The Icarian legacy: Brave Souls

by Kocho

  Voran’s clan was one of the clans that gained glory in that war. And now just as the al Kadash they were too trying to invade without the empire’s permeation. If discovered there was a great danger that the clan will be severely punished but the gain was too big and well worth the risk.

  The humans were not just a great enemy in the ancient past. They were also a well adoptable species capable of really adapting to any conditions in order to survive. They were one of the best valued slaves. Over seven hundred million were placed in several hundred systems and planets and were worked almost to their death. But while other races would just give up they never did. Instead they used every opportunity to rise up and attack their masters. That was the reason for the small number left, and one of the main reasons why this mission was approved by the council. A planet that could bring several billion slaves, and a planet where the race could be housed to constantly give a new generation, plus the rich uninhabited systems in this part of the galaxy offered the clan a great opportunity. It was a chance to form a small empire for their clans. They never planned to attack and try to seize the throne, but this kind of gain was something that could provide an unimaginable wealth and prestige in the future.

  The journey to this sector of the galaxy was long. It was almost three and a half thousand light years away from the last place where a Dacarian battle fleet was conducting operations. The ships in the fleet were powerful but were from older designs. That limited the risk of discovery. The rest of the fleet that four cycles was conducting operations in the Malaka sector continued mopping up the last defense stations and systems in that sector. His guess was that by now everything was over back there. No one was going to look for them for at least several more cycles and considering the level of technology that their soon to be opponent had that was more than enough time to conquer that world and setup colonies in the nearby systems.

  He looked at the settlements on the planet. Most were abandoned. He remembered that the race was nomadic, but he knew that the real reason was the poison that was used by the scout mission. It was a slow killer. He had the report the ship that returned made. The race was deemed to primitive to be of any use. And it was also not a good source of food. He smiled as he remembered the taste of human flesh. It was something every dacarian liked. Many of their opponents found it appalling, the fact that his race sometimes ate some of their opponents. But they were carnivores, and although they ate many other things not just meat, some of their opponents were really good as a food source. The alterans belonged in that category also but the respect for the race prevented them being deliberately used for that. Only a small portion of the dead, and mostly the ones that died fighting were used like that.

  They were a race that every legionary, every dacarian always felt a kind of kingship with. They were told stories about the ancient wars, about the way alterans fought. It was hard to imagine knowing what he knew now that they delivered such terrible losses so long ago. The race was now if not primitive definitely really regressed. They were still using oil as fuel, nuclear plants, and they barely came out of their planet. The video screens that they picked up were four cycles old, and they showed an advanced culture, and multiple conflicts on their world. They showed several satellites that were drifting throughout the system exploring and mapping the outer planets. The analyses showed that if not invaded they would start colonizing their system in the next hundred cycles and probably start colonizing other systems when they discover the warp point. But that was something they would never have. His fleet was here with a task to put an end to the ancient menace ones and for all.

  They might spread out to other systems but under strict control and to work for their masters like they should.

  He looked at the time. The meeting he scheduled was about to start.

  He signaled to one of the officers on the bridge and then left the bridge.

  He went to the meeting hall. It was a large chamber with special holographic projectors that were now showing the rest of the captains in his fleet. Also the consul leading the ground forces was present. They were all placed around the table and appeared to be siting. None was present in person, but there was no need. With the technology available the meetings face to face were still practiced but not in situations like these. It would take too much time.

  He noticed Sokar waiting for him.

  “Everyone is present admiral.”

  He nodded and took his seat. He looked around the table at the holograms of the captains under his command. He knew each and every one of them well. They served with him throughout his career and in the campaigns he commanded and he trusted them all. And many of those missions were much harder than the one that was ahead of them.

  “Welcome. I trust that by now you managed to get your ships up to date and in order. I believe that all crewmembers are now out of the cryo-chambers and on their posts.”

  He got conformation form all of them.

  “Are there any changes in the plan Admiral? Or we are proceeding as we agreed?”

