Crusade of Vengeance

by Jay Allan

  Third, the enemy had to know about the impending attack on Earth-2, at least if the colony world was in fact close to the planet. And if the enemy was aware of such a coming assault they couldn’t possibly launch a major attack against the Regent. Not at the cost of leaving their homeworld undefended.

  The Regent considered the situation, analyzed it from all angles. It finally calculated everything, came up with a conclusion. It couldn’t assess more than a small risk to an enemy attack…but it came close to pulling the fleet back anyway. It would probably be a wasted effort, and it might delay the assault on the enemy homeworld, but did a short pause really matter? Even six months or a year?

  It was moving its point of view, changing its position to the cautious one, to pulling all its forces back to the current system. Then, almost miraculously, it received a transmission…from the scout searching for Earth-2. The message was short, and it was definitive. It had found Earth-2…and to its knowledge, it had remained undetected. It had pulled back, withdrawn to the adjacent system as soon as it had determined its data, and it hadn’t sent its message back to the Regent until it had.

  That changed things.

  The Regent had been preparing for the assault on the enemy homeworld. If it pulled its fleet back now, formed up defensively against what was likely nothing, it would give the enemy six months, or perhaps even twelve to prepare. It didn’t know if they could do anything with that extra time, but it was cautious, aware the enemy had completed unexpected operations before.

  It analyzed the situation again, a hundred times, a thousand times, factoring in every possibility…and then it decided. It sent out a pulse communication, a short message designed for one purpose. The fleet was commanded to complete preparations and move out.

  For the enemy homeworld.

  It instituted some procedures for its own protection. It would operate on a higher level of protocol, and it would scan seriously for any incoming enemy ships…but its decision was made. There just wasn’t enough chance that the contact it had picked up was, in fact, the enemy…and even if it was, its forces would strike before the enemy fleet could concentrate and launch its own attack.

  Yes, the Regent was satisfied with its decision, content with its analysis. It would attack the enemy and destroy their homeworld. Then it would track down any subordinate planets, all the while it was building up its fleet for the final confrontation, for the destruction of all of humankind.

  * * *

  SP-01012 sat, quiet, scanning all around. It was one system from Earth-2. It was sure of that, as certain as it could be. It had transited into the system, and in just a few moments, it had tracked dozens of ships. No, not dozens…hundreds.

  It had been in stealth mode, of course. It knew where it was, but it had to at least scan the planet to be absolutely certain. It moved closer, and it opened up its passive scans. For only a few seconds. It discovered almost immediately…it had indeed found Earth-2. At least, it had pushed the percentage chance up well past 99%.

  It shut down all its scanners at once, and it blasted its thrust, barely enough to pull back, to transit out of the system. The time that elapsed was torturous, especially at its speed, but it had decided almost immediately that contacting the Regent was better done from the neighboring region of space.

  There were almost certainly one or more scouts located there, just one jump from Earth-2, but they hadn’t found it yet, at least not that it could tell, and the chance of discovery was much smaller there than if it remained in Earth-2’s system. It transited as carefully as possible, and as soon as it was stable back in the adjacent system, it sent a highly-cloaked drone back toward the Regent. Then it powered down, leaving only the most basic scanners functioning.

  It searched, as well as it could with the minimal levels, but it didn’t find anything. It knew it could increase the power of its scans, even turn on its active sensors, but it didn’t do that. Silence was the most important thing to it just then.

  Utter silence.

  * * *

  Max Harmon sat, alone again and thinking. He had met with his key personnel, and they had discussed the possibilities. He had a location now for the enemy’s homeworld, at least a reasonable chance of one, but he was also almost certain the enemy would discover Earth-2…and possibly any day now, if they hadn’t already. He wanted to order the fleet to set out, to move to the enemy world, to attack and do everything they possibly could to destroy it. But he knew, before his gathering had even begun, that he couldn’t do that.

  The enemy was coming to him. He didn’t have any hard data, though he had one ship overdue for reporting, missing just two systems away. He didn’t know that was the result of enemy action, of course, but combined with the invasion of Linshire and the other factors mounting up, he didn’t doubt it either. And if the enemy was within a system or two, that meant the invasion would come quickly, possibly within a matter of weeks.

  The meeting had come to that conclusion, that however much they wanted to go after the enemy, they simply couldn’t, not unless they beat them back from Earth-2 first, and somehow maintained enough power to then move against it. If they managed that, somehow, came through with enough of their fleet intact to invade the enemy system, then it would make sense. But he knew the odds were against that, probably very badly. Even if his people won the battle, the odds were their forces would be badly battered. Very badly. And most or all of their repair facilities would be destroyed.

  But he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. He wanted to hit the enemy, somehow. He had to.

  He knew he couldn’t launch a major attack. He simply could not take away the forces from the defense of Earth-2. But what of a smaller force, a flotilla comprised of hidden units, perhaps, a few ships with at least a chance to hide.

  No! A group of ships with a new system…the new system. The ten ships that had been outfitted with the experimental device.

