HIMS SIR GALAHAD, HYPERSPACE, APRIL 9TH, 1000.
One of the larger recreation rooms on board the Sir Galahad had been redressed to become a large dining hall, such as found on one of the luxurious cruise liners. Ten tables, each capable of seating twenty people, populated the room. Sideboards full of food and drink were set up around the walls, while mess crew in dress uniforms served the courses of the sumptuous meal that was set up on the tables.
Jennifer wore the best dress she possessed, one that had been furnished by the ship’s shop for this feast. In fact, it was of better quality than anything she had ever owned. She looked around the table and saw that everyone was dressed to the hilt, even those who looked decidedly uncomfortable at this table.
Sean sat to her right, at what would be considered the head of the table. Opposite her was the pretty young woman who had been identified to her as Samantha Lee, the cousin of the Emperor. Also seated around the table were the Admiral and her Flag Captain, as well as the Captain of the ship. She thought she recognized the Army officer wearing the dress uniform with the eagles of a colonel on his collar, and even the older man, also in army uniform, eagles on his collar and a ranger flash on his sleeve. She smiled a moment when she saw Cornelius Walborski, the man she had treated for a broken arm on Sestius, who looked decidedly uncomfortable in his suit, and frowned when she didn’t see anyone that looked like the wife he had talked about.
The meal proceeded smoothly, with no one knocking over glasses or dropping large quantities of food to the floor. There was the usual small talk of all dinner parties, and Sean paid close attention to her throughout the meal, to the frowns of his cousin and the looks of the Admiral.
“A toast,” called out the Admiral as soon as the last plate was cleared. “To our Emperor. May he reign long and wisely.”
Glasses were raised and clinked over the table in the long standing salute at all naval meals, and the people at the other tables followed suit. Sean, of course, did not raise his glass, as he was the one being honored by the toast, which had to be a first aboard this vessel. As soon as the glasses were finished they were filled by the attentive serving staff.
“This dinner was not only given as a social affair,” said the Emperor, looking around the table. “I want to ask questions of some of our guests who were on that planet. I know it is not really something most of you want to talk about, and I know I will see the official reports later. But I want to hear it from the people who were there, while it is still fresh in your minds.”
The guests looked at each other, some with frowns. But there were also many nodding heads.
He really knows his stuff, thought Jennifer, looking at the Monarch. He’s diplomatic, and wishes to grow in wisdom as soon as possible.
“I would like to know what you think of our guests?” he asked the table.
“What we think of the bastards,” said Walborski, his eyes blazing. “How do you mean that?”
“I must apologize for my young friend, your Majesty,” said the grizzled looking Ranger Colonel. “He lost his wife to the Cacas, and there is no love lost there.”
Oh no, thought Jennifer, putting a hand over her mouth. What about the baby?
“I understand,” said Sean, bowing his head. “I lost many friends and shipmates in Massadora system. And we have no need of formality here. So, my young warrior. What do you think of the Caca warriors?”
“I don’t think much of them,” said the young man, the fierce look never leaving his face. “They are good fighters out in the open. But get them in a jungle and they are just big clumsy targets.”
“And you know this how, farmer?” asked a Marine Lt. Colonel who sat at the table.
The older colonel put his hand on the young man’s shoulder before he jumped across the table at the Marine. The officer glared at the man who was his subordinate in rank. “He knows this because he killed over twenty of them in the jungle. Several hand to hand.”
“And he told you this.”
“I saw several of the kills myself,” said the Colonel with a cold smile. “Including one of the hand to hand kills.”
“And what do you wish to do now, my young firebrand?” asked Sean, sending a cold glare the Marine Light Colonel’s way, then looking back at the young farmer with a smile.
“I want to kill more of the bastards,” said the young man in a tone that chilled the spines of everyone at the table. “I want your Army to teach me how to kill them in the most efficient way possible.”
“Then you shall have your wish, Cornelius Walborski,” said the Monarch, looking over at Samantha and nodding his head. “And what do you think the greatest weakness of these big louts?”
“They are clumsy,” said Walborski, his eyes lighting with passion as he spoke. “They’re big and strong, but they lack agility. And in close quarters they have a hard time maneuvering.”
“What about their intelligence? And I don’t mean their ability to gather information,” Sean said quickly, looking around at his military people. “I mean their brains.”
“I don’t think they are mentally agile, your Majesty,” said the grizzled looking Colonel. “I don’t mean to say they are dumb. Just, from what I have seen, they are not that quick to adjust to changing situations in combat.”
“Seen much combat, Colonel?” said the Marine Light Colonel with a sneer.
“Preacher has probably seen as much as your entire battalion, Marine,” said the other Colonel, whose faraway look marked him as a combat veteran. “I don’t hold a candle to him, and I have probably seen more combat this year than you have in your career.”
“That’s the Preacher?” asked the Light Colonel, his eyes widening. “I had no idea, Colonel. And I am sorry for doubting you.”
“Who is the Preacher?” asked Sean, his eyes darting from man to man.
