“Let’s go meet them,” Ryan said as he started walking toward his brother and Beth, almost dragging Casey along.
Casey had to walk a little faster to keep up with Ryan. She knew he was excited about seeing his brother and Beth after so long.
Moments later Ryan was standing in front of the two colonels.
“Ryan, Casey, it’s good to see the two of you,” Beth said, stepping forward and giving both of them a long welcoming hug. “We thought we’d lost you.”
“At least now I don’t have to lead an assault against Kleese facilities in their home system looking for you,” Wade said with a grin.
“The Kleese home system?” Ryan said, his face turning pale. “You’re joking, right?”
“No Ryan, he’s not,” Beth answered somberly. “That’s why we brought the Defender and the Argyle, and why I joined this mission. If it had been necessary, we were fully prepared to go into the Kleese home system to find you.”
Ryan didn’t know what to say upon learning the risks his brother and Beth had been prepared to take to find him. It made him realize even more just how important family could be. He looked over at Casey, realizing as a clone, she’d never had this type of experience. It saddened him to know what she was missing.
Wade watched as the Marines, who had escaped with Ryan filed past on their way to the waiting shuttles. Most had relieved smiles on their faces; others were very much aware of those who were missing. Over two-thirds of the Marines who’d been abducted had been lost on the exploration cruiser and would not be going home.
“How are Mom and Dad?”
“Worried,” Wade answered. He felt vulnerable standing out in the open like this without his battlesuit on. “I promised them when we left we would bring you back.”
Ryan felt guilty at the pain he’d caused his parents. He knew he’d have to make it up to them when they returned to Vesta.
“How did you escape the Kleese exploration ship?” Beth asked. She knew it had to have been difficult. “Wade found the letter you hid in your quarters at the trading station.”
“I didn’t think we would ever see home again,” admitted Ryan, taking Casey’s hand firmly in his. “If not for Major Stevens, we never would’ve gotten away from the Kleese.”
“Between Major Stevens and you,” Casey corrected. “You’re the one who started our escape.”
“Yes,” Ryan responded. “But it was Major Stevens who destroyed the exploration cruiser.”
“How did he do that?” Wade asked. He knew how difficult one of those ships was to destroy. He’d been greatly saddened to hear of the major’s death as well as the others.
As they walked back to the waiting shuttles, Ryan explained to Wade and Beth what happened on the exploration ship and how Major Stevens had sacrificed himself and his Marines to ensure Ryan and the others could escape.
“Sounds like Major Stevens,” Wade said as they came to a stop in front of the shuttles. “He didn’t have any family other than Lieutenant Griffith, who is based on the Moon. The two were very close. They even served together down on Earth at the Jornada survival camp.”
“Tent City,” Ryan responded. “I didn’t know Major Stevens was there.”
“He died a hero,” said Casey with tears in her eyes. “All of them did.”
“They will be remembered as such,” promised Beth, reaching out and wiping the tears away from beneath Casey’s eyes. Looking at Ryan and Casey, Beth couldn’t help but be reminded of what she and Wade gone through when they’d been Kleese captives. She strongly suspected it had drawn the two even closer together.
“Let’s get up to the Defender,” suggested Wade. “I think I can arrange for a special welcome home meal for all of you.”
“The food sounds great,” Ryan said with a smile. “My people will enjoy it. We’re not certain what we’ve been eating for quite some time.”
The four walked up the ramp and into the waiting shuttle. It was time to go home.
-
A frantic week passed as tens of thousands of Deltons were found and whisked up to waiting passenger liners and converted cargo ships. The spaceports around the planet were busy as shuttles landed, were loaded, and blasted back up into orbit to rendezvous with the waiting rescue ships. As soon as the evacuees came on board, they were processed and put into cryosleep. In orbit around Delton, the warships of the fleet stood guard, expecting a Kleese ship to drop in on them at any moment. So far, the space lanes had been silent.
