualties in this cavern. In any case, we will leave second-guessing ourselves until the after-action reports. We still have a mission to complete.”

Gransha nodded. “Yes, General. With your permission, my force is ready to take point.”

“By all means, let’s not waste any more time. I’ll get my people ready and will be right on your heels.”

Gransha nodded again, then spun around and began barking orders. Becca did the same. Turning to her staff officers, she quickly listened to their brief reports on the status of her platoons. Then she assigned a platoon to see to the wounded and began to gather the rest of her forces. Within two minutes of the fighting in the cavern ending, Becca left the cavern and followed the route Gransha’s Gramrian forces were taking deeper underground. Two thousand four hundred marines who were still combat ready followed her.

On her HUD, Becca was able to watch as the fresh Gramrian forces quickly advanced. With ease, they took out the handful of robots that tried to waylay them. Then, for nearly four minutes, the advance continued without facing any challenge. They must have gathered all their forces for that one attack, Becca thought. She shook her head at that thought. No, they won’t give up that easy. Her map of the subterranean caverns and tunnels suggested that Gransha’s leading platoons were no more than fifteen minutes away from the first neural city.

Becca activated her COM unit. “Gransha, make sure your point squads have their eyes open. I have a feeling there is more opposition to come, despite what we’re currently seeing.”

“I concur, General Somerville. They are prepared,” Gransha replied.

It took less than a minute for Becca’s premonition to come true. When she saw the first images, Becca was shocked. “It can’t be!” she said out loud. Yet then the shapes began to open fire on the lead Gramrian warriors.

“Karacknids are attacking us!” more than one Gramrian officer shouted in alarm over the command channel.

Becca couldn’t believe it, yet it was what her eyes were telling her. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Karacknid warriors were charging up through several tunnels to attack Gransha’s forces from different angles. As they charged, they let out all-too-familiar battle cries and seemed to attack with abandon. In confusion, Gransha’s lead platoons were thrown back. Karacknids were supposed to be on the Allied side. No one understood what was happening.

Becca stopped moving forward. She had to think clearly. There was no way any Karacknid forces from the Allied fleet could have gotten beneath them. None had been landed prior to her force landing. They are not ours! Becca had to conclude. But then where did they come from? The Karacknid Empire was over two thousand light years away. Why would the Silizzarus bring troops in from that far? Surely, they could have found suitable soldiers from somewhere closer.

Unless they didn’t bring them in! Becca thought as it hit her. Immediately she activated her COM unit. “They are not Karacknid warriors. Not real ones at least. The Silizzarus have grown them. They must have their own people inside controlling them. They are fake Karacknids. They are not our allies. Repeat, they are not our allies. Do not hesitate to kill them all.”

It took nearly thirty seconds for Becca’s words to reach all of Gransha’s commanders, but as soon as they started to understand what was happening, their resistance stiffened. Across several tunnels and caverns, the Gramrians dug in. Concentrated firing lines began to cut down the charging Karacknids. Quickly it became apparent the attackers were not nearly as efficient as real Karacknids. Their bodies were the same, but the Silizzarus inside controlling them did not have a Karacknid warrior's instinct, nor their hand-to-hand combat skills. The sheer weight of numbers meant the fake Karacknids were scoring kills, even getting into point-blank range. Yet when they did, the Gramrian warriors shredded them with their talons. Normally, the Karacknids could go toe-to-toe with the Gramrians, but not now.

Sensing they had the advantage, Gramrian warriors began to jump from their cover and charge into the midst of the waves of Karacknids. They were a whirlwind of death as their claws and talons ripped wide swathes through the enemy. Yet the Karacknids just kept on coming. They have been growing fake bodies for millennia, Becca said to herself. They are experts at it. There could be millions of them! Quickly she contacted Gransha. “General, you need to order your forces to stop advancing. They need to stay behind cover and protect themselves. We have no idea how many of the enemy are coming against us.”

“Understood, Sergeant General. I will issue those orders immediately,” Gransha responded, though Becca could tell by his tone he wasn’t entirely happy.

Checking the map on her HUD, Becca sought out a route for her marines to get into the fight. “We’re going to come up on your right flank,” she informed Gransha. “We will sweep in and turn their attack there, then we can advance together.”

“Aye, General. We will be waiting,” Gransha said eagerly.

Becca turned to her staff officers. “Let’s get it done, get the platoons moving!”

As her force moved, Becca followed them while keeping one eye on the vicious fighting the Gramrians were involved in. The fake Karacknids were attacking along three lines through two tunnels and one open cavern. The two tunnels were turning into a slaughterhouse as the Karacknids continued to charge straight into the teeth of overwhelming Gramrian fire. Though they were taking heavy losses, they just kept coming.

The cavern was another matter. Most of the Gramrians who had left their cover and charged into the Karacknids had been cut down or had fallen back. Their comrades were now coming under immense pressure as hordes of fake Karacknids rushed upon them.

Becca’s lead platoons rushed down a tunnel that took them around the cavern, then they used shaped charges to blow a fresh tunnel that led to the tunnel the fake Karacknids were using to attack the cavern. Grenades and thousands of plasma bolts cut down the Karacknids that were trying to file into the cavern. Then a full platoon deployed to stop any more Karacknids from advancing through the tunnel. If Becca didn’t need the tunnel to advance deeper towards the neural city, she would have simply collapsed it. But she couldn’t, and so it had to be defended. Like in the other two tunnels, the Karacknids continued to charge, but the concentrated fire from Becca’s marines cut them down each time, and quickly their bodies began to pile up.

The rest of Becca’s platoons charged up the tunnel back towards the cavern. Like General Gransha’s Gramrians had done to save them, the marine platoons then charged into the cavern and smashed into the back of the hordes of Karacknids. From the visuals she was getting, Becca estimated there had to be at least a thousand of them in the open cavern. Initially, the Karacknids were caught by surprise and hundreds were cut down before they could turn to face the new threat. Eventually, though, marines began to fall as laser beams started coming their way.

However, like their attacks, the fake Karacknids' response was uncoordinated. In twos and threes, they realized they were being hit from behind and turned to fight. With relative ease, the marines and Gramrians methodically whittled down their enemy's numbers. All of the Karacknids had to be killed for the fighting to come to an end. Not a single one surrendered.

Becca entered the cavern just as the last plasma bolts were fired. She looked across the field of dead Karacknids to where Gransha had been leading from the front. She raised a hand towards her counterpart as she activated her COM unit. “We will continue down this tunnel if we can. You see if your forces can make any headway down the others.”

“As you command, General,” Gransha said as he raised a hand to her. “Thanks for the assist.”

Becca took a moment to have a second look at the battlefield full of dead bodies. Fake bodies, she reminded herself as she suppressed the horror such a sight would normally have caused her. At least outwardly, she corrected when she saw the snake-like remains of a Silizzarus half hanging out of a Karacknid body that had a hole blown in its torso.

As she headed back through the cavern and into the tunnel they had breached, the signs of fighting reached Becca’s ears again. Feeling like she had risked her life enough, Becca hung back as her platoon continued to hold its ground. A small but steady stream of dead or injured marines were brought back past her into the cavern while the first squad moved up to take their place. For three whole minutes, the Karacknid continued to throw themselves against her entrenched marines, yet they didn’t gain even an inch.

Finally, recognizing they were getting nowhere with their attacks, the number of fake Karacknids charging up the tunnels began to dwindle and then stopped. Moments later, Gransha reported the same in his two tunnels. “Then we advance,” Becca said to the Gramrian commander before issuing the same orders to her marines.

Initially, it was hard going as the Allied troops had to move a lot of dead Karacknid bodies out of the tunnels before they could begin to pass through them. However, once they started making progress again, they encountered little or no resistance. A few pockets of the Karacknids tried to hold out but they were easily overrun. Have they run out of their fake bodies to fight with? Becca asked herself.

Just a handful of seconds passed before it was clear that was not the case. Of course, Becca thought when her most forward nano drones began to enter the largest cavern her force had to pass through to get to the Silizzarus neural city. All three tunnels Gransha’s and her forces led to it, and it was one of the last caverns before the neural city. As the drones entered the cavern, they immediately came under attack by miniature Silizzarus drones, yet they saw enough to show Becca what was waiting for them. Thousands of Karacknids were standing out in the open with their weapons at the ready and it looked like thousands more were taking cover throughout the cavern ready to open fire as well.

“This will be where they make their last stand,” Becca said to Gransha and her staff officers. She then checked her chronometer. Just twenty-three minutes had passed since her command shuttle had touched down on the planet’s surface. With luck, her third wave of reinforcements would be joining them soon. But not quickly enough, she decided. They couldn’t wait for them. “We need to get through this cavern now. The neural city is only minutes away. They will be drawing in everything they have to stop us from getting there. The longer we wait, the stronger their position will become.”

“Agreed, Sergeant General. How do you wish to proceed?” Gransha responded.

Becca took a moment to think. With three tunnels leading into the cavern, it made the most sense to rush their enemy. Yet they would expect that and be ready. Becca examined the map on her HUD more closely. “There is a fourth tunnel that leads into the cavern which is not far from the one we are in. I think we can blow our way to it,” she said as a plan formulated in her mind. “We will need to provide some cover. So here’s what I’m thinking…”

Mere seconds later Becca and Gransha briefed their troops and Becca’s plan was put into motion. First, their lead squads advanced up their respective tunnels to the cavern. Then they began launching hypervelocity missiles into the cavern and up towards its roof. A constant stream of explosions rocked the waiting Karacknids. While this was happening, Becca’s marines began blasting a new tunnel to meet up with the one Becca wanted them to reach. It took a full minute for a series of shaped charges to be detonated to clear a path, but Becca hoped the wait would be worth it.