“The most deadly special ops soldier of our generation,” said the Marine, his face flushing in embarrassment. “And if he says something, your Majesty, I would take it as gospel.”
Glad that pissing match is over, thought Jennifer, almost choking on the testosterone that was permeating the room.
“And what do you wish, Colonel?” asked Sean, looking at the officer. “I understand that you had gone into retirement. Maybe a world in another sector.”
“If it’s up to me, your Majesty, I would just as soon go back into military service. I can still serve the Empire, and I don’t see peace for any of us as long as we have this enemy to fight.”
“I can speak for the Preacher, your Majesty,” said Walborski, a little bit of the anger gone from his eyes. “I’ve never seen a man move through the brush so quietly in my life. He’s like a ghost, until he comes out of the shadows to kill the enemy.”
“No disrespect, Cornelius,” said Sean, holding up a hand to prevent the Marine Light Colonel from speaking. “But do you have much experience in the, brush, as you called it?”
“I helped my father to run hunting expeditions on New Detroit,” said Walborski with pride. “A lot of overly prideful but dull nobles would have died, if not for me and my father.”
“Watch your tongue,” said Captain Greenefield, pointing a finger at the man.
Sean barked a laugh and looked at the Captain. “No, Captain Greenefield. He is correct. Most nobles like to pretend they’re the great hunter, masters of all they see. And if not for people like young Cornelius and his father, many of them would be shit on the ground after the native life ate them.”
Jennifer let out a chuckle, which she stifled. She was liking this former prince more and more. He was not what she expected from a member of the Imperial family. He knew his position, and his power, but didn’t misuse it. He connected with his people, no matter their rank, as equal citizens of the Empire, even though both parties knew that was not entirely true.
“And what did you think of our enemies, Colonel Baggett?” asked Sean, looking at the other Army Colonel.
“They fought hard, your Majesty,” said the youn
ger Colonel. “And bravely. But they were uncoordinated in their execution.”
“What do you mean?”
“There were several times during the campaign when they killed more of their own through friendly fire than from ours,” said Baggett, picking up his glass and taking a sip.
“And what about their greater size?”
“It was as young Walborski said. They could carry a greater weight of weapons than could we, but they didn’t move as well. And they made very large targets.”
“Anything else?”
“Their armor and equipment were on a par with ours, the medium armor my regiment was equipped with. But they did not compare with the heavy armor of the Marines I had attached to my unit.”
Glen, thought Jennifer, holding back the tears as those words brought up the memory of her fiancé’ in his great armor.
“I also saw their tanks in action, or what was their equivalent. And they were no match for our heavy vehicles.”
“Very interesting,” said the Marine Light Colonel. “So we are their superior in ground combat.”
“At least for now,” said Baggett, nodding. “But Darwinian evolution will work in a military sense, and I am sure they will get better.”
“I have a theory that the Cacas have found most of their conquests too easy,” said the Emperor. “You may be right, Colonel. They may learn their lessons about warfare from us. But I also have another theory, and the facts seem to bear me out. I really wonder if these creatures are as mentally agile as we are, in any respect. We have advanced so much faster than they have. Maybe part of that is they didn’t see the need for such advancement. But part of it may be that their scientists aren’t as good as ours. And the slave scientists they use don’t have the incentive to do their best work.”
“Then all we need to do is show them they have a real fight on their hands and they’ll quit,” said the Light Colonel.
“No, Colonel,” said the Emperor, shaking his head. “They will not quit. Not until we are all dead, or they defeated utterly.”
The table went silent at hearing that, and hope went out of many of the faces of people listening at the other tables. Jennifer felt the shiver of fear run through her, and knew that she looked just as hopeless as those others.
“So we must defeat them utterly,” said Sean, a grim smile on his face. “We have not lost a war since we came to this space. And I don’t intend the first war of my reign to break that tradition. We may be outnumbered, but we have closed the tech gap with the enemy over the two millennia since we last faced them. And I am sure we will soon catch and then surpass them. We have the advantage of interior lines of supply, while they must bring everything across thousands of light years. So we will defeat them, utterly.”
After the dinner was over Sean took Jennifer’s hand, and led her to a sitting room with a screen that showed a view of the hyperspace around them. Jennifer felt like she was rushing into something that she was not sure of. Her fiancé’ had died less than a week ago. And common courtesy demanded a mourning period. She felt a hand on her face and looked up into the blue eyes of Sean gazing into hers.
“Your Majesty,” she said, shivering as his hand again stroked her cheek.
“Call me Sean, Jennifer. Always, in all company, call me Sean.”
“This isn’t right. Or proper. I have just lost a lover and friend. The man I had planned to marry.”
“I understand it is too soon, Jennifer Conway. And I am willing to wait. But know this, that I have been in love with you from the moment I first saw you.”
“Infatuation is all it is,” said Jennifer, trying to retreat to the professional part of her personality to take control of her emotions. “You don’t even know me, so there is no way you can love me.”