Aboard the Delton flagship, Fleet Commander Achlyn looked at his cousin who’d just recently arrived. “I’m pleased to see you, Serte,” Fleet Commander Achlyn said. “I was fearful you might not have survived the Kleese occupation of our world.”
“I’m pleased to see your fleet survived and was able to return to us,” Serte replied. “The Kleese occupation of our world has been a frightening thing. Many Deltons, some you knew, lost their lives to the Kleese collars of obedience.”
“We brought some powerful allies to help in the evacuation,” Fleet Commander Achlyn replied. “We have made some new friends in this human led Alliance.”
“How many of our people are you going to be able to rescue?” Serte looked around the busy Command Center. This was the first time he’d ever been on a warship.
“A little over four hundred thousand,” replied the fleet commander.
“So few,” responded Serte sadly. “What will become of those that remain on our world?”
“They’ll become slaves of the Kleese when they finally return,” Second Commander Baylith answered. “We wish we could rescue more, but we only have so many ships.”
“We have a new home in the humans’ home system,” added Fleet Commander Achlyn. “It will be a place to rebuild our civilization and become part of the human led Alliance that is trying to stop the Kleese.”
“The Kleese cannot be stopped,” responded Serte, shaking his head. “They’re too powerful and their empire too large.”
“The humans and their allies can stop them,” the fleet commander replied. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I have promised to fight alongside them until the Kleese are defeated.”
“So, we’re to embrace our embattled past and become part of this Alliance?” Serte let out a deep breath. What his cousin suggested was contrary to how most Deltons lived.
“If we want to survive.”
“What do you want of me?” Serte asked with a heavy sigh.
“To lead our people,” Fleet Commander Achlyn replied. “I can fight, but leading tens of thousands of civilians is difficult.”
Serte closed his eyes and then slowly opened them. For hundreds of years, the Deltons had been at peace. The Kleese had changed all of that with their unprovoked attack. Perhaps the fleet commander was right. In order to survive they would have to go back to the harsher ways of the past.
“I will come with you,” Serte said, reaching a decision. “Our civilization must survive and it seems you offer the only hope for that.”
“Someday, we will defeat the Kleese and drive them from our world,” promised Fleet Commander Achlyn. “Our world will be free.”
Serte nodded. He trusted the fleet commander. But deep in his heart, he greatly feared he would never return to Delton again.
-
Another week passed and the fleet was once more safely in the deep protective atmosphere of the gas giant planet. Four hundred and twenty-six thousand Deltons had been evacuated and were ready for transport back to the solar system. Not once during the evacuation had a Kleese ship put in an appearance.
Admiral Rivers was holding a meeting on board the Independence. They were trying to decide if they should split up the fleet. The evacuated civilians needed to be protected, but he also needed to hit the Kleese hard while the opportunity was here. It might be a very long time before another Alliance fleet came this deep into Kleese space.
“The assault ships we sent to scan the Kleese systems should be reporting back in the next few day
s,” Rivers informed the gathered officers. “As soon as they have all returned, we’ll evaluate the information they’ve gathered and choose targets to attack.”
“I can’t believe you’re contemplating attacking the Kleese systems,” High Councilor Serte said in disbelief. He’d met a number of humans and he was still amazed at how confident they were in being able to take on the Kleese.
“We have explained to you what the Kleese did to Earth,” Fleet Commander Achlyn responded. “Is it not time for someone to do the same to them?”
“I trust in your judgment,” Serte said. “However, once this attack is over won’t the Kleese be out to destroy this fleet? They will search for it all the way back to your Alliance. They will use every vessel they possess. What will happen if they discover our passenger liners and cargo ships? We could lose all of them.”
“That’s why I want to split the fleet,” Admiral Rivers responded. “Fleet Commander Achlyn, you have rescued many of your people; it’s our duty as military officers to protect civilians. I want to detach your battlecruisers from Fourth Fleet and have you escort the civilians back to the solar system.”
