by Clark Graham
Victory, how sweet it is. White light filled the main screen and Luden’s battleship rocked violently. “What was that?”
The ensign focused on the screen at the console in front of him. “Sir, it’s the Torstar. It's… it's gone, Sir.”
“Gone, how could it be gone?”
“Sir, it self-destructed.”
Luden stood up to see where the Torstar had been. So thorough was the destruction, not even the frame of the ship was left. He stood there for the longest time. Another flash of light as another ship exploded. This one was near enough to knock the prince off his feet. Several men rushed toward him. After they pulled him up, he instinctively brushed himself off.
“Stop them. I need those ships.”
The crewmen at the console looked at each other. There was no way of stopping them. Self destruction was so far beyond Navy tradition that no one had ever thought it a possibility before today.
Another ship exploding nearby sent the prince sprawling across the floor again. Officers helped him to his feet.
“Sir, please sit down,” the admiral admonished.
Luden complied just in time. Another explosion rocked the ship.
“Steer clear of all enemy ships.” The admiral ordered. Two more ships exploded moments later.
Captain Relense was about to hit the self-destruct timer. Most of his crew had already abandoned ship. There was only a skeleton crew left on board. Pausing a second, he watched the Luden’s flagship fill his command screen. “Engine room, how much power do we have?”
“I can give you full power for a minute or two, but after that, all the seals will burst.”
“Do it.”
“Sir?”
“Now.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The drifting cruiser suddenly came to life. Relense set the timer off, his finger poised on the self-destruct button. He braced himself for impact.
The engine exploded, but there was enough momentum to propel the ship into the battleship. Metal screeched as in bent and twisted. The two ships collided. Relense was knocked off his feet, but soon regained them and hit the button. The explosion obliterated the cruiser and tore the battleship in half.
Chapter 21
Prince Atarius looked over the damaged fleets. Most of the ships were space dust. Luden’s admiral stood in front of him at full attention. “Luden’s dead, you said?”
“Yes, Sir. Along with Prince Carpatian. We found his body on the planet Kylos. He was murdered. There is no other heir. The other princes have been defeated. It is your right to rule both sectors.”
Atarius sat in his chair with the blanket wrapped around him, staring at the command screen. “So much destruction.”
“Daserant rigged his ships to self-destruct. He was denying Luden the use of them. He knew he was going to lose. It was a last act of defiance.”
“I want all sailors who were furloughed because of the war rounded up. Put them on Kylos. Use it as a prisoner of war camp. Ship all the defeated princes there, too. Demand that the grand duke and Emor surrender all of their ex-imperial sailors also. All the shipyards will work around the clock to repair the ships that are damaged. When those are repaired, they will build new ones. You, of course, will serve me now.”
The admiral gave him a sideways glance, but said, “Yes, Sir.”
After the admiral left, Prince Ataruis’ advisor asked, “Sir, what are you planning?”
“I have five fleets in various stages of repair. It is enough to go after Emor, or at the least, give him pause about going after me. I’m the last of the true princes to rule over a navy. I want that navy to be massive.”
“Yes, Sir.” The advisor gave a bow and left.
Ataruis pulled the blanket closer to his shivering frame. He had nothing to lose. He was dying, and he knew it. Going out with a bang. He snickered to himself.
The fleet seemed to come out of nowhere. Lieutenant Eiric swallowed hard as he pushed the button to his communicator. “Invasion, all ships pull back to the space dock. Repeat, all ships pull back to the space dock.” He took a deep breath.
He raised the Prime Sector. “Sir, the enemy is coming. I count eight, no, wait, ten battleships, five carriers and a multitude of destroyers and cruisers. They’re all headed straight at my position.”
Ataruis listened in on the communication. When the message ended, the admiral turned to him. “Sir, we can’t stop them.”
“What ships do we have ready? I want to protect the space dock.”