“I do,” said Sean, his mouth moving toward hers. “I…”
“Your Majesty,” came a call over the intercom. “Would you please report to the bridge, immediately.”
“Shit,” said the Emperor, looking away for a moment. Jennifer took that opportunity to jump up from the seat and flee from the situation that was about to make her lose control, at a time when she couldn’t afford to.
* * *
“Shit,” said Sean again as he ran down the hallway to the nearest lift. He had wanted to go after Jennifer, to explain to her that he was not thinking, that he would back off. But the call from the bridge had an urgent tone to it, and he could not let these people think that he was so shallow as to only think with his gonads.
His guards looked at him in surprise, expressions on their faces that told him they weren’t sure what was going on. Then they took off after him at a run.
“You need to leave that poor girl alone,” said Samantha, coming around the corner of another corridor. “She’s not ready to be seduced.”
“I really did not mean a seduction,” said Sean, shaking his head as his cheeks flushed. “I truly meant to court her honorably.”
“There’s a unique concept,” said his cousin with a sneer. “An honorable man, when he finds someone he wants to bed, is an oxymoron. You found a sweet woman who appeals to you, and you go off thinking with your dick.”
The lift opened in front of them and Sean ran in, Samantha following. The two Marines piled in after them and took their places, staring at the walls and pretending they were not actually there. Sean glanced at them for a moment, wondering if he would ever get used to that concept, of people who were invisible in the performance of their duties, even in plain sight. Samantha started to open her mouth and Sean turned on her.
“Look,” he said, pointing a finger at his cousin’s face. “I did not ask for this. And I did not ask for your interference.”
“I’m here to be your counselor,” said Samantha, crossing her arms and glaring at the Imperial cousin. “If you don’t want to listen, that is your choice. But it is my duty to say them.”
The lift opened and both cousins shut their mouths, embarrassed that they might be overheard by someone outside of the Emperor’s Guard, who were sworn to tell no tales. “Let’s go,” said Sean in a low voice. “We’ll discuss this later.”
He hurried down the corridor to the door to the Flag Bridge. The door opened, and the Marines on guard gave him a rifle salute that he returned with his hand. The bridge had a full duty crew, and the Admiral sat in her chair, still wearing her dress uniform from dinner.
“We might have a problem, your Majesty,” said the Admiral, turning to look at the newcomers.
“What is it, Admiral,” said Sean, looking at the holo plot and seeing nothing.
The Admiral pointed at the Sensor Officer, and a sound came over the speakers. A sound all on the bridge recognized, the faint pulsing resonance of ships moving through hyper.
“The Sensor Chief on Basingee’s flagship picked this up about ten minutes ago,” said the Admiral, getting up from her chair and walking to the holo tank. Faint red images appeared there, at the edge of detection range, really beyond, but sometimes hyperspace acted like the oceans, and strange energy layers could transmit grav waves further than expected.
“It might be a ghost,” said the Sensor Officer. “An echo.”
Sean gave the officer a quizzical look. “Do you believe that?”
“No, your Majesty,” said the officer. “I do not. They are following us, laying back beyond our detection range, but not beyond their own.”
“So why don’t they come after us?” asked Samantha, looking at the red dots on the plot that gave the projected position of an enemy force of unknown composition.
The Admiral shot her former officer a look of disdain, and Sean knew that were it not for him Samantha would be ordered from the bridge.
“Maybe they think we have a base we are operating from out here on the frontier, and hope to follow us to it,” said the Tactical Officer.
“Seems reasonable to me,” said Sean. “And hopefully we can take them with us all the way to Conundrum, and let them get a surprise of their own.”
The Admiral turned away from her plot and moved to the tactical station. “How far are they back?”
“At least a couple of light hours,” said the officer, looking up from his plot. “That would be light hours in hyper VII. About four light years in normal space.”
“So with their maximum closure they could catch us in twenty hours,” said the Admiral, grimacing. “And how far are we from Conundrum? she asked, looking at the Navigation Officer.
“Two hundred forty-six light years, ma’am,” said that officer. “Two point seven days travel time.”
“There have to be patrols out here,” said the Tactical Officer. “We have to chance upon aid.”
“And if they’re in VI and we’re in VII, we might as well be halfway across the Universe from them,” said the Navigator.
“Just keep the force moving in the right direction, at the proper speed, and we’ll just see what happens,” said the Admiral, looking back at the plot, then mumbling what could only be a prayer under her breath.
Sean said a silent prayer as well, wishing that he had never made the scout force go on the ill-fated mission that would probably cost every one of the crew their lives. And the damned civilians would have been better off back on the planet. At least there they could have hidden in the jungle. While out here they have no place to hide.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it. George Orwell.
HYPER VII BATTLE CRUISER JEAN DE ARC, HYPERSPACE HEADING FOR CONUNDRUM. APRIL 11TH, 1000.
“We’ll be there in another two weeks,” said Jackson over the public com, his tone upbeat. “And we haven’t seen anything of the enemy for days.”
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 3: The Rising Storm Page 55
