“Prepare a shuttle and my personal guards. I’m going down to the surface to reclaim my empire.”
-
Two hours later, Supreme Overlord Xatul and Overlord Bixutl strolled through the new massive building that was home to the Kleese Council of Overlords. As they made their way through the corridors escorted by twenty Kleese in Type Three battlesuits, they found signs of heavy fighting. Occasionally they would come upon a Zaltule in a battlesuit who had died or a number of unarmored Kleese, who had been ruthlessly eliminated. Several times they found Kleese in Type Three battlesuits who were not Zaltule, lying dead in pools of blood.
At last they reached the long and ornate hallway that led to the actual council chambers. It was here they found the first signs of living Kleese. Ten guards in Type Three battlesuits barred their way.
“Allow us through!” demanded Xatul as he glared at the Kleese in the battlesuits. “I am your Supreme Overlord and you must obey my commands.”
The guards hesitated for a moment and then stepped aside.
Pushing open the massive doors, Xatul entered the council chambers seeing ten Council Overlords standing around the large ceremonial stone table in the center of the room. Some he recognized and a few he did not.
“We are pleased to see your safe return,” spoke Raluth in a loud and commanding voice. “Your empire awaits.”
Xatul went to the front of the stone table as Raluth stepped aside. He paused as his guards took up protective positions around the perimeter of the room with their armored backs against the walls. Bixutl took his customary position at the table waiting for Xatul to speak.
“I have returned with a fleet of Kleese and Strell warships,” he began in a cold and steady voice. “With the aid of the Strell, we will drive the Zaltule from our empire and return it to how it was before the warrior race was awakened.”
“The Strell,” said Overlord Martule, shifting uneasily on his six legs. “Can we trust the serpent race?”
“We still control most of their Queens,” Xatul replied. “We have an advantage over the Zaltule at the moment as their fleet is scattered and will not be able to respond to our attacks upon them for quite some time. I intend to eradicate all the Zaltule in the empire.”
“Eliminate the warrior clan,” spoke one of the new council members. “Is that wise; wouldn’t it be better to put them to sleep again?”
“The icy moon which contained their sleeping chambers was attacked by the Humans and that facility was destroyed,” Raluth informed the other councilor. “There isn’t time to build a new facility to contain millions of Zaltule. I don’t believe they would submit willingly to going into deep sleep again.”
“Council Overlord Raluth is correct,” Xatul said, his eyes sweeping across the councilors. “It was a mistake to awaken them in the beginning though we had no way of knowing they would attempt to supersede this council. As we did with clans in our far distant past, we must eliminate the Zaltule as they represent a clear danger to the future of our empire.”
Raluth rose up to his full height and then spoke. “I have tactical information you may find useful.”
Raluth paused, wondering if he should require some type of compensation for his information and then decided in this instance it was best not to request anything of the Supreme Overlord. Too many Kleese had already died.
Xatul turned his eyes upon Raluth. “What is this information?”
“I have the location of all twenty-six nests of the Zaltule,” Raluth responded. “If we move quickly, we can eliminate their Queens and that alone will ensure the end of the warrior clan.”
“Send the coordinates up to my flagship, the Warrior’s Fire,” Xatul ordered. “I will see to the destruction of these Zaltule nests myself.”
-
The next day in the system of Sherlund, one thousand Strell battlecruisers along with two thousand Kleese assault ships dropped out of Fold Space around the Zaltule installations in the system. They found most of them already destroyed or under heavy attack from a number of Kleese exploration ships and assault vessels from other clans. A group of two hundred Zaltule battlecruisers had formed up around the massive shipyard that built the huge trading stations of the Kleese.
“There is no trading station inside the construction yard,” Minor Den Leader Riesa reported.
“Strange,” spoke Den Leader Bith. “Our reports indicate there should be.”
“Supreme Overlord Xatul will not be pleased with this information,” Riesa hissed, his tongue flicking forth.