“We have been fighting ourselves for too long. We have fifteen fleets, but only one and a half that aren’t under repair. I say we take a page from Daserant’s playbook and blow the space dock to smithereens. That way Emor can’t use it against us.”
“No, I will not. We let them have their prize. We will retreat and make a stand with what we have here. Before they have those ships operational, we will have enough fleets to drive them away and take our space dock back. Take everything that can move under its own power and bring it here.”
Eiric watched as Emor’s fleets split into five. He was retreating as rapidly as he could, but the enemy’s fast destroyers were gaining on him. Very soon they would be in weapon’s range.
“Sir, the enemy’s fleets are fanning out. They are going after all the space docks.”
He could hear the prince’s tantrum over the intercom. “No, stop them, you have to stop them. Throw all the ships at them. Make them pay for every bit of space they occupy. If the ships have no guns, use them as battering rams. They must be stopped at all cost.”
Eiric clicked off the communicator, turned and announced, “All stop. Stand down from battle stations. Prepare to be boarded. I will not die for that whiner.”
The ship slowed to a stop as three destroyers rushed up to it.
The admiral stood tall. It was over and he knew it. They had been outfoxed by Emor yet again. The man must have known they would kill each other. All he had to do was wait. Now they had fought among themselves. The waiting was over. Emor was coming and he was sending his best admiral, Merken, straight at the prime sector.
He looked at the prince wrapped in his blanket, red-faced and screaming. He did the only thing that he thought was humane. He did it for his fleet. For all the men who wouldn’t die today because of him.
The admiral took out his blaster and shot the prince.
Chapter 22
Emor smiled a troubled smile. The enemy was surrendering. Not all at once, but a ship here and a ship there. When Ataruis’ fleet called it quits, he knew the war was over. Some of the enemy ships would battle on. Already a group of them were fleeing to the borderland sector of Galtras. They might find some alien horde to join the fight from there. Or perhaps he was being paranoid.
The war, for now, was over. Now the governing would begin.
Grand Duke Gastinof strode into the room. “Congratulations, you’ve won.”
Emor looked up from the table. “We’ve won.”
“Yes, of course, we’ve won. The only thing that troubles me is that you have no heir. Are we going to do all this again when you die?”
Emor nodded. “Of course, I have an heir. You. It doesn’t matter, I do not plan to die anytime soon.”
Gastinof cracked a grin, even though he tried not to. Only one man stood between him and becoming emperor. An old overweight, unhealthy man at that. Life was good. “I see, thank you.”
Emor gave him a sidewise glance. The grand duke forced himself to repress his smile. “What now?”
“Now? You go back to your sector and I’ll go back to mine. When you have everything in order, you will move your men and fleets to the prime sector. You’ll be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Empire. I don’t want any part of that. I’ll be in charge of commerce. The problems are mounting for the man trying to get goods from one market to another. When I have solved that problem, I’ll fix something else.”
“Very well, thank you.”
Emor stood up and faced
Grand Duke Gastinof. “Don’t think for a minute you’re free to make large decisions. All new laws go through me for my approval. Do you understand?”
A flash of anger was quickly subdued. “Yes, of course.”
“I’ll bid you good day then.” Emor walked out of the room.
The grand duke’s admiral stood beside him. “How do we get rid of him?”
“We don’t. He has too many friends. If anything happens to him, I’m a dead man. Right now, I’m the second most-powerful man in the galaxy. I like that better than being the illegitimate son to an emperor whose other sons hated me. Now my dear half-brothers need to disappear. I could care less how obvious it is. Emor will get the blame no matter what.”
With a wry smile the admiral replied, “I’ll make the arrangements.”
The Borderlands
No one ever came to this part of the galaxy. The Trilian war gone on for twenty years. In the end, neither the Trilians nor the Empire could gain ground. The cease-fire had lasted fifty years. Prince Yorgis looked out at the empty space. He had escaped from Kylos during the confusion of the regime change. It was his only chance of staying alive.