As soon as they had access to the fourth tunnel, Becca sent three platoons racing down it. “We are ready,” Becca told Gransha as soon as her platoons were in position.

“Just tell us when you want us to go,” Gransha replied.

Becca switched COM channels to speak to her platoon commanders. “Hit them!” she ordered.

Instantly, marines began charging out of the fourth tunnel. They too launched hypervelocity missiles while hurling explosives, chaff, and smoke grenades. Becca watched the fight through the eyes of several nano drones that had managed to hide within the cavern. The sudden appearance of her marines sent a ripple through the fake Karacknids as they began to turn to face the new threat. At the moment where she felt they were the most distracted, she nodded to her tactical Lieutenant and spoke to Gransha. “Go, General!”

From the three tunnels Becca’s forces had been lobbing hypervelocity missiles into the cavern, marines and Gramrians charged. They were met with a withering amount of fire, but it was a fifth of what it would have been. Many fell to the initial Karacknid shots, yet enough reached cover to begin pinning down the enemy. In an unending wave, marines and Gramrian warriors charged their enemy. For several seconds it looked like the attack might falter as more Allied forces were dying than the enemy, but then the Allied numbers began to build.

Footholds were fought for and won around each of the four tunnels. At Becca’s orders, hypervelocity rockets brought down large piles of rocks in front of the four tunnels to provide more cover for those passing through them into the cavern. They didn’t work perfectly, but they significantly reduced the number of her people being cut down before they could really join the fight. Then, steadily but surely, the marines and Gramrians worked together to push back their foe.

When about two-thirds of the enemy were dead, it looked to Becca like their resistance was faltering. The Karacknids were simply being hit from too many sides to put up a proper resistance. Suddenly though, a new wave rippled through the enemy force. Almost as if someone had started at the back of the enemy force and given all the fake Karacknids a shove, they all leaped from their cover and began to charge. Fresh battle cries filled the massive cavern. Then Becca saw something new.

Other shapes were joining the attack. Far smaller but just as fast as the Karacknids, they jumped and twisted as they charged, making them very hard to see, never mind hit. Silizzarus! Becca thought in shock. The aliens were attacking without using any fake bodies. They are desperate.

Desperate or not, Becca suddenly became concerned that the attack might actually work. Even as the Karacknids quickly fell to the Allied fire, the much smaller Silizzarus were slipping past everything fired at them. “Focus on the small aliens!” she called out to all her troops. “Don’t let them get amongst us!”

Barely had her orders left her lips when Becca’s sensor officer alerted her to something else on her HUD. The nano drones she had pushed out to explore many of the tunnels that split off the ones her force was passing through were beginning to detect movement. It wasn’t just in one or two tunnels though; it was all around her position. In a semicircle coming from at least six different directions, hordes of the small Silizzarus were racing to surround her force. They’re going to cut us off and trap us! Becca feared. “Send alerts to all our flanking squads. They are to hold their ground no matter what,” Becca ordered.

Quickly, she assessed the battle in front of her. All the Karacknids were now dead, but thousands of the tiny snakelike aliens were slithering through the cavern as they continued to charge. More and more were appearing through the two tunnels to the rear of the cavern that both led to the city below. They are sending every Silizzarus they have in the area against us, Becca had to conclude. She didn’t know if they were all warriors or if most were civilians. It looked like a slaughter in front of her as far more Silizzarus were dying than her people. Yet they could have endless numbers of fighters. Millions of them, Becca realized. If their foe were sending civilians to fight they could have a never-ending supply relative to her force.

Despite the danger in front of her, Becca began pulling squads and then entire platoons out of the cavern as she quickly redeployed them to face the threats coming at her flanks. Again she checked her chronometer. We just have to hold a little while, she thought.

That was easier said than done, however. As Becca’s forces moved out and engaged all the enemy forces moving in on their flanks, it quickly became apparent the Silizzarus had abandoned all thought of self-preservation. Hundreds and then thousands of the small aliens threw themselves against the Allied soldiers. Several positions within the tunnels were overrun, causing Becca’s heart rate to soar. Yet fallback positions and second and third defensive lines held strong.

Within the large cavern, the enemy attacks got so bad that hypervelocity missiles and grenades were killing hundreds of the small aliens with every explosion. They attacked in such dense numbers that even a single plasma bolt could burn through two or three of the aliens before losing its force. Becca lost all ability to track how many losses the enemy were taking. It had to have quickly grown into the tens of thousands, yet it could have been far more. One thing she did know though, was that her forces were taking losses too. Hundreds of marines were dying in the tunnels and the cavern. Within a couple of minutes, Becca’s HUD was reporting over a thousand additional casualties.

This could be about to get very bad, Becca thought. Just at that moment, though, a new symbol appeared on her HUD. Lead elements of their third wave of reinforcements were making contact with her rearguard units. Yes! Becca thought. Just thirty seconds later, General Tasata-su opened up a COM channel with her. “Sergeant General Somerville, it seems my warriors are to come to your aid once again. Where do you want us?”

“Everywhere,” Becca said in relief. Quickly, she sent over all the data from her combat amour’s computer to Tasata-su. Then she highlighted where her forces were under the most pressure.

“I’m moving forces there right away,” Tasata-su responded. “Just make sure your people know it’s us coming. I’ve heard of the blasphemous things the Silizzarus have been doing.”

“I’ll make sure,” Becca replied. “Trust me, they’ll be glad to see your warriors!”

Just as they had done when Becca’s force had been retreating from the Hafalan colony, the Karacknid came charging into the rescue. With the savagery only they could produce, they immediately threw themselves into the battle at every point they could. Everywhere they appeared, Becca’s forces were greatly helped, and in several positions, she was able to extract her depleted platoons and let the Karacknid takeover the defense entirely. As word of the Karacknid’s arrival spread throughout the Allied forces, resolve stiffened, and the Silizzarus died in greater and greater numbers.

Even so, the enemy kept on coming. Becca lost track of time as she watched thousands upon thousands of Silizzarus throw themselves against the fire of her forces. Even the Karacknids were overwhelmed a couple of times before they could fully secure their positions. Once they had, though, not a single Allied soldier was driven back even a meter, despite the enemy's continued charging. The floor of the cavern and the tunnels began to flow with the blood of the Silizzarus. It got so bad that in some of the visuals, Becca actually saw the enemy swimming through the blood of their comrades as they sought to get to her people.

Revulsion built up in Becca's stomach and rose up through her throat, making her feel like she was going to vomit. A hundred thousand of the enemy had to be dead. Maybe even two hundred, she thought. It was impossible to count. The aliens' bodies were so small and were so easily disintegrated by her forces' weapons that they were being obliterated and strewn throughout the tunnels and cavern.

“How much longer do you think they can keep this up?” Tasata-su asked, his voice indicating that even he was surprised by the enemy’s ferocity. “Are these civilians?”

“They have to be,” Becca said. Now that she had more time to think about it, it seemed the only conclusion. “They have never had a space force or army before. We may be fighting sentients who have had no training in actual combat.”

“Well, they have courage, we have to give them that!” Gransha said.

“Aye,” Tasata-su growled.

For at least a couple more minutes, the seemingly endless wave of aliens continued to throw themselves vehemently against the Allied defenders. Then, to everyone’s surprise but great relief, their numbers suddenly started dwindling.

“Advance!” Becca ordered as soon as the attacks stopped. “We need to take some ground while we can.”

Wading through blood and gore up to their ankles, marines, Gramrians, and Karacknids pushed through the large cavern to the two tunnels on its far side. When they got there, they found the tunnels abandoned. The way to the city is clear! Becca thought with glee. Another thought tempered her excitement. Now comes the hard part!

Chapter 36

It doesn’t matter how effective or ineffective your enemy is; when they seek to attack the Empire, her defenders must stand ready to kill all who wish her harm.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

As Becca waded through the remains of their attackers, she was disgusted all over again. Blood and body parts sloshed away from her feet with each step through the cavern where the Silizzarus had made their suicidal charge. Keeping her head up, Becca tried not to take in the sights and smells of the carnage, certain they would be memories that would be very hard to erase.

“General, our lead squads have made it to the neural city,” one of Becca’s staff officers informed her.

Becca jumped at the distraction as she brought up the live images on her HUD. She studied them as she continued to move through the cavern. “It’s abandoned!” she said almost immediately. Quickly she flicked through the visuals from several different squads that had reached the neural city and were cautiously moving through it. Every image showed the same thing. As far as the eye could see, massive columns reached up to the roof of the cavern, connected to the columns in concentric circles were thousands of small tear-shaped pods. All were open and empty.

In less than a minute, Becca was looking at them with her own eyes. “They all left their neural collective,” Gransha observed as he and Tasata-su came to stand beside Becca.

“How many were in here?” Becca asked.

“Initial estimates suggest approximately five hundred thousand,” one of her officers answered immediately.

“They can’t have all charged us,” Tasata-su said. “Some must have fled.”

“But plenty did,” Becca responded, easily remembering the feeling of her combat armor sloshing through the cavern. “Hundreds of thousands did.”

“So what do we do now?” Gransha asked. “We cannot plant nukes in this city; there is no one left to threaten.”

Becca grimaced. Gransha was right. Are they going to be the same in every city we find? she asked herself. Her plan called for Jonathan to threaten to nuke as many Silizzarus cities as they could capture. But what if they all fight us like this one? Becca had no desire to actually see a city nuked. She didn’t want the blood on her hands. But it already is! They had killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. And this is only the beginning! “We have to press on quickly,” she said to Gransha and Tasata-su. “This city knew we were coming for it. We need to try and catch one unprepared.”

“I concur, we must press on,” Tasata-su said. “But look more closely at this city.” As he spoke, he pointed a clawed hand at a number of large structures that ringed the outer walls of the cavern. “Those look like very large data cores to me. What do you suppose they hold?”