“It is what it is,” replied Bith dismissively. “We will destroy these Zaltule battlecruisers and then continue to our next target.”
The Strell fleet and Kleese assault ships closed with the Zaltule battlecruisers. Just as they prepared to fire, the Zaltule ships accelerated and entered Fold Space. Within minutes, all the fighting in the system ceased as the reports began to come in of the sudden departure of the Zaltule.
-
Six light years away, Supreme Overlord Xatul watched the viewscreen in his flagship as the last Zaltule battlecruiser blocking his way to the planet that was his target was blown apart by heavy energy beam fire. He had divided his fleet up into four task groups of sixty each and assigned each task group a list of six planets to attack where there were populations of Zaltule as well as Queens. The task group with the Empire’s Dawn had eight targets to destroy.
“There are two million Zaltule living on this planet,” Minor Overlord Labatt said.
“Put us into orbit above the planet and locate all the Zaltule population centers and then I want them eliminated with antimatter warheads. Once we have located the Zaltule Queen that resides on this planet ensure her nest is annihilated.” Xatul strongly suspected this must be one of the worlds where an original Queen resided. That would explain the large population of Zaltule.
After a few minutes, Minor Overlord Labatt stepped over to the Command Pedestal. “We have detected large encampments of young hatchlings near one of the mountains on the planet. Computer estimates place more than eighty thousand Zaltule young near the mountain.”
Xatul wasn’t surprised. Queens preferred to keep the newly hatched close to them until they were capable of fending for themselves. A Queen could produce special hormones that would increase the growth rate of a hatchling so they could read maturity in less than two years. An older Queen such as the one that was probably beneath the mountain could produce over one hundred thousand new hatchlings per year as well as new Queens.
“It’s obvious the Zaltule are rushing the hatchlings into adulthood so they can rapidly increase their numbers,” Xatul said. “It is even more evidence that they intended at some point in the future to take complete control of our empire and possibly eliminate some or all of the major Kleese clans.”
“It is well we struck when we did,” Labatt responded.
-
For twenty more minutes, the Kleese battle fleet orbited the planet. At the end of that time, the hatches over the missile tubes slid open and two hundred antimatter missiles flashed down to explode one thousand meters above the surface. Zaltule by the tens of thousands were vaporized wherever they were upon the planet. There was no attempt to flee, as escape was impossible. At one mountainous area, twenty antimatter warheads detonated in series as a deep and glowing pit was blasted out of the ground. When the explosions finally stopped, the mountain that had once stood there was gone, and so was the nest of the planet’s Zaltule Queen.
Xatul gazed at the smoking ruins and nodded his triangular shaped head in satisfaction. “Take the fleet back into Fold Space and set a course for the next target. We have more Zaltule and more of their Queens to slay.”
Xatul was once more in control of the Kleese Empire. It would be weeks yet before Military Overlord Harmock learned of his return. By then it would be too late for him to save the Zaltule clan. The Queens would all be dead and their forces at the heart of the empire eliminated as well as the majority of their populati
on. Xatul would show Harmock there was more than one Supreme Military Overlord and that Overlord would destroy the Zaltule once and for all.
Chapter Nineteen
Ryan and Casey were at his parents’ home taking some time off from the war. They had both gone through some grueling debriefing sessions at Centerpoint. There was no blame being placed for what had happened, just a determination by the officers in command to make sure such a mistake never happened again.
“It must have been dreadful,” Ryan’s mother said as she handed Casey a cup of tea. “How is Lauren doing now?”
“Much better,” Casey said as she took a cautious sip of her tea and then smiled. It was perfect! “We didn’t leave Centerpoint until Lauren was awake and we could talk to her.”
“Alexander and Autumn are still there and will be looking after her until they can all come out to Vesta,” Ryan added. “The doctors at Centerpoint injected her with some special medical nanites after they did surgery, and she should be able to leave the hospital in three or four more days.”