“I will not leave you,” stated Fleet Commander Achlyn firmly.
“I propose a compromise, then,” suggested Marken, who was sitting to the admiral’s right. “Send only part of Fleet Commander Achlyn’s battlecruisers with the civilian ships. If they follow the route we took to get here, they should be relatively safe.”
Admiral Rivers was silent for a long moment and then he spoke. “Split your fleet. Twenty battlecruisers will go as escorts and the rest will remain here.”
“Agreed,” Fleet Commander Achlyn said, nodding his head in approval.
“The civilian fleet will leave tomorrow,” Rivers continued. “That way they’ll be able to put considerable distance between us and them before we launch our attacks.”
Colonel Greerman knocked on the door and then, opening it, stepped into the briefing room. “Admiral, two of the assault ships have returned.”
Wade looked over at Beth. “So it begins,” he said softly.
-
After all the assault ships returned, Fourth Fleet moved closer to the Kleese home system in preparation for their attack. The information gathered by the ships had been both informative and alarming.
“This is the plan as I perceive it,” Admiral Rivers spoke to the gathered officers as well as Marken. The civilian fleet had been underway for a little over a week and he felt comfortable executing his battle plan knowing it wouldn’t put them in immediate danger.
“In the Kleese home system there are six large shipyards, more massive than any structures we’ve previously encountered,” Admiral Rivers began. “From the location of Zaltule battlecruisers we’re fairly certain four of those are dedicated to producing warships for the warrior caste. Marken, I believe you can give us more detailed information.”
Marken stood up and gazed around the large oak conference table. He and his fellow Kiveans had spent hours analyzing the data brought back. “The Kleese home system consists of twelve planets and a large number of moons. The planets orbit a small K Class star, which is slightly cooler than Earth’s. The Kleese originated on the fourth planet. They fought so many wars amongst themselves in the early years of their civilization that the planet is nearly void of all life. Even the Kleese have forsaken their home world to live elsewhere. There is only one inhabited city on the planet, and it is from that city they rule their empire.”
“So where do the Kleese actually live?” asked Major Winfrey, cocking his eyebrow.
“There are three nearby star systems where the majority of their population resides,” Admiral Rivers informed them. “Those systems were also scanned by our assault ships.”
“From the scans taken by the two assault ships assigned to the Kleese home system, we have become greatly concerned,” Marken said. “There are twenty-eight hundred regular Zaltule battlecruisers in the system.”
That announcement created a mumbling amongst the officers at the thought of what they were going to be facing. They would be vastly outnumbered. They looked at one another with growing apprehension on their faces.
“That’s not the worst of it,” Marken continued, his narrow eyes showing great concern. “Around the four Zaltule shipyards are another forty-six hundred battlecruisers slightly larger than a regular Zaltule warship. We believe these are new constructions and possibly based on stolen technology from some of the nonaligned worlds they’ve recently conquered.”
“That’s nearly seven thousand warships,” spoke up Commander Andrea Lucian of the heavy battlecruiser Union. “How can we even get in close enough to hit our targets?” This was sounding more and more like a suicide mission.
“The Kleese are a very arrogant race,” Marken answered. “They consider all other races as inferior or vermin. The thought of their actual home system being attacked is something they cannot comprehend. We will have the element of surprise on our side and their defenses will be down.”
On the main viewscreen a massive structure appeared. Around it, hundreds of Zaltule battlecruisers were in orbit, with many more docked to it.
“This is one of the Zaltule shipyards,” Marken explained as he stepped over to the screen. “It’s nearly two hundred kilometers across.”
“That’s bigger than a trading station,” commented Commander Greer as he gazed at the massive structure in amazement.
“It may be large, but it’s unarmed,” Marken said as his long slim fingers pointed to several key areas. “These small bulges are where the shipyard’s main fusion reactors are housed. Those will be our primary targets. If we can destroy them, we can cause a cascade reaction that will spread through the entire shipyard, destroying it.”