His brothers had stayed there in hopes of being spared by Emor. Yorgis knew the grand duke would have them all killed. He didn’t blame him. He would do the same if he were the last royal standing. It was the nature of things. Eliminate the small problems before they get to be big problems. He was planning on becoming a big problem.
His ship stopped at the rendezvous point. Soon seven black ships came into focus on the view screen. The ships of the Trilians, seemed ominous and deadly. The Borderlands, no man’s space, was still full of burnt out hulks of these and the imperial ships that fought there.
The message screen opened up, the face of Karton filled it. “Prince Yorgis, welcome to Trilian space.”
“Grand Chancellor Karton, many thanks I give you for rescuing me.”
“I find your messages to us to be most interesting. Especially the ones that tell me the old emperor is dead and the fleets of his are scattered and destroyed. We will talk further when you come aboard my ship.”
The prince swallowed. The man was ugly. All the Trilians were ugly. Black hair, black eyes, dark red complexion. The eyebrows grew up at the end, not down like they should. “Yes, now is the time for us to work together to enslave them. They are weak.”
The screen went blank. Yorgis heard the clanks of a ship locking on to his. The hatch opened and ten fully armed Trilians dropped through. Without a word, they motioned the prince onto their ship.
What have I gotten myself into?
Pirate Patrol
Chapter 23
Star Base Asclepius
Keldar Sector
The starbase looked like space debris when the frigate Ederic neared. The outer hull was pot-marked with corrosion and grime. The frigate stopped and sent out a shuttle. The large docking bay doors of the base opened to allow it in.
When Captain Merken stepped out, he saluted Commander Tarish. “Sir, I relieve you.”
Tarish saluted back. “I stand relieved.” Both men saluted each other, then the Commander stepped into a transport. Merken watched as it left the station.
“Welcome onboard, Sir. I’m Lieutenant Gromsom. I’m the executive officer. Lieutenant Commander Felisar is your first officer. He is attending to some last minutes details or would be here himself. Lieutenant Phay is the wing commander of the squadron. He is assisting Commander Felisar.”
Merken cringed. It was insubordination, in his mind, not to attend the handing over of power on a ship or a starbase. It was a game officers played when they didn’t like what was happening to their favorite commander. It would not be tolerated. “I will keep my quarters on the frigate. Have them report to me when they find the time.” His last words had an intentional edge to them.
“Sir, the frigate is staying, Sir?”
“Yes, it is.” Merken stepped back into the shuttle and was whisked back to the starship.
Phay and Felisar came up to Gromsom. “Well, what did he say? Where did he go?”
“He’s on the frigate. You are to report to him at your earliest convenience.”
“Was he a daddy’s boy like they say?” Felisar asked. “Having a father who’s an admiral has its benefits.”
Gromsom shook his head at the two of them. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you? I did my homework. This man took on five destroyers in a corvette. He has had three ships in the last six months shot out from under him. He’s tough as nails and not to be messed with. Your little power play might have cost you more than you’re willing to spend.”
“Nonsense.” Phay smiled. “There’s nothing he can do. He’s never commanded roc’fis before.”
The rocket fighters, or roc’fis as the men called them, had been developed for patrolling the Keldar sector. The sector bordered null space, an area of the galaxy where there were no planets. It was a haven for pirate ships.
Gromsom walked off.
The shuttle from the ship landed on the hangar deck. A lieutenant stepped out. Seeing the two men standing there he said, “I’m here to summon Commander Felisar and Lieutenant Phay to the captain’s office.”
“I have other things to attend to. I’ll report when I’m able.” Felisar had only taken two steps when ten Marines from the shuttle, surrounded him.
“I have orders to bring you in chains if required. There are no options here.”
Lieutenant Phay swallowed, “Let the record state that I am coming willingly.”
Both men boarded the shuttle. Phay looked out the window at the frigate. It was one of the new ones. It’s new white armor encompassed the craft making it shiny. The ship was made for speed, not stealth. The engines were so large, the hull of the ship had been expanded at that point.