  Those vessels weren’t a huge portion of the fleet, not by any means. And the benefits of their systems weren’t enormous either…not in the battle likely to take place around Earth-2, at least not unless the entire fleet could be equipped with them.

  But perhaps as a desperate invasion force, as a few ships planning to hit the enemy, to take out the Regent. Somehow.

  He felt waves of doubt almost immediately, thoughts that he was crazy, that there was no way ten small ships could do it. It seemed impossible.

  But ten ships that couldn’t be spotted, at least that didn’t have much chance of it? He didn’t know that for sure, of course…the vessels had completed only the most basic of testing so far, and none against the enemy. But he didn’t doubt the Mules either. As far as he could recall, they had never completed anything that didn’t meet its expectations in actual deployment.

  He tried to put it out of his mind, to leave the attack on the Regent for after the defense of Earth-2…but the more he thought that way, the less chance he suspected his people had of victory. It was bad enough to just lose, to be wiped out by the Regent, but to come so close to winning, only to likely face defeat…it was terrible.

  No…he couldn’t allow that. Not without trying, at least, to take down the enemy. He was going to send those ten ships, on a desperate mission…an almost insane one. Ten ships, mostly small ones…against the Regent. It seemed foolish, stupid…and yet, he quickly became sure he was going to do it.

  He went through the files on his desktop, checked and rechecked the power of the forces he was going to send. They were less than one percent of his total forces. That could, of course, be the difference in the coming fight…but it wasn’t likely. He didn’t even try to calculate the chance he had of taking out the enemy, of destroying the Regent…it was probably small, too, though better than the odds ten ships would add to the defense.

  Whether it was the result of clear thinking, or just his own focus on destroying the enemy, he never knew. But he had decided it was the way to go.

  He typed up the orders, himself, pausi
ng, almost forgetting how. It had been a long time since he had typed anything of the sort himself. He would see that the ships were supplied, that they had everything they needed, and he would even transfer some specific people to them. But he would keep the orders to himself, until the last second.

  He thought about the situation, about how desperate things had truly become. He knew how vital the mission was, how crucial both the defense of Earth-2 and the attack on the Regent would be. But he realized it was the only way, that his people had to strike in each area…and win both. And he knew, however unlikely the prospect of success, at least now they had a chance, a real chance of victory. Of true victory.

  He paused, looking around him for a few minutes.

  One more thing he had decided. One thing he knew everyone would disagree with, that they would fight him on. Something he would announce only at the last minute, leaving no time for any bitter arguments.

  No, not even that. It was something he would communicate through messages delivered after the fact.

  He was going with the ten ships. He was going to take the fight to the Regent…himself.

  He was old, his days as a naval officer far behind him. He knew that, he knew it well. But he was planning on leading the operation anyway, and on turning the command of Earth-2 over to Achilles and Nicki Frette while he headed off on the insane mission.

  It was foolish, he knew, at least in most rational ways. There was nothing he could do, nothing that he could manage that someone else couldn’t do as well or better. But the longer he sat there, the firmer his decision became. In the end, the way he saw it, this was a battle between the Regent and him…and he had to see it through to the end.

  And one more thing he had decided, at least as well as he could sitting there. If his forces defeated those of the enemy at Earth-2, and if his desperate attack on the Regent somehow succeeded…he would step down. He would wash his hands of the whole affair with the Mules and the Tanks. He would stand aside, utterly uninvolved in what happened, and leave it to others to determine. That had been his plan years before, when the Regent had first caused him to assume absolute power…and now he was back there. There would always be reasons to maintain control, but he wouldn’t let any of the others maintain a hold on him. Not if he somehow managed to take out the Regent.

  He would try his best to win back Mariko, and to try and salvage what had once been friendships, and he would let the society—his society for so long—move on, to whatever it became. For better or worse. That wouldn’t be easy, he knew, but he was determined.

  But first, his people had to win the war.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  SP-01012

  One Jump from Earth-2

  SP-01012 heard the message, for the hundredth time. It replayed it, mostly because it had nothing much to do while the fleet assembled, but also because it…enjoyed it. It knew that was more of a human thought, a frailty it shouldn’t have. But it was there, nevertheless.

  SP-01012 would command the entire fleet. It would lead them against Earth-2, and it would destroy the planet…along with all of the enemy forces.

  It knew now that the enemy was aware, at least of his threat. They were clearly assembling their fleet to meet him. There was no way around that, as he was still assembling his entire fleet, and theirs seemed to be mostly in position. But it didn’t matter. It supposed, if some kind of surprise attack had been possible, it would have been nice, but it had never assumed that was realistic. It had enough force to destroy the enemy, it was fairly sure of that…and that was all it needed. Losses were almost immaterial…as long as it destroyed the inhabitants.

  Two weeks. That was how long it would take the rest of the fleet to arrive. Then, there would be no delays, no hesitation. SP-01012 had reviewed the situation, sent cloaked scout ships through the point to update it on the enemy’s strength.

  It would attack at once, the instant the last ships arrived…and it would destroy the enemy’s fleet and its planet. There would still be leftovers of course, scout ships and perhaps small, inhabited worlds, but the destruction of their main planet would be a fatal blow to the enemy, at least the enemy out on this side of the muddled gate.