Becca saw where Tasata-su was going right away. “Lieutenant Simmons,” she called out as she turned towards her operations officer. “Has anyone begun investigating those things yet?”

“Yes, General,” Simmons said as he stepped forward. “We haven’t been able to hack their encryption and protection software, but they are data cores very similar to the ones on the captured Silizzarus ship. Given how much information they could store, the ones here have to have a thousand times more data held on each one.”

Becca shared a glance with Tasata-su. “It has to be.”

“Has to be what?” Gransha asked.

“Imperator Somerville’s briefings on these Silizzarus suggested that they may store the consciousness of their ancestors so that they can participate in this neural collective they are all a part of,” Tasata-su explained. “I am no expert, but I imagine the consciousness of trillions of individuals must take a lot of data storage.” Tasata-su nodded towards the data cores. “Something like that.”

“Then we have something to threaten after all!” Gransha said.

“Let’s hope so,” Becca responded. “Simmons, send word back to the surface. Inform Admiral Somerville we are ready for the first of his nukes.”

“Aye, General,” Simmons said and then quickly turned away.

Becca shared a look with Gransha and Tasata-su. “Let us see if we can capture one of these cities intact. Let’s get our forces moving.”

Both generals nodded. Becca then enlarged the ever-growing map of the nearby caverns on her HUD and began assigning new sectors to her two immediate subordinates. Then she stepped towards her staff officers and took direct control of her own forces again. First, she assigned three platoons to dig themselves in around the neural city they had captured in case the enemy tried to counter-attack. Then she sent fresh orders for the rest of her forces to begin to spread out. If there was another neural city nearby, she wanted to find it fast.

To Becca’s relief, it didn’t take long. The lead squads she had sent out just traveled through half a kilometer of tunnels when they reached another vast cavern. Initially, the visuals they sent back suggested this one too was empty. However, as they moved through the cavern, they saw thousands of pods begin to open. Silizzarus jumped or slithered from them and immediately began to race to the far end of the cavern. In the distance, many more Silizzarus could be seen doing the same thing. They are still evacuating it! “Order all our forces to push forward as quickly as they can!” Becca commanded.

The situation developed quickly over the next fifteen minutes. With their augments and combat armor, Becca’s marines could easily outpace the Silizzarus. Those in the second city they discovered managed to flee, but the marines followed them to a third city. At the same time, both Gransha and Tasata-su’s forces began discovering cities themselves. All three were in the process of being evacuated, but they were far from empty.

At once, the Silizzarus already out of the pods began throwing themselves at the Allied forces. Yet many didn’t even have weapons. They were cut down with ease and minimal losses. “Our troops are to shoot any Silizzarus that threaten them,” Becca ordered. “But they’re not to shoot any unopened pods. Do not kill them in their pods. Make sure every single soldier knows that!”

Becca’s instructions were followed to the letter. Over the course of a further five minutes, all three cities were cleared. Initially, pods continued to open even after Allied troops had secured them. Immediately, the occupants would throw themselves at the nearest soldiers, but they were easily killed. Slowly, in just ones and twos at first, some pods stayed closed. When they were not immediately killed in their pods, others also opted not to try and attack. The senseless self-sacrificial attacks that had marked the Silizzarus defense began to give way to another emotion: the desire for self-preservation.

“There are over ten thousand in our city still in their pods,” Gransha reported. “They are not coming out. We’ve secured the whole city now that they are not coming out.”

“It’s the same here,” Tasata-su said.

“And with me,” Becca responded. “I think they are starting to finally see sense.”

“They are not total fools. They can’t be, to have built such a civilization,” Gransha said. “When there’s a chance they could defend their cities, they threw everything at us. Now it is just suicide to keep attacking.”

“To keep attacking here at least,” Becca corrected. “Look at what our scouts are finding. There are more cities nearby. Who knows how many!”

On everyone’s HUD, three more neural cities had been found connected to the ones each Allied force had just secured. From the uniform pattern of artificial tunnels that led away from the ones they had now mapped, Becca guessed each city was connected to two others. And they could go on forever… all around the planet, Becca guessed. At the depth she was now at, they were deeper than the planet’s deepest sea, meaning the Silizzarus could have as many cities under the planet’s oceans as they did under the continent all the Allied forces had landed on.

“We secure one more city each,” Becca said after assessing the strength of her forces. “Then we begin to secure our positions. The nukes and the rest of our reinforcements should already have landed. They will be with us soon. Let’s get ready for them.”

“Agreed,” Tasata-su said.

“As you wish, General,” Gransha added.

In five very quick minutes, the three Allied forces pushed on and each captured another neural city. Each met minimal resistance, which was easily swatted aside. By the time they were secured, scouts had identified eight more fully occupied cities. Given how few Silizzarus her scouts were encountering, Becca was tempted to try and secure more, yet she now had what she needed for her plan. Across the eight cities her forces were now in control of, her officers estimated at least 1.9 million pods were occupied. We can’t overextend ourselves; if this is going to work, it will work as well with eight cities as nine or more, she told herself.

When the nukes and additional marine and Karacknid forces arrived, Becca spent twenty minutes deploying her forces so they could rebuff any attack by Silizzarus robots or civilians. She then personally checked each nuke was in position. “I think we are ready,” she said over a COM channel to Tasata-su and Gransha. “General Tasata-su, I’m leaving you in charge. I’m going to head back up towards the surface and report personally to General Johnston and Admiral Somerville. I will return as soon as I can.”

“Take your time, Sergeant General. We will be fine here,” Tasata-su assured her.

Becca gestured to her staff officers and then turned to lead them back towards the surface. It was time to see if her plan was going to work or not. As she went, she brought up the recorded images of the Silizzarus cities and once again began to examine them to make sure she had the best information to share with Johnston and her husband.

*

IS Sparrowhawk

The waiting was unbearable for Jonathan. It took all of his mental strength to keep from tapping on his command chair or even biting his nails. The last time Becca had led forces into a system of underground tunnels she had barely escaped alive. Just like then, she was once again deep underground and out of COMs contact. Though constant updates were being sent back by runners sent to the planet’s surface, it wasn’t the same. At best, Jonathan was at least five minutes behind what was happening in the battle. Anything could have happened in that time.

The steady stream of shuttles that were taking the injured from the planet’s surface didn’t help things either. Every one was stuffed full of wounded soldiers being taken back to their respective troop ships for emergency medical attention. Visuals of the surface also showed the growing rows of dead bodies that had been laid out, waiting for free shuttles to take them as well. At the moment, every shuttle the fleet had was being used to ferry down reinforcements to Becca’s LZ and the other landings, but sooner or later, the growing numbers of dead would have to come up to orbit too.

With each new runner that came with a message and each new group of wounded and dead that were brought to the surface, Jonathan feared that Becca would be among them. Not for the first time, Jonathan shook his head. He wanted something, anything he could be doing to help her. Yet there wasn’t. He was as useless to his wife up in orbit as if he was sitting back in the Imperial Palace on Earth.

Rossi’s words caused Jonathan’s whole body to deflate as tension raced out of it. “Admiral, I have Sergeant General Somerville on a COM channel. She is requesting to speak with you and General Johnston.”

“Connect her immediately,” Jonathan said eagerly. Before his wife could speak though, another thought raised the tension in his body all over again. What if she is injured and being carried back to the surface? What if that is why she is able to speak to us?

Becca’s words put Jonathan at ease right away. “Admiral, General, I’m pleased to report we have captured and secured eight Silizzarus cities. Though our losses have been high, we still have a strong force that is now well dug in. All the nukes are in place as well. All the goals of our mission have been accomplished.”

“Excellent work, General,” Johnston replied. “The reports I’ve seen so far suggest the enemy put up one hell of a fight. Your people have done very well. As have you, Sergeant General.”

“Thank you, General,” Becca replied. “Fighting in such circumstances has asked a lot of our forces and our allies, but we have all been up to the challenge.” Becca’s voice softened a little. “You see, I kept my promise, Jonathan. I’m back in one piece.”

“And I couldn’t be gladder,” Jonathan said. “Though the sooner I get you back up to orbit, the happier I will be. What do you make of the situation on the ground? Can we proceed with our threat?”

“Yes, the nukes are in place and my people are ready to fall back from any one of the cities at a moment’s notice,” Becca responded. “We’ve blown enough holes into the rock formations down here to have a good idea of how structurally sound the areas are around the cities. I’m confident my demolitions technicians can get the right yield on the tactical nukes to just take out one city at a time.”

“And how many Silizzarus do you think are in each city?” Johnston asked.

“That is the million-credit question,” Becca said. “The first city we captured has been fully evacuated. Others are only partially so. We reckon there are at least 1.9 million Silizzarus still in pods spread across seven of the six cities we have captured. However, there is another factor. General Tasata-su believes, and I concur, the data cores in each city could be storing the consciousness of many of the Silizzarus’ ancestors. They may have backups somewhere, but we don’t know that for sure. If we destroy them too, then we don’t know how many millions we may be killing, or at least, if not killing, ending their consciousness.”

“Good, so you think we have a good enough bargaining chip?” Johnston followed up.

“As good as we are going to get without landing every able-bodied spacer in the fleet to spread out and secure more cities,” Becca answered.

“Then I will make another attempt to speak with the enemy’s leadership,” Jonathan said solemnly. “And let us pray they accept our terms this time. I have no desire to see the alternative.” Jonathan’s voice then hardened. “Though if it’s a choice between our people and theirs, then I will do what needs to be done.”