Ryan’s mother shook her head and frowned. “I just get the heebie-jeebies every time I think about having some tiny robot floating around inside my body. I don’t know if I could ever allow myself to undergo such a treatment.”
Ryan laughed. “You get used to the idea after awhile, particularly after you see what the nanites can do.”
“They save a lot of lives, don’t they, Ryan?” Jonathan said from where he was sitting next to his wife.
“Yes, they do.” Ryan looked over at his father. “I understand the two of you are getting in a lot of practice being grandparents.” Ryan knew that Beth brought little Eric over nearly every other day.
“I love it!” his mother said with a pleased smile spreading across her face. Then she looked pointedly at Casey. “Of course, I’m ready for another one.”
Casey’s face flushed as she wondered if Ryan’s mother was talking about her and Ryan. Before she could say anything, there was a knock at the front door and then it opened as Wade and Beth came in. Little Erick was cradled protectively in Beth’s arms.
“Hello, big brother,” Ryan said standing up.
“It’s been awhile,” replied Wade, coming over and giving Ryan and Casey a friendly hug.
Beth came over and sat down next to Casey. “Do you want to hold Erick?”
Casey nodded and reaching out took the small child and then cradled him in the nook of her arm. She began gently rocking Erick, feeling pleased when the baby seemed to fall back to sleep. “I must be doing something right.”
“You’re a natural,” Ryan’s mother said staring lovingly at Erick.
“Let’s go into the kitchen,” Ryan’s dad suggested. “I’m sure the women want to talk about babies with Erick in the room.”
“At least for awhile,” Beth answered.
The three men went into the kitchen and Wade walked over to a cabinet and opened it, taking down a colorful jar his mom always kept chocolate chip cookies in.
Jonathan laughed. “That jar has been in our family for years. It was one of the few items we brought up from Earth. Your mother always keeps it full of cookies just in case either one of you come home.”
The three spent some time talking about Vesta, what was going on in politics in the system, and to a lesser extent the war. They were sitting around the kitchen table when Wade’s comm unit went off. He frowned and removed the small device from his shirt pocket. It was very similar to an old Earth cell phone but had capabilities far in excess of anything one of the old cell phones ever had.
He saw he had been sent a message by none other than General Mitchell. Putting it to his ear, he listened to the message and as he did so, his face turned pale and his eyes grew wide. When the message was finished, he turned the comm device off and put it back in his pocket.
“Bad news?” asked Ryan, seeing the look on Wade’s face.
“We just received a message from the Sparrow.”
“What’s the Sparrow?” Ryan asked confused.
Wade sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “While you were gone we managed to attach a number of tracking devices on a dozen Zaltule battlecruisers so we could trace their fleet movement. A week ago, they attacked the Alliance world of Callenda and fought a brief fleet battle with Alliance Fleet Admiral Rivers. All I know about the battle is that Admiral Rivers was forced to withdraw and the Zaltule took control of the planet. The Sparrow is a light cruiser and has been tracking the Zaltule fleet.”
“Callenda,” Ryan said thoughtfully. “Wasn’t that the last nonaligned world to join the Alliance?”
Wade nodded. “It was also the weakest since it waited so long to join. Fleet Admiral Kelly and General Mitchell have been waiting on the next report from the Sparrow. Some in the military assumed the Zaltule, after attacking Callenda, would attack the next nearest Alliance world. Marken and some others felt that they would come here.”
Ryan let out a deep breath. He knew without asking what his brother was about to say. “Marken’s right isn’t he, they’re coming here?”
“Yes, that’s what the message said. The Sparrow just confirmed the main Zaltule fleet is its way here and will arrive in eight to ten days.”
“We’re safe here in Vesta, aren’t we Wade?” asked Jonathan with concern in his eyes.
“We should be,” Wade answered, his eyes shifting over to his father. “Vesta has the strongest defenses in the Solar System and all four habitats are buried deep inside.”
Ryan shook his head knowing the time off he had been planning for him and Casey had just come crashing to an end. “I guess I better check in and see where they want Casey and I to report.”