When they arrived the two of them were ushered into the captain’s ready room. Merken eyed them up and down. “Lieutenant Felisar, you are being relieved of duty and stripped of rank.”
“I was busy, is that a problem?” Felisar snapped.
“I was busy. Is that a problem, Sir?” Merken replied.
Felisar folded his arms.
“You’re only adding to the charges of gross insubordination. Per article 83 of the naval code approved by Emor himself, all officers are to be present when a new captain reviews the ship.”
“Am I supposed to know every little code?”
“Yes, you are.” Merken pushed a button on his desk. In a minute the same officer who had brought them to the ship came in. “Lieutenant Zakan, lead the commander here to the brig. Give him a copy of the naval code. When he has it memorized and can use the word, sir, put him on a transport out of here.”
“With pleasure, Sir.” Zakan led Felisar out of the room.
“And you, you are on report. I expect no more stupidity out of you.”
Phay swallowed. “Yes, Sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Phay was glad to be boarding a shuttle back to the station. His estimation of the new captain had done a 180. He would try harder to not cross the man in the future. Still, he hated the man’s authoritarian way of leading. He had lost that round, but could find other ways to embarrass the captain.
Chapter 24
Star Base Asclepius
Keldar Sector
Lieutenant Gromsom waited for the shuttle to dock. He was in his dress whites, which made the lean, tall man appeared even skinnier. He brushed back his brown hair under his cap and smoothed out his mustache.
Phay rolled his eyes as he watched Gromsom groom himself.
At least he’s here this time, Gromsom thought. The door opened and the two men saluted Captain Merken and his staff as they walked in.
Merken smiled. “Lieutenant Gromsom. I’ve read your file and I must say, I’m impressed. I’m promoting you to Lieutenant Commander, pending approval from the Admiralty. You are now the captain of this station. Lieutenant Zakan is your first officer.”
&nbs
p; “Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”
“I need a duty team to don space suits and scrape off the corrosion on the station’s hull. Also, I need my officers in the wardroom in half an hour.”
“Yes, Sir.”
As the captain strode off, Zakan stood next to Gromsom.
Phay shook his head. “’I want my officers in the wardroom.’ We aren’t his officers. His officers are on the frigate.”
“Shut it.” Snapped Gromsom.
“Oh, that’s right, you’re in charge now. ‘Lieutenant Gromsom. I’ve read your file and I must say, I’m impressed.’ Now this goon, who took Felisar to the brig, is your lap dog.”
“I’ve had enough of your attitude.” Gromsom got in his face. “If you don’t shut your mouth, you’ll be joining your buddy in the brig. And yes, that is an order. Now get down to the wardroom.” Gromsom stomped down the corridor.
Zakan shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve seen some real idiots in my life, but you, Phay, take the cake. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Merken is a true commander. He doesn’t back down from a fight. If you want a fight, he’ll give you one. I guarantee, he’ll win.” Without another word, Zakan left.
Phay sighed and made his way down to the wardroom.
Ensign Eisler sat in the front row. He was a troublemaker in Phay’s eyes, but a friend of Gromsom. Phay had Commander Tarish talked into getting rid of the ensign, but when the orders came through for Tarish to leave, all personnel changes were frozen until the new commander took over.
Now that Tarish and Felisar were gone, he felt all alone. Still, he was defiant, but no longer openly so. He sat back, plotting his next move.
Captain Merken stood in front of the group, a map of the sector projected on the screen behind him. “Here, gentlemen is our problem.” He pointed at a spot between the starbases. “The Drottning fighters had enough range to cover the gaps between space stations. We’ve retired most of those. The new fighters are sleeker, faster, and have more firepower, but don’t have the range of the Drottnings. This leaves gaps in our defenses. Pirates are exploiting these gaps. The Empire ignored this problem, because they were preparing for a bigger war. We are not going to. Emor is a merchant himself, and sees no reason to allow pirate raids to continue on our unarmed shipping.”