“There is some hope,” Becca said. “Initially the Silizzarus threw everything they had at us. I think they were committing tens of thousands of their own citizens at the end. We slaughtered them all. But then many started to choose to stay in their pods rather than come out and be killed by us. As much as they hate us, I don’t think they want to die for nothing. Having said that…”

“Go on,” Jonathan pressed when Becca paused. “What is it?”

“It’s just, all the slaughter,” Becca said. “It was horrible. And if we start nuking their cities, it will be even worse.” She spoke quickly without pausing. “I’m not second-guessing my plan. I just want to avoid mass slaughter if at all possible. On the way up here, I was thinking, what if we tried to fake it first?”

“Fake it?” Jonathan asked. “You better explain.”

“All their cities are linked to one another,” Becca said. “We’ve located and mapped massive power and data transfer cables that run between all the ones we have captured. I’m sure the leadership knows exactly what’s going on in every city, even now in the ones we have captured. But what if we faked a tactical nuclear detonation? We could cut off one of the cities from all the others and make them think we have nuked it. That way, if they refuse your terms, we could at least try and trick them into believing we mean what we say. It may not work, of course, but if it doesn’t, then what have we really lost? If they still won’t listen, then we can go ahead with our threat.”

“If it means I don’t have to set off a tactical nuke in the middle of a city, then I’m all for it,” Jonathan responded. “But how sure are you that you can make this work?”

“Not perfectly, and I have to speak with my operations Lieutenant and the explosives technicians, but I think we can give it a good go,” Becca said.

“Johnston, what do you think?” Jonathan asked.

“Becca is far more up to date on what the neural cities are like than I am,” Johnston said. “We would have to mimic the shockwaves of a tactical nuke for the ruse to work. But if she thinks we can do that, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t try.”

“All right, you two see to it,” Jonathan said, nodding though neither could see him. “I’ll speak to our new neighbors and see if they will finally admit defeat. If not, we will try your plan, Sergeant General. Let’s hope it works.”

Leaving the COM channel for Becca and Johnston to work out the details, Jonathan liaised with his staff officers as they thought through what he should say to the Silizzarus. An hour later, Johnston hailed him again to let him know Becca had returned to her troops and had reported everything was in place. “Then let us try reasoning with them again,” Jonathan said.

“Just give the order and we will set off the charges,” Johnston responded.

“I’ll let you know if it’s needed,” Jonathan said, then he gestured to Rossi to begin transmitting his words on an open frequency. “Silizzarus civilization, I wish to speak with you once again. I know you are able to observe what is happening in the cities we have captured. Each and every one of them has tactical nuclear weapons now set up and ready to be detonated. They are our insurance policy. I do not wish to use them, but I will if it is necessary.

“So, I offer you peace terms once again. Hundreds of thousands of your civilians are now dead from trying to resist my forces. Millions more will die if you continue to do so. I implore you to surrender instead. Given the atrocities you have committed in the past, our terms are as fair as they can be. We will let you continue to live in peace, connected to your neural Collective where your way of life can continue. All we require is that we are able to monitor your cities and ensure that you can never again return to space. Accept these terms and no one else needs to die.”

Jonathan paused and took a deep breath, then projected as much earnestness into his voice as he could. “Do not accept these terms, and one by one we will begin to detonate our tactical nuclear weapons, destroying your cities and all the consciousnesses held in their data cores. Then, when we have destroyed the cities we have captured, our forces will move on, capture more, and continue the process. We will do this until you finally accept your fate and surrender.

Jonathan leaned forward to really emphasize his final point. “Yet know this, this will not continue indefinitely. If you will not accept our terms, then I will pull my forces back and I will simply destroy your planet and forever remove your species from this galaxy.” Jonathan sat back again and softened his tone slightly. “You have been warned. I’ll give you five minutes to decide. After that, the detonations will begin.”

Finished, Jonathan gestured to Rossi and then sat back in his command chair. From the look on Iso, Harte, and Matthis’ faces, he knew they were all asking themselves the same question. Would the Silizzarus respond, or would he be forced to begin a genocide?

Chapter 37

As is so often the case in history, the decisions of just a few—or even just one—can rule the destinies of trillions…

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

IS Sparrowhawk

As Jonathan expected, the minutes ticked by with no Silizzarus response. The aliens had already threatened his fleet and all the Allied species with utter destruction. What more could they have to say?

Exactly four minutes and fifty-seven seconds after his transmission was sent, however, Rossi’s words surprised everyone on Sparrowhawk's bridge. “There’s a transmission coming up from the surface. It is audio and visual!”

“What could they possibly want to show us?” Jonathan asked in surprise. He hesitated for a second. Had the Silizzarus captured some of his people that they now wanted to torture live in front of him? Memories of his cousin Emilie’s torture at the hands of Tanaka-lan flashed through his mind. He did not want to see anything like that again.

“Maybe they want to surrender in person,” Matthis said, though he didn’t sound like he believed his own words.

“Let us see,” Jonathan requested as he prepared himself for the worst.

Surprising everyone for a second time, the visuals that appeared on Sparrowhawk's main holo display actually showed a Silizzarus. The recording device appeared to be looking up through a large darkened room towards five massive dais. Only the middle one was light, and sitting on it, the faint image of a Silizzarus could be seen. For a couple of seconds, the Silizzarus simply stared down at the recording device.

Then it slowly opened its mouth, revealing six sharp fangs and a forked tongue. “I am High Judicator Sharanta’fay. Never before have I or any other of my species revealed ourselves to any foreign sentience. Yet your threats deserve a response unlike any my species has given before. Know this, Human,” Sharanta’fay said, pouring scorn into the name of Jonathan’s species, “what you claim you will do to us, we will do to you.” The snake-like alien then leaned his head back and snapped forward, spitting something out of its mouth. The liquid flew across the room and struck the recording device, cutting off the transmission.

Everyone on Sparrowhawk's bridge stared at each other, partly in surprise and partly in confusion. How did this High Adjudicator think he was going to be able to hurt the Allied fleet, never mind the Allied civilizations given their current predicament? And why bother revealing himself when their species had done so much for so many millennia to remain hidden?

Before anyone could speak to voice their questions, however, Rossi’s COM console began to flash and chirp alerts.

“What is it?” Jonathan demanded as his heart rate rose, fearing some new surprise.

“Transmissions coming in from the surface. They’ve been relayed through several COM stations. Generals Somerville, Gransha, and Tasata-su are all reporting coming under attack. Massive waves of Silizzarus are charging all their positions.”

Jonathan’s body went completely still as fear for his wife gripped him. Extrapolating the number of cities the marine probing forces and Becca’s main attack had discovered, it was estimated that there were over a trillion Silizzarus living under their homeworld’s surface. They’ve been amassing their civilians for the last couple of hours; they could have millions of them to throw against our defenses.

Jonathan knew his wife’s defenses weren’t weak. An additional ten thousand normal marines and Karacknid warriors had been transported onto the surface to bolster the forces holding the captured cities. But even so, how could thirteen thousand troops hold off a million-strong enemy army?

"Are they just under attack by Silizzarus civilians or are there combat robots or other attackers?" Iso asked.

Jonathan's fear spiked. If the Silizzarus were throwing another wave of fake Karacknids at the defenders, it would be even worse!

"I don’t know yet, Commander," Rossi responded, "the reports are unclear at this stage."

An agonizing five minutes followed for Jonathan as a steady stream of reports continued to come in. None were as detailed as he or any of his staff officers wanted. Gradually though, a picture began to form. Apart from a handful of combat robots and a wave of some strange alien bodies no one recognized, there were no other surprises. The vast majority of the attackers were Silizzarus civilians. Though they were small, agile, and fast, when they attacked in such massive waves, the vast majority of them were quickly killed by concentrated weapons fire.

Even so, the attack had caught some of the defenders off guard. Several defensive lines had been breached, and several hundred casualties were initially reported. Yet after that, it seemed Becca and her generals were able to stabilize things. For over half an hour, the enemy assault continued but gained little ground. Fewer and fewer casualties were being brought back to the planet's surface, and after the first ten minutes, no defensive positions were breached. Instead, visuals of a colossal slaughter began to reach Sparrowhawk.

"It's even worse than before," Matthis commented. "They are throwing away their people."

Jonathan felt the same, but he said nothing. He had no desire to kill Silizzarus civilians, either through nukes or conventional weapons. Yet his priority was his own people. The slaughter of the enemy was bad, but it was the Allied casualties that were his main concern, and his wife's safety.

Eventually, Rossi began to report that different platoons and brigades were signaling to say they were no longer under attack. In the space of five minutes, the enemy gave up its assault. As the Silizzarus forces retreated back up their tunnels and caverns, all of the cities Becca's troops had captured remained under Allied control. Half an hour later, Becca returned to the planet's surface to give her report.

"We have a total of three hundred and seventy casualties, one hundred forty dead and the rest badly injured," she concluded. "We are already reinforcing our defensive positions. If they hit us again with combat robots and their fake-bodied soldiers, we should be able to hold. The tunnels simply make it impossible for their superior numbers to really be used to great advantage. If they attack again with their civilians, it will be another slaughter." Becca paused and shook her head as a new look entered her eyes. "It is terrible down there. The tunnels were flowing with their blood, and yet they kept on coming."

"How many of their civilians do you think died in the attacks?" Jonathan asked.

Becca shook her head again as she shrugged her shoulders. "It's impossible to know for sure. A hundred thousand, two or three? It could be that and more."

"Compared to that, threatening to blow up one of their cities is not such a great threat," Johnston said.

"No," Jonathan agreed, "but unless we're going to fight our way through every tunnel and cavern throughout the planet or simply crack their homeworld open, it’s our best choice. Are your explosives still ready to go?" Jonathan asked his wife.

"They are," Becca confirmed. "None of the fighting got close to the city where we have prepared the ruse."