“No,” Wade said, his eyes meeting his brother’s. “I’m going to pull some strings and have all of your Marines assigned to Vesta for this emergency. Major Jeffries could use some good experienced people to help in the defense of the spacedock, particularly if they’ve been trained in the Type Four battlesuits.”
Jonathan looked surprised. “You think they’ll make it inside?”
“They did last time,” answered Wade, recalling the intense battle. “However, we have much stronger defenses, but it never hurts to take some added precautions. Besides, after what Ryan and his people have been through they’ll be better off here inside Vesta.”
It was at that moment that Beth and Casey came walking in. “Your mother is putting Erick down in his crib for a nap and then she has a big meal planned.” Beth paused seeing the strange looks on the faces of the three men. “Did something just happen that I don’t know about?”
Wade nodded and took a deep breath. “The Zaltule fleet is coming and it will be here in about a week. I just received word from General Mitchell.”
“Oh no!” Casey said, becoming angry. “Haven’t we been through enough already?”
“Wade’s going to have us assigned to Major Jeffries here at Vesta,” Ryan said. “All of our Marines will be coming to join us.”
Beth looked warningly at Wade and Ryan. “I don’t want either of you to mention this to your mother until well after we’ve eaten. You all know how she worries. At least give her this family time with all of us here together.”
Wade and Ryan nodded. There would be a time to talk about the war later, but not now.
Casey walked over and took Ryan’s hand letting out a deep sigh. “It’s always going to be the Kleese or the Zaltule. They won’t ever leave us in peace.”
“We’re in a war,” said Ryan, putting his arm around Casey. “We just have to have faith in the future and that things will work out.”
Wade was listening and remained quiet. He hadn’t told them everything that was in the message. General Mitchell had informed Wade the Zaltule fleet consisted of close to ten thousand battlecruisers. Wade knew there wasn’t a system in the Alliance, including the Solar System, which could repel such a massive fleet. There was a very good chance this might be the last night the family would ev
er spend together. He would keep his secret for now so the others would at least feel they still had hope for a future.
-
General Mitchell was in his office with Fleet Admiral Kelly, General Pittman, General Wainright, Hyram Blake, Delton Fleet Commander Achlyn, Belen Admiral Trest, Bashan Admiral Hiath, Gerald Lawson, Marken, and President Steward.
General Mitchell stood up and walked over to a viewscreen displaying a Zaltule battlecruiser. “Well, they’re coming and there’s nothing we can do to stop them.”
“Where in the hell did they get ten thousand warships?” demanded President Steward. “I’ve been told all along that at the most the Kleese had six thousand vessels they could use against us.”
“The shipyards we saw in their home system,” Fleet Commander Achlyn said. “They must have rebuilt and repaired them.”
“I still don’t understand,” General Mitchell responded with a frown. “From Admiral Rivers’ report, there were not that many warships in the Kleese home system when we attacked it.”
“They may have been somewhere else,” explained Fleet Admiral Kelly. “There are three other systems the Kleese consider their core worlds and many of the vessels could have been there or even out attacking the nonaligned worlds Military Overlord Harmock was intent on bringing under control of the empire.”
President Steward looked around at the people in the room. “So, what do we do? Can our fleet stop them?”
General Mitchell looked over at Fleet Admiral Kelly for an answer.
“No,” answered Kelly, shaking his head. “We’re talking about ten thousand Zaltule battlecruisers each three kilometers across and one thousand meters thick. Every ship is heavily armed and protected by very powerful energy shields. I’ve received the after action report from Alliance Fleet Admiral Rivers. He fought a very brief battle against this fleet in the Callenda System. He succeeded in destroying two hundred and twelve Zaltule battlecruisers at the loss of four hundred and seventeen vessels in his own fleet. Many of those losses were assault ships, but keep in mind he went into the battle with twelve hundred warships.”
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) Page 30