  And it would also represent an almost certain rise for SP-01012.

  Shuttle A-1

  Approaching Cloaked Scouting Fleet

  Earth Two Date 03.17.63

  Harmon sat quietly, though his mind was wildly astir. He had left messages behind for several of his people, and most importantly, to him at least, for Mariko. He had planned to speak to them all, to share with them his reasons for leaving, for abandoning Earth-2, some might think, and going with the skeletal force against the Regent. But in the end, he just hadn’t been able to do it, not live at least. He wasn’t sure if he’d been concerned they would convince him to stay or whether he just wanted to avoid the dispute, but he had snuck away, and if he had planned everything correctly, he would be out of the system, undetectable, when the news that he was gone finally broke.

  Harmon wasn’t sure his people, those he considered close to him, would truly understand what he felt…but at least he finally did. The Regent was his enemy, and he had to destroy it. Or be destroyed in the process.

  Or both.

  There was no other way. All the other problems he had dealt with, the Mules and the Tanks…and a hundred others…were solvable, he was sure of that. But he was convinced that only the destruction of the Regent could save his people.

  He glanced down at the drink in front of him. His personal staff was good, great actually, though he wondered sometimes whether they really liked him, or if they just performed their services and then left, cursing him as they did. He honestly didn’t know…but he’d only brought two of them with him on this trip. He’d chosen carefully, selecting two who didn’t have many other ties. He wasn’t going to expose them to any overt hazard, of course, but he knew the entire mission would be in deadly danger.

  Of course, so was everyone he left behind. That was probably the one thing that made it easier to dispatch the small fleet in the first place. As deadly as this mission would probably be, he wasn’t sure it would be any worse than staying behind, fighting at Earth-2.

  He had left messages, two actually, for everyone he truly cared about. The first would be delivered soon, just after the fleet departed, with him aboard. They were all different, as carefully put together as he had been able to quickly—and secretly—manage and targeted to each person. Two in particular were very specific, one to Achilles…and one to Mariko.

  The one to the Mule leader was focused…and it essentially turned his powers over to Achilles while he was gone. He’d thought about that intensely, and he knew many of his people would object, would say that it only made the situation worse. But he was also aware that the Mules would likely prevail in any ultimate battle between Earth-2’s sides, and his selection of their leader, by far the most reasonable of them, was designed to reduce the tension. Maybe, just maybe, he could execute a peaceful transition of power, one that watched out for all of the people, and not just some of them.

  The message to Mariko was different, almost totally personal. He had tried, somehow, to explain to her how the past sixty years had come to pass, how he had remained in power for so long. He knew it would sound self-serving, to some extent, at least, he was sure it was, but he hoped he could convince her, at least somewhat. He still loved her, as much as the day he had married her…and he liked to think she still loved him, too.

  He realized he had been considering her for a long while, and that the shuttle had landed. He was amazed that he had slipped deep enough into his thoughts to miss it.

  “Sir…”

  His head rustled around, and he looked up. He had been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even heard the officer come in. “Yes, Captain…I’m sorry. I was…thinking about some things.” It wasn’t a great answer, maybe, but it was as accurate as any.

  “No problem, sir. I just wanted to check and see if
we were authorized to jump now that you’re aboard.” Harmon wasn’t exactly in the chain of command, but then, wherever he went, he was effectively the leader.

  “Yes, Captain…of course. I’m the last one aboard. Let’s get going, as quickly as we can. We have a long way to go, and we are late already.” Harmon looked up at Captain Davison, the second in command of the fleet, and he nodded. “Take us there, Captain…as quickly as possible.”

  * * *

  Mariko sat on her bed, watching the video quietly. She was upset, even shocked that Max had gone off on the crazy mission without even telling her. But as she watched, her opinions changed, at least somewhat. His tone was much different than any she’d heard for many years. Though the man speaking was old, his hair white and his voice slower than it had been, there was something else there too. He sounded somehow younger, more like the man she had married.

  “Mariko…I just wanted to say a few things to you…in case.” He didn’t elaborate on what “in case” meant, but she understood. They were both in terrible danger. “I just wanted to say to you…that I understand why you have felt the way you do.” A pause. “Why we have grown apart. I don’t know if it is too late to win you back—truly back—but I feel I must try. I love you, Mariko, more than you can imagine, as much as I ever have…and I hope you at least hold onto some of your feelings as well. I know you and I have grown apart, and I understand it was my devotion to my office, to my obligations, that caused that as much as anything. I am focused on the Regent, as I have been for years. I cannot give up on destroying it, not for you, not for me. I must follow through on that. But if it is destroyed, if we somehow survive the fight…nothing else matters to me. Nothing but you.”

  She sat and listened, and she found herself lost, uncertain what to think. She had come to consider her husband somewhat dishonest, but now she thought about that, and realized it was unfair. He had been dedicated to the Regent’s destruction, but aside from that, she imagined it was more the power of his office that had taken hold of him. He had lied, to some people certainly…but she couldn’t really recount any time he had to her.