"Okay, let us try it and hope it works," Jonathan said. And please let them finally see sense, he thought to himself. Given how utterly recklessly the Silizzarus were with throwing away their own lives, he had no desire to try and take the rest of the planet. The reality is it will probably take millions of ground troops and cost hundreds of thousands of their lives, he guessed. And even if we won, there would be nothing left of the enemy but great rivers of their remains.

"I'll relay your order down to General Tasata-su as soon as you are ready," Becca said.

"I will be sending it momentarily," Jonathan said. "Rossi, let me speak to them one more time," he requested as he turned to his COMS officer.

"Silizzarus people," Jonathan said formally after Rossi gestured to him. "You have responded to my threat in word and action. I therefore have no other choice. I will destroy one of your cities now and thereafter another one every ten minutes until you surrender. If you do not surrender, then I will conquer more of your cities and destroy them as well. You have brought this upon yourselves."

With a nod to Rossi, Jonathan ended the transmission. Then he spoke to Johnston and Becca again. "Transmit your order, Sergeant General."

It took almost ten seconds for the order to be transmitted down the line of COM relay stations. Then the explosions began. At the exact same instant, explosives disguised as ammo crates detonated right beside the primary and secondary energy and data relay cables that linked the first city Becca had captured to the others. Concurrently, other explosives also disguised as regular marine equipment that had been placed along the exterior walls of the city also detonated. The shaped charges sent rippling vibrations into the cavernous walls that would be detected by Silizzarus sensors over five thousand kilometers away. Throughout the cavern, strategically placed jammers also came online, blinding any sensors within the city that could transmit what they were seeing to the nearby cities. To all intents and purposes, it was meant to appear to the nearby Silizzarus that the city was no more.

On Sparrowhawk’s bridge, Jonathan received confirmation from Becca that everything had gone to plan. Then Iso brought up a timer on the main display. It began to count down from ten minutes. After a minute had passed without any sign the Silizzarus had changed their minds, Jonathan contacted Becca. "Have your soldiers begin evacuating the second city and prime its tactical nuke. Make sure the Silizzarus see you do it."

"Yes, Admiral," Becca responded, her face grave.

Jonathan was then left with his own thoughts and sense of morality. What now? he asked himself. When the ten minutes were up, what was he going to do? Would he actually detonate a nuke to destroy a civilian city? How could he do that? Yet how could he not? Conflicting thoughts fought with one another within Jonathan’s mind and heart.

Normally, in such situations, all he had to do was ask: what would his father do? And his path became clear. That had been the case when his fleet had first beaten the Silizzarus warships, and in anger, he had thought to destroy the Silizzarus homeworld. But he was not angry now. He was calm and level-headed, yet he still was not sure what his father would have done. He would want me to stay the course. But what does the course look like?

Mentally, Jonathan detached himself from his emotions as he tried to be logical about his choice. The so-called Silizzarus civilians had now thrown themselves into battle twice, demonstrating that they were not noncombatants. At the same time, they had forced his troops to slaughter hundreds of thousands of them for almost no reason. If they are willing to throw their lives away so lightly, can I not do the same? Especially when every single Silizzarus that dies will be an enemy combatant.

There were also his troops to consider. If he didn’t try to force the Silizzarus to surrender with the nukes, then he would have to give the order for Becca’s ground forces to advance once again. How many would be lost trying to take the next city? A hundred, maybe a thousand, if the Silizzarus threw another hundred thousand civilians at the advancing troops? And then how many to take the next and then the next? If there were thousands of cities and trillions of Silizzarus, there was no way he had enough ground troops to capture them all. Even if he included every crewmember in his fleet, he didn’t have enough manpower. And if we tried, how many would die? Jonathan had no way to really calculate that number, but it would most certainly be in the tens of thousands, if not an order of magnitude more.

Finally, Jonathan was all too aware of the other threats to his species' civilization. The Karacknid battlefleet had been turned back at the cost of his father’s life, but the Karacknids would not be gone forever. Even if their clans had split apart into infighting as they sought to crown a new Imperator, they would be back. Every day we spend here and every soldier we lose here we cannot get back. And they are desperately needed elsewhere.

Taking all that into consideration, logically, Jonathan knew what the right decision was. And father would see it too. He would understand what had to be done to save our forces.

Even as Jonathan thought that though, he knew there was more to it. Logic didn’t cover the sense of morality his mother and father had instilled in him. Jonathan not only had to think of what his father would do but what his father would think. What would he say if he was alive and I returned to Earth having wiped out an entire sentient species? Jonathan asked himself. What would his mother say?

Yet they are not here, the cold, emotionless part of his mind countered. You are in charge of the fleet; they are your responsibility, as is the Empire and all the species in our alliance. All of their futures hang on you.

Jonathan’s fingers twitched towards the command console built into his command chair. With a touch of a button, he could connect himself to his senior commander’s COM channel. Right now, every one of them thought his actions, like the destruction of the first Silizzarus city, were a bluff. But in just minutes, Jonathan would have to choose for real. If he didn’t detonate the nuke, the Silizzarus would know he was bluffing. Nothing short of a full invasion of their planet and the conquest of every one of the cities would negate the threat they posed.

Undertaking such a task was almost unthinkable to Jonathan. Lives lost on both sides would be horrendous. And maybe if we start nuking their cities, they will eventually see sense. Then their losses would be less, and ours would be zero.

Despite the sound reasoning in his words, Jonathan’s fingers twitched again. Part of him knew he should include his subordinates in such a discussion. Yet what would it gain him? As soon as he suggested the idea, the discussion would immediately break out into an argument. Tasata-su would be in favor, of course, and Captain Jantalo would oppose it vehemently. The others would likely be as conflicted as Jonathan was. No, I need to decide, Jonathan told himself. I am the one in charge. The buck stops with me. If we do this, I am the one who must take responsibility for doing something so atrocious.

On the holo display, just ninety seconds remained on the timer. Jonathan started to sweat. What was he going to do? Did he just set aside his sense of morality for the sake of his troops and his Empire? Could he live with himself if he did?

But if I do it, where does it end? he asked. If they don’t surrender and I actually blow up all seven cities, then what? We conquer seven more and blow them up? And then another seven? Does there come a point where we just pull all the troops out and blow up the planet after all? In Jonathan’s mind, that was the clear implication of deciding to destroy the first city. Once he started down that path, he couldn’t turn back. He had to see it through until the Silizzarus threat was neutralized.

As the timer continued to count down, time felt like it sped up as Jonathan fought with himself over what he should do. His heart rate quickly increased as the moment of decision loomed over him. Indecision ruled Jonathan’s heart. He didn’t want to give an order that would kill hundreds of thousands of sentients. Yet he didn’t want to see more of his troops die either. Nor did he want to risk his species’ future. Frustration made Jonathan want to groan. It was an impossible decision. Yet one he had to make in just a matter of seconds!

When the timer reached ten seconds, Jonathan felt his heart rate spike even higher. He still didn’t know. If you don’t do it now, they will know everything was a bluff, he told himself. Unless you want all the deaths that have already happened to be for nothing, you’ll have to invade and conquer every city the hard way if you don’t detonate the nuke now, he argued. And yet the same question he had started the ten minutes with came back to him. How could he do that?

With just a handful of seconds to go, Jonathan froze. He couldn’t decide. And yet he knew he had to. Still totally unsure of what decision he had to make, Jonathan knew only one thing for certain. He had to decide now. There was no time left!

Chapter 38

And yet, just as often, fate can take things out of our hands altogether.

—Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.

When the counter started counting down from five seconds, Jonathan opened his mouth to say something, though he still didn’t know which order he was going give. He had no more time left now though. He had to choose.

“Transmission from the surface!” Rossi called out in astonishment. “It’s coming from the same place as the last one the Silizzarus sent us.”

Jonathan shut his mouth instantly. Relief flowed through him. He had an excuse to delay! “Let’s hear it at once,” he requested as he fought to keep his hands from shaking.

Moments later, an image appeared on the main display. It didn’t show a Silizzarus, however, but simply a dark swirling vortex. As a voice spoke, the vortex pulsed in rhythm with the words. “Admiral Somerville, I accept your terms. Do not detonate another nuclear weapon. Do not kill any more of my children. This bloodletting has gone too far.”

Jonathan’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. In wonder, he shared looks with Alvarez, Matthis, and Iso. It took him a couple of seconds to find his voice. When he spoke, his first word came out more of a croak than something intelligible. “We too would love to end the bloodshed. But who am I speaking with? How can I know you speak for all of your civilization?” he asked as suspicion began to mingle with his shock.

“I am the Ancient One,” the voice said. “I am the architect of my people’s Neural Collective, and I am talking to you not from within it. I speak for all Silizzarus, they are my children, and you have killed enough of them. I would see no more of them killed. We surrender and accept your terms.”

Jonathan shared another look with his officers. They all looked as surprised and shocked as he. Only Alvarez seemed in control. “We need guarantees,” he whispered.

Jonathan nodded. There was no way he was going to blindly trust whoever this architect was. “You are willing to accept all our terms? You will let us plant nuclear devices in all of your cities and station garrisons on the planet and in orbit to ensure that your species never again tries to reach out into space?”

“If that is the only way to stop the killing, then yes, we will do as you demand,” the Ancient One responded.

“Then I will need some guarantees if I’m to order my troops to stand down from assaulting more of your cities,” Jonathan said as he tried to think quickly. “First, you are to pull all your forces back from the nearby cities surrounding the ones my troops have taken. Over the next half hour, we will send out small scanning forces to confirm you have no combatants in these cities and have surrendered them to us.

“Second, you are to send all your remaining combat robots to the surface of the planet. They are to be deactivated and left for us to take control of or dismantle as we see fit.

“Third, you are to begin transferring all technological data and all files on every operation your people have carried out against all the species of this galaxy to my flagship immediately.