“Surely the Kleese will detect our approach in Fold Space,” said Commander William Davis of the heavy battlecruiser Britannica. He knew back at Centerpoint they had that capability; the Kleese probably did too. “They’re bound to have sensors on those stations that will detect the presence of any Fold Space Field. They’ll be waiting for us when we drop out of Fold Space.”
“We’re certain they’ll detect us,” agreed Admiral Rivers. “But there are so many Zaltule ships coming and going, more than likely they’ll think it’s their own ships that are inbound. They won’t be expecting an attack.”
“So what are our targets?” asked Fleet Commander Achlyn. “The Kleese must be hurt as much as possible for what they have done to our worlds. We may never get this opportunity again.”
“Two of the Zaltule shipyards, the capital city on their home planet, several large mining operations we have detected, as well as a facility on one of the moons of the eighth planet,” Admiral Rivers responded.
“What of the facility on this moon?” asked Beth. “What is it?”
“We think it’s where the Zaltule slept for all this time,” Marken explained. His light red skin seemed to grow darker. “It may also contain a number of the Zaltule Queens, possibly still in stasis.”
This sent a chill through Beth as she looked over at Wade.
“Queens?” spoke up Fleet Commander Achlyn, his eyes narrowing sharply. “They must be destroyed!”
“This will be a Marine operation, the Defender and Argyle will go into orbit and take the facility,” announced Admiral Rivers. “This is primarily a fact gathering mission and we want to learn everything we can about the Zaltule. Once we have what we want, the facility will be destroyed with an antimatter warhead the Marines will take with them.”
“What about the Zaltule ships in orbit?” asked Commander Greer. “They will have to be taken out.”
“All Pradelian and Delton battlecruisers will accompany the Defender and Argyle on this mission,” Admiral Rivers explained. “This is a high priority target and must be taken out. You will have limited time as we estimate the battle in the system can last no longer than an hour before the Kleese force us to withdraw. Once the fighting starts we’ll begin jamming
all communications; even our own long-range transmissions will probably be affected.”
“What about the other Kleese systems?” asked Commander Lucian.
“For now, we don’t have the forces to attack them,” Admiral Rivers responded. “There are powerful Zaltule fleet units in the systems as well as additional shipyards. One of the systems contains the construction facility for the trading stations.”
“Seems as if that would be a priority target,” suggested Commander Lucian.
“It is, but we don’t have the forces to take it out.”
“Keep in mind it takes years to build a trading station,” Marken added. “While a tempting target, it holds less strategic value than the shipyards.”
“How soon before we launch our attack?” asked Wade. He’d been listening to the briefing knowing his Marines were going to have a tough battle on their hands. The Zaltule facility they were going to hit would most likely be heavily defended. He wanted to talk to Marken about it in much more detail. He also wondered if Betel knew anything.
“We don’t dare wait any longer than twenty-four hours,” Admiral Rivers answered. “Every hour we delay increases the likelihood we’ll be detected.”
-
After the meeting, Wade, Beth, and Marken walked back together to the flight bay.
“How important is this underground facility?” Wade asked his Kivean friend.
“The information stored inside would be invaluable,” Marken replied. “It could give us some insights as to how to defeat the Kleese, and particularly the Zaltule.”
“It will be heavily defended,” Wade said with a frown. “We’ll have to fight our way in and then probably fight our way back out. Do we know anything about the facility that might be of help?”
“Not really,” Marken admitted. “We know from the scans it’s deep beneath the moon’s surface and heavily guarded. The only way to destroy it is from within.”
Wade thought about Marken’s words. This was going to be extremely difficult considering the time restraints they were under.
“What does Harnett think about being so close to the Kleese home world?” asked Beth, knowing Marken’s life mate was highly frightened about being near a Kleese.
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 4) Page 29