“If you do these three things, then I will take them as a sign of your genuineness and I will reciprocate by issuing orders to my troops not to harm another one of your species unless your people directly threaten mine. Is this acceptable to you?”

“It is not pleasant, Human, but it is acceptable. You have given me no other choice,” the Ancient One responded. “If I do this, you will give your word you will not destroy us?”

“You have it,” Jonathan said.

“And what guarantee will you give that you will not simply go back on your word once you have taken control of our cities?” the Ancient One asked.

“None,” Jonathan answered honestly. “Except if I had wanted to destroy your planet, I could have done so already without all the losses my soldiers have suffered. I do not desire to commit genocide against your species. If you make that possible, then we will not destroy you. That is all the guarantee I can give you.”

This time, there was a long pause before the Ancient One spoke. “Very well, I will instruct my people to begin doing what you have demanded. I will not speak with you again, Human, but I will instruct my subordinates to cooperate with your demands.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan said genuinely. “I know there can never be any real friendship between our two species, not after what we have both done to one another. But perhaps there can be an uneasy peace.”

“He’s gone, Admiral, the COM channel was cut,” Rossi reported after a couple of seconds of silence. “Ahh… we’re getting another signal. It’s a massive data stream. It’s all unencrypted files. Trillions of them!”

“Can we make any sense of them?” Jonathan asked.

“I’m looking now,” Alvarez responded as his fingers danced over his console. “Yes, they are searchable. It looks like most have to do with a load of technologies I have no clue about. I have already found some relating to Earth and Humans. They discuss operations against our people.” Alvarez looked up from his console and held Jonathan’s gaze. “Operations that look plausible enough to me given what we already know about what they’ve been up to.”

“Look,” Harte said moments later as he pointed up to the main display. After the Ancient One had disappeared, it had returned to showing the planet below Sparrowhawk. As Harte zoomed in on the image, Silizzarus combat robots became visible. It was just a couple, but as everyone on the bridge watched, they walked out of a small cave for about fifty meters away and then stopped. Both then lowered their arms and appeared to switch themselves off.

“What does this mean?” Rossi asked from her COMs console.

“It means,” Jonathan said as he looked around at his officers and smiled, “it is over.”

*

For Jonathan, the next three weeks passed in a flash. There was so much to do and organize that he barely managed to find time to sleep five hours a night. First, he, Johnston, and Becca had to oversee taking possession of all the Silizzarus cities on the planet. It turned out there were nine thousand of them, many of which were far larger than the initial eight Becca’s ground troops had captured. In order to secure them all as quickly as possible, every soldier in the fleet and every crew member with combat training had been shipped to the surface.

Then came the task of setting up surveillance equipment within the cities. Every engineering technician in the fleet had been worked to exhaustion as they sought to ensure nothing happened within the cities without Jonathan and his commanders knowing about it. Alongside this work, the monumental task of setting up tactical nuclear devices in each city had been completed. To get enough nuclear weapons, the warheads had to be taken out of many mark VIII warheads.

While all this had been happening, Becca had also overseen the most extensive survey of any planet humanity had undertaken in a three-week period. Tens of thousands of nano drones and hundreds of recon units had explored every nook and cranny of the underground tunnel system. The most sophisticated Kulrean sensors had then been placed all over the planet's surface and as deep into the crust as Becca’s marines could go in order to make sure the Silizzarus didn’t try to excavate additional cities or build hidden tunnels up to the planet's surface.

Finally, the initial work on ground and orbital command centers had been started. Jonathan’s plan was to leave a strong force of marines and other troops on the planet’s surface along with a strong garrison. At least fourteen thousand troops and a thousand warships would be left behind when the Allied fleet finally departed for Earth. In the coming months and years, Jonathan intended to significantly increase those numbers, but that was all he could spare at the moment.

Only once all that work had begun and had started to make good progress had Jonathan turned his mind to his own fleet. With so many damaged warships, including Sparrowhawk, the voyage back to Earth would be far longer and more arduous than their journey to the Silizzarus homeworld. Even though they had come under attack for weeks as they had approached, Anaconsada, as they now knew the planet was called, Jonathan feared it was going to be harder to keep all the battle-damaged ships of his fleet in one piece over the long journey to Earth.

While Jonathan, Johnston, and Becca had been focused on the Silizzarus homeworld, Alvarez, Edward, and a number of high-ranking Kulrean scientists had been going over all the data the Silizzarus had shared. Most of it was over Jonathan’s head, but from the few reports he read from the Kulrean scientists, it appeared even they were amazed at many of the technologies and scientific discoveries the Silizzarus had made. It seemed that if half of what Jonathan had read from them was true, the introduction of the technologies would massively increase the combat capabilities of Allied warships and revolutionize many of the Allied species’ societies. It would take years, if not decades, for many of the technologies to be integrated into the Empire’s navy and society, however. Too slow to help Jonathan defeat the Karacknids. But Jonathan was at least confident that once he beat the Karacknids, they would never again be a threat to his species.

Alvarez and Edward’s discoveries had been far more understandable to Jonathan. It seemed, as his parents had suspected, the Silizzarus had been active in humanity’s affairs for at least four hundred years. Many of the colonial rivalries and wars had been instigated and grown by the Silizzarus in order to weaken humanity. Just as James had suspected at the time, the Silizzarus had also been the main benefactor behind Teal’s attempted secession movement that had thrown such a massive spanner in the Imperial Navy’s logistical and construction efforts. They had also armed the Rillelio and tried to turn the Vestarians into an aggressive species to make them wage war on humanity.

In truth, Jonathan suspected there were so many revelations yet to come from the Silizzarus data that every species within two thousand light-years would have to question everything that had happened to them over at least the last four hundred years. In one sense, humanity had got off lightly, for while the Silizzarus had only focused on them for the last several centuries, many other species whose homeworlds were much closer to Anaconsada had been under covert attack for millennia.

All this and much more had been going through Jonathan’s head for the last twenty-one days as he struggled to stay on top of everything that was demanded of him. It was therefore with more than a little relief that the news he had been waiting for finally came. “Admiral,” Rossi said over the COM channel set up to Jonathan’s office.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” Jonathan responded as he set aside the datapad he had been reading.

“A fleet has just jumped into the system, Admiral. It’s our fuel freighters and their escort. They are back.”

“Excellent,” Jonathan said as he stood up in excitement. “Prepare my shuttle and have Alvarez meet me in hangar bay one. Is Iso there?”

“I’m here, Admiral,” Iso confirmed.

“I’m going to survey the progress on our ground command center and speak with General Johnston. As soon as you confirm we have enough fuel for the journey home, you can begin prepping the fleet to break orbit.”

“Aye, aye, Admiral,” Iso said with more than a little enthusiasm.

With a bounce in his step, Jonathan moved to leave his quarters and head toward Sparrowhawk’s main hangar. Eighteen days ago, he had dispatched all his empty fuel freighters with a small escort and a large squadron of Tardan warships to the nearest Tardan system. Admiral Racorian had promised him his freighters would find all the fuel they needed within the system and he had been true to his word.

Now we can head home, Jonathan told himself as the tension he had felt growing in his stomach lessened. Now that the Silizzarus appeared to have been dealt with, his mind was turning more and more to the Karacknids. He needed to gather his forces and put an end to their threat once and for all just as he had the Silizzarus. Only then would his father’s death be avenged. Before he could leave, however, he needed to speak to Johnston one last time. And he needed to collect his wife.

“You look happy for once!” Alvarez said as Jonathan walked into Sparrowhawk’s main hangar.

“A naval commander is meant to be on the move,” Jonathan replied. “At least, I think I am,” he corrected himself when he remembered Alvarez had once been a fleet commander before his father had appointed him to head up Imperial Intelligence.

Alvarez smiled. “Don’t worry about offending me. I have no problem working from an office on Earth. In fact, I am eager to get going too, though for different reasons. I need to get back to see Samuel.”

“Yes, of course,” Jonathan said as his heart grew heavy thinking about his second cousin. Having grown up with his mother away for long periods on various missions, Emilie’s young son was likely still struggling to fully grasp her death. Now on top of that, his father had been gone for months. “I can see the allure of a settled command.”

“And maybe one day you will even understand it,” Alvarez said as Jonathan approached, clapping him on the back. “You know when you get back to Earth, your mother will be clamoring for grandchildren. If you are to become our Emperor, you are going to need some heirs, you know.”

Jonathan’s cheeks reddened, though he did feel a stirring of excitement at the prospect. Before his father’s death, he’d never really thought of having children. Now the idea was growing on him, though thinking of it was always tinged with a hint of sadness, knowing his father would never get to meet them.

“Don’t worry,” Alvarez said as they ascended the shuttle’s rear access ramp. “I’m sure you’ll be a great father. You had one of the best examples, after all. And I’m sure your mother won’t let you put a foot wrong, at least not for more than a couple of minutes,” Alvarez added with a chuckle.

“You are right there,” Jonathan agreed as he smiled at the thought. As the shuttle took off, he then turned the conversation to more serious matters, discussing the latest updates from Alvarez and his team of Imperial Intelligence officers. As well as combing through all the data the Silizzarus had shared with them, they had been assessing the Silizzarus computer networks and cities to design the best ways to monitor them to make sure the Silizzarus were not up to any mischief.

When the shuttle landed ten minutes later and the rear access ramp descended, Jonathan stepped out of the shuttle and surveyed the quickly growing ground command center. Across a field of landing pads where several hundred shuttles were currently being loaded, a large wall was visible. Guard towers ringed the wall, and heavy laser and plasma cannons, along with marines and other ground troops on guard, were visible. Through an open gate, Jonathan could see the base within. No building was more than two stories high to keep it lower than the wall, but there were well over two hundred of them. Most were still under construction, but enough had been finished that General Johnston had moved his command staff out of orbit so that he could direct the thousands of troops he had spread across the planet.

Movement in front of Jonathan brought his eyes back down to the bottom of the access ramp. Johnston, his brother Edward, and Becca were there waiting for him. With a smile, Jonathan waved to them and walked down the shuttle's ramp. He shared two warm handshakes with Johnston and Edward and then couldn’t resist pulling Becca into a hug.

“Are you ready for your tour, Admiral?” Johnston asked.

“By all means,” Jonathan said as he gestured toward the open gate that led into the fortified command center.

For an hour, Johnston, Edward, and Becca took him around the command center. First, they briefly surveyed the center’s defenses. Then they went through each of the completed buildings where Jonathan was introduced to the different teams working within them and the progress each was making on their different areas of responsibility. From the command center, Johnston would be able to monitor every Silizzarus city and every tunnel that had so far been discovered under the planet's surface. He would also be able to direct all the forces he had spread throughout the planet and detonate any one of the thousands of thermonuclear warheads that had been planted in the Silizzarus cities. He also had a direct line of communication to the Adjudicators of the Silizzarus High Court, though so far none of the Silizzarus had deemed to speak with them.

The final command building they toured was the base's COM station, where a constant link was kept with the orbital command station that was in geosynchronous orbit above the ground center. From there, Rear Admiral Carruthers would be able to keep in constant contact with Johnston. Along with the fourteen thousand ground troops Jonathan was leaving behind, Carruthers would stay in the system with a thousand Allied warships to help monitor the planet. Admirals Racorian and Lasans had also promised that they would permanently station a thousand of their own ships each, also to be under Carruthers' command. They had also sent a request back to their respective political leadership for ground troops to be assigned to the planet as well.

When the tour was finally complete, Jonathan and the others stepped out of the COMs building and paused to speak to one another privately. Jonathan held his hand out to Johnston. “You’ve done a great job in such a short period of time. I have every confidence in you. I will be forever thankful that you agreed to take this post. There is no one I would trust more.”

“Aye,” Johnston said gruffly. “I’ve already agreed, there’s no need to butter me up anymore.”

Jonathan smiled. “But it can’t hurt either.”

“Just make sure you find my replacement as quickly as you can when you get back to Earth,” Johnston said. “I want off this Godforsaken rock as quickly as possible. I’ve already spent enough time creeping through those tunnels to last me a lifetime. And I’m no diplomat; someone with proper skills needs to be here to deal with the Tardans and Gilmoreans.”

“And you want to get back to fighting Karacknids,” Jonathan added.

Johnston grinned. “There is that too. And I wouldn’t mind seeing Clare again before too long.” Johnston gestured toward Becca. “Not all of us get to take our wives along on these pleasure cruises.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find someone suitable to take command here as soon as I get to Earth,” Jonathan promised.

“And you will rustle up as many marines as possible and some additional warships,” Johnston reminded him.

“I promise,” Jonathan said with a nod.

“And I’ll make sure he keeps his word,” Becca said.

“That’s enough for me,” Johnston replied.

“Is there anything else we can do for you before we depart? Are you happy with your subordinates?” Jonathan asked.

“They will do,” Johnston replied. “They all know what they’re doing. I’d love to have a couple of thousand more of Tasata-su’s Karacknids, but I know why you need them back at Earth. If you’d leave me your wife to continue as my second in command, I would be quite content.”

Jonathan shook his head. “Not this time, she’s coming with me.” He then winked at Johnston. “The privilege of being the senior officer in command.”

“Blah,” Johnston said as he waved a hand at Becca. “You lovebirds make me sick.”

“And what about you, Edward. Are you sure you want to stay?” Jonathan asked as he turned to his brother.

Edward glanced at Alvarez. “Someone needs to stay and command the Imperial intelligence officers being based here. And for years I have been more focused on the Silizzarus than the Karacknids. I want to see this through.”

“Then I won’t stand in your way, but mother won’t be happy,” Jonathan said.

“No, and she’ll probably blame me,” Alvarez said. “I imagine I’ll be sending out a replacement for you soon enough, Commander, but until then you have my utmost confidence.”

“I’ll write her a letter for you to take back with you,” Edward said to Jonathan. “Hopefully, that will appease her.” He turned to Alvarez. “And I don’t need to be replaced, not unless you find someone who can do the job better.”

“And what about Agent Brooke, is she staying?” Becca asked, causing Edward’s cheeks to redden.

Jonathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? If I’d known that I’d have invited her to dinner last night!” Knowing his freighters were likely to return within a couple of days, Jonathan had had an informal dinner with his closest friends and family within the fleet the previous night.

“Which is why,” Edward said as he cast a disparaging glance at Becca, “no one was supposed to know.”

“Then maybe whenever you talk about her, you should try and hide it a little better, Commander,” Becca said innocently. “I thought spooks were supposed to be masters of their emotions.”

Alvarez laughed. “They are. At least our field agents are. I guess I’m going to have to consider you more of a lead agent rather than a field one from now on, Commander, if you’re letting those kinds of secrets get out.”

“It’s nothing serious,” Edward said. “And we are being strictly professional. I’ve made sure she’s not in my direct line of command. Though… once Alvarez leaves, it might get a little trickier.”

“Perhaps she should come with us,” Alvarez said seriously. “I’m sure I could use someone with her skills.”

Jonathan considered it. He knew all too well how having someone you loved in the line of fire complicated command decisions. Yet he’s going to be out here alone for the next year, if not years, Jonathan told himself. He had been separated from Becca for that length of time before they got married, and it had been agony. “Perhaps we can give her an independent command. Do we have someone heading up collating all the information we have on the Tardans and Gilmoreans. She could take over that. That way, if any fighting starts up again, she will not be directly involved.” Jonathan turned to Johnston. “She can be under your command.”

“I have no problem with that,” Johnston said.

“What about Brooke? Will she complain?” Jonathan asked Edward.

Edward took a second to reply. “I don’t think she’ll be happy being taken off working directly on the Silizzarus. But… maybe if General Johnston was to emphasize how important the role was. We do have to keep an eye on the Tardans and Gilmoreans after all. They may be our allies, but we know very little about them.”

“I’m sure I could come up with something that would sound convincing,” Johnston said.

“Then it’s decided,” Jonathan said as he slapped his brother on the shoulder. “And wait until I tell mother. She’ll have another wedding planned by the time you get back to Earth.”

Edward rolled his eyes, but his cheeks reddened again, giving away his true thoughts.

“Definitely not field agent material,” Alvarez said with a grin.

“All right, isn’t it time you three got going?” Edward replied. “Some of us still have some serious work to get on with.”

“If you wish, brother,” Jonathan said. “But I’m not leaving without this.” Moving quickly, Jonathan pulled Edward into a hug before he could protest. “Stay safe out here,” he said as they let each other go.

“Safe travels,” Edward said as he nodded to Jonathan, Alvarez, and then Becca.

“And don’t go taking too many Karacknid scalps until I get back to join you,” Johnston said. “Leave some for my marines and me.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty to go around, General,” Jonathan said as he gave Johnston a salute. Becca copied his gesture.

Johnston returned it. “It’s been a pleasure serving under your command, Admiral. You have done your father proud. Don’t worry about us here, we’ll make sure these slithering murderers will never be able to threaten anyone else again.”

“All right then,” Jonathan said as he smiled at Becca. “Let’s go.”

*

Two hours later, Jonathan sat in his command chair back on board Sparrowhawk. Though the battleship was still missing a sizeable chunk of her nose, the damaged sections had been covered in armor and she was as battle-ready as she could be without spending time in a repair yard.

“Is the fleet ready, Commander?” Jonathan asked Iso.

“Every squadron and flotilla has reported ready to proceed, Admiral. We can break orbit at your command.”

Jonathan hesitated for a moment as he stared at the enlarged image of Anaconsada. Hundreds of thousands of his people and thousands of warships had been lost to reach and take the planet. Well over a million Silizzarus had also died in the fighting. I hope it will all prove to be worth it, he thought to himself. And our actions end up bringing a measure of stability to this region. Even as he sat there, Jonathan knew the messenger ships he had sent out were spreading to all the nearby civilizations, bringing news of the Silizzarus and the covert operations they had been involved in.

Thanks to the Silizzarus data, Jonathan’s forces now knew the location of two hundred and thirty new sentient species. Knowing that if the shoe was on the other foot, humanity would want to know about how the Silizzarus had been influencing their civilizations, he had dispatched twenty long-range cruisers with the Silizzarus’ data to share with all the species what had been happening to them. In the short term, Jonathan suspected the news that would be spreading throughout this sector of the galaxy would bring a lot of upheaval. It would not be a pleasant thing to learn that much of your species' history had been influenced by an outside force. But the alien civilizations had a right to know the truth. And hopefully, they will appreciate what we have done for them. If not immediately, then at least in the long run.

But that’s a problem for another time, Jonathan told himself as he pulled his mind away from what might come of the news he was spreading. He turned and caught Iso’s eye, though he spoke loud enough for all of Sparrowhawk’s bridge officers to hear. “It is time to finish what my father started with the Karacknids. Have the fleet break orbit, set course for the Sol system. Let’s go home.”

Epilogue

Imperial Palace, Earth, 10th February 2514 AD, (three months later).

Six hours after his slow-moving fleet returned to the Sol system, Jonathan walked briskly into one of the more intimate briefing rooms he knew his father had often used to meet his Inner Council. At his heels, Becca, Alvarez, Shraw, Reverus, Jantalo, and Tasata-su all followed. As he expected, his mother was the first to meet him. She stood just inside the two large ornately carved wooden doors that were held open by two Imperial Guard marines.

“Welcome home!” Christine said, her voice full of warmth and relief. She quickly pulled Jonathan into a deep embrace. Then she did the same with Becca. “I’m glad you managed to keep him safe, my dear.”

“She was the one who needed keeping safe,” Jonathan said. “I think its time we find her a desk job!”

Christine nodded and smiled, though Becca gave Jonathan a dirty look. Christine then more formally welcomed the other officers into the meeting. Knowing he would be spending a lot more time with his mother later, Jonathan stepped past her and pulled his sister into a hug. “It’s good to see you,” he said.

“And you,” Georgia replied. “It seems we’ve both had quite the time of it.”

Jonathan nodded and spoke loud enough for the next officer to hear. “I read both your reports as we settled into orbit. You both fought like lions.” Smiling, Jonathan held out his hand for Admiral Scott to shake.

“It seems we all did,” Scott said. “Sparrowhawk wasn’t looking too good as she came in. I read your report as well. I don’t envy the decisions you had to make. Nor the losses you suffered. We have both lost a lot of good people.”

“That we have,” Jonathan said gravely. “And I fear we will lose more before this is over. But the end is in sight.”

When Scott frowned, Jonathan smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain momentarily.”

Leaving Scott to her thoughts, Jonathan continued around the oval briefing table, shaking hands or appendages as he greeted the rest of his mother’s Inner Council. As Sparrowhawk had come into orbit, he had sent a request for a council meeting to be held immediately.

“Thank you all for coming so quickly,” Jonathan said once everyone was seated. “We have a lot to discuss and I’m sure you all have many questions about what happened in our battles with the Silizzarus. However, before we get there, there are more pressing matters we must attend to.” Jonathan nodded to Scott and Georgia. “My officers and I have gone through Admiral Scott’s report of her attack on the Karacknid battlefleet as it fled north, and we are fully up to date on the strategic situation.

“Given the losses we suffered turning back Tanaka-lan’s battlefleet, and the losses we have just recently suffered against the Silizzarus, the time has come to take decisive action. I’ve had a lot of time to think about our situation during the journey back from Anaconsada. The Karacknids cannot be allowed to regain their strength and cohesion. We must defeat them decisively now if we are going to ensure they cannot start a new war against us in the future.”

“Defeat them?” Christine asked with more than a little incredulity. As she looked around the table, several other council members nodded or shared her look of confusion. “I know they have been greatly weakened. But victory seems awfully far away. We have been doing everything we can to increase our shipbuilding and fortify our borders, but we are a very long way away from making up for the losses we have suffered. Never mind being in a position to launch an offensive.”

“And yet that is what we must do,” Jonathan said as he gave his mother a confident smile. With a gesture, Jonathan activated the large oval table’s holo display and brought up a map of the Karacknid empire. Thanks to Tasata-su and his officers, it was extremely detailed.

“I appreciate the sentiment, Admiral,” Scott said as everyone examined the map. “But your mother is right, the Karacknids still have hundreds of thousands of ships. Most of their borders are heavily fortified, and I’m sure they are rebuilding as quickly if not more quickly than we are.”

“Which is why,” Jonathan interrupted, “we must divide and conquer.” With another gesture, Jonathan split the map of the Karacknid Empire into thirty smaller sections. “We know the Karacknid empire is made up of fourteen clans and fifty-four other families. Three of those families have already sworn allegiance to me as their Imperator, along with tens of thousands of other Karacknid warriors from almost all of the clans and families.

“Right now, General Tasata-su believes that there will be at least four different factions that will vie with one another to place their candidate on the Imperial throne at Gayla. The Karacknids are disunified and likely preparing for another protracted civil war with one another. This is our opportunity.”

Jonathan zoomed the map onto the southern border of the Karacknid empire. “Already, Admiral Scott’s pursuit of the Karacknid battlefleet retreat has severely weakened the Gal-tak clan’s forces. Their territory is ripe for the taking. If they fall to us, then so too may the Dar’kanan clan. Beyond their territory is the Yanum-mi clan, which is General Tasata-su’s clan,” Jonathan said as he nodded to the Karacknid. “With his position within his clan and the forces already under his command, I believe we can install Tasata-su as his clan’s leader. If we can do that, then we will have destroyed or subsumed three of the fourteen Karacknid clans."

Again, Jonathan changed the map, this time to show the southeastern part of the Karacknid Empire that bordered Conclave space. Two clan territories began to flash. “Admiral Becket’s diversionary attack against Karacknid space at the outset of the war severely damaged the infrastructure of these two clans’ territories. By now, the survivors of their fleets will be filtering back to their space after Tanaka-lan’s defeat. They too will be weak.

“This then is what I propose,” Jonathan said as he zoomed the map out again to show the whole Karacknid empire. Two large red arrows appeared, one thrust through The Wilds and into Karacknid space opposite to where Scott’s fleet had just returned from, the other thrust through Conclave space and into the Karacknid Empire. “Two invasion fleets will strike at the Karacknids. Between us, we will take out five of the fourteen Karacknid clans. Either they will join us and swear allegiance to me as their Imperator, or we will destroy their industrial capacity and send them back to the Stone Age.

“Then, both fleets will strike at Gayla. We will take their Imperial capital and fortify it like we have never fortified a system before. No Karacknid Imperator can be crowned apart from Gayla. As long as we hold it, the factions that will be vying with one another cannot unify the rest of the other clans. In this way, we can prevent the Karacknids from uniting around one leader. As long as they are disunified, we will then be able to finish them off at our leisure.”

Finished, Jonathan looked around the room to gauge everyone’s response. Though the officers that followed him into the meeting all looked confident, few others did. That was to be expected though; Jonathan had spent many hours talking with all of his subordinates as they had fleshed out the possibility of what he now proposed on their journey back from the Silizzarus homeworld.

Unsurprisingly, Scott was the first to respond to his proposal. “Two invasion fleets. Taking on and destroying five Karacknid clans. Then trying to take and hold Gayla. This is wishful thinking, surely. Where are we going to find the ships to pull something like this off?”

“We will build them,” Jonathan said simply. “And our allies will assist. Admiral Reverus has already sent fast frigates through The Gift back to his homeworld. He has requested at least forty thousand warships be committed to this endeavor. Twenty thousand will join us here, and twenty thousand will form the main part of the fleet that will strike up through Conclave space. We will need more than forty thousand ships, of course, and so we must provide the rest. We already have nine thousand gathered here and we can call on our allies to send more.

“With the Karacknid battlefleet's defeat, we need to grasp this opportunity. That will mean pulling many ships off our frontlines. But even that won’t be enough. I don’t envisage us launching the strike for at least six months. In that time, we must construct many more ships and produce many other weapons of war that we will need. However, I believe it is possible. We have this one chance to destroy the Karacknid Empire before it can reform again around a new Imperator."

Jonathan pointed a finger at the only Karacknid in the room. “General Tasata-su would see his species' civilization re-forged and set on a new path. I would help him do it. If we accomplish all that we wish to, the Karacknid threat will not be removed completely, but never again will they have the strength to threaten our homeworlds with annihilation.”

Jonathan rested his hands on the oval table and leaned forward towards his mother, who sat opposite him. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We must take it, or our children or grandchildren will find themselves in the same situation we were in a year ago; they will have their own Karacknid battlefleet moving in on their worlds, threatening annihilation, and slavery.” Standing back up straight, Jonathan pleaded with his eyes for his mother to see what he was saying.

Christine didn’t respond immediately, but no one else spoke, sensing that it was her place to reply to her son first. For several seconds, Christine held Jonathan’s eyes, then she glanced up and down the table, clearly weighing what everyone else was thinking. Then her eyes snapped back to Jonathan’s. He could see the question in them. Are you certain? she wanted to know. Jonathan slowly nodded. To his surprise, a single tear ran down Christine’s cheek.

“You are your father’s son,” she said quietly, as if she were speaking only to him. “And you have his powers of persuasion,” she added a little louder. “If there is a way we can truly defeat the Karacknid Empire and change it from the warmongering, subjugating machine that it is, then I agree, we have to try. For our children and grandchildren and all those who will come after us. But, I have one condition. For this to work, there must be a coronation; the Empire needs a new Emperor. I must step down.”

Several voices immediately spoke out in protest, Jonathan’s among them. Christine silenced them as she stood and raised her hands. “This plan will only work if Jonathan is the true Emperor of our civilization as well as the Imperator of the free Karacknids who have sworn to him. If any of these clans are to join us, they must see Jonathan as our people's true leader. More than that, I assume you plan to lead one of these invasion fleets yourself?” Christine asked Jonathan. When Jonathan nodded, she continued. “Then if we are to send a fleet deep into enemy territory, it must be led by our Emperor. That is what James did, and it is what his heir must do as well.” Christine held Jonathan’s eyes as she spoke. “I can still serve on the Inner Council as an advisor and run the Empire in your absence. But you must be our leader. You are ready to fill your father’s shoes.”

His mother’s last words took Jonathan by surprise. Grief, sadness, and pride passed over his face. Then he nodded. “If we need a coronation to make this work, then that is what we must do. I will fight the Karacknids as our Emperor, and I will defeat them. For father, and for our children.”

As he spoke, Jonathan looked from Christine to Becca. Though both of their eyes were moist, there was a grim determination that shone through. Jonathan felt it within himself. The Karacknids had killed their father, so many of their friends, and so many millions of others. Now, they were going to stop them, once and for all!

The end.

The Empire Rising Series will conclude with the final book of the series (book 22), Empire Divided. If you’ve enjoyed this book, as always, please take the time to leave a review. They are greatly appreciated!

Sign up here to the mailing list for updates on future books

And you can contact me through either link below:

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

d.j.holmess@hotmail.com