  He turned and looked at the one who asked the question. It was V’las the commander of the third squadron. The young captain was from the al Mach clan and was a valuable addition to the fleet. He was sometimes to annoying looking for every little detail but that made him efficient and made him a sort of favorite in the eyes of Voran. The youngling was sixty seven cycles old and gained the rank of captain at the age of forty. That was impressive to say the least. He gained it for his actions in combat against the Lacarian alliance fleets in the Kernchen System during the early stages of the war. The alliance had the initiative in that stage and it surprised the empire with its swift and bold action. The battle in that system marked the turning point in the war. And the actions the ship V’las commanded after the death of his commander were instrumental in the final victory and brought him his first command. He was bold and didn’t fear to take surprising action. That is why he gave him the command of a squadron of cruisers. They were fast and agile and powerful ships that were ideal for the kind of action V’las preferred. He didn’t expect to have much need for any fleet action considering the humans level of technology. Much more work would have to be done by the ground troops led by consul Mokal. The legionaries on the troop transports would have to pacify the population and deal with the ground forces that will survive the bombardment. He expected that the scout force under Mran’s command would have the necessary data about all troop deployments on the planet. That would give the fleet all the needed data about the targets it will have to destroy. After the military bases were dealt with the troops would land. And do the mopping up. Casualties were expected to be as high as fifteen percent. That was about seven million legionaries. But considering that he had sixty million under his command that was something he could allow. The biggest casualties probably won’t come from the initial invasion but later during the final stages of pacifying before most of the population is shipped out.

  “No V’Las the plan remains the same. I know that it is in a way boring considering that we have no fleet to contest us. They have some military satellites and a space station in orbit but that is all. Their nuclear warheads will be dangerous but considering that we will hold the orbitals they will be easy to deal with.”

  V’las nodded and smiled.

  “Yes admiral.”

  “We all know our duty. You all know why we are here. The fleets main job will be to deliver the legions on the ground and destroy as much of the resistance as possible before they land.”

  “I’m not sorry to say that Consul Mokal’s troops will have most of the fun on this mission. We are just the delivery boys on this one. But don’t be fooled by our superiority. We all know the Alterans. We have all heard the stories about the great wars of the past. And we know the humans as their descendants call them self now.”

  “Yes admiral. The ones that the Lacarian Alliance freed caused us much grief in that war. And they are still causing us. And I believe that not only the legions suffere
d from them but the fleet as well.”

  “Yes Mokal you are right. And we all know the rebellions and how hard it is to break them. We have to act with caution, as we always do.”

  “Is there any report from the scout force?”

  “No Jongar. They should contact us in the next system after we transition through the warp point. As for safety the scans of this system show no signs of any movement. It is all as we expected.”

  “Then we should proceed as we planned Admiral.”

  “Yes. The twenty seventh squadron under command of Kerak al Shu will stay here as a rear guard.”

  He turned towards

  “I know that we don’t have much reason for that Kerak but it is a precaution I don’t mind making. After we transition you have the parameter of your mission to take the samples from the habitable planets.”

  “Yes admiral. It will be as you say. I look forward to the hunt.”

  The comment caused several smiles. The Dacarians loved to hunt. It was something that was natural to them, considering their ancient past.

  “The rest of the fleet will transition through the warp point in three persks. Make the final preparations and checks on your ships I want the fleet at full readiness by that time. For the glory of the Emperor…”

  “For the glory of the Emperor...”-the reply came from the voices of the captains.

  The holograms disappeared one by one. As the last one disconnected from the net he was left alone with Sokar. He turned towards the younger captain and the man that was commanding officer of the flagship in his absence.

  “How is the readiness of the crew of Ahairna?”

  “The ship is at full readiness my lord. They are all at their posts and ready for their tasks, as they should be. They are legionaries.”

  “Yes Sokar. In the emperor’s name we die. That was our pledge. The pledge every legionary takes. We gave our lives the day we were born, the day we joined the legions. We gave them to our emperor.”

  “What do you think about our mission Sokar? What do you think about the humans?”

  The younger officer looked in to the eyes of his superior. Voran noticed the calm demeanor of the captain. There was no fear in the look he saw, only deep respect.

  “Just as anyone my lord I know the ancient stories. They are excellent warriors. And this is their home world. The world the Icarians took them from just as the Farsians took our ancestors from Dakar.”

  The admiral exhaled.

  “Yes and even do they had far greater superiority and controlled the orbitals the battle on the planet was fierce, and long. I fear that it might be the same here.”

  “I fear from that too. You know the reports about how the Alterans fought at the end. Our ancestors suffered grievous losses before eradicating their forces. The ones that we took as prisoners at the very end were the ones that couldn’t fight anymore, or couldn’t fight at all.”

  “You’ve seen the reports about their wars, especially the ones about the great ones, at the beginning and in the middle of the previous century. Just as us they do not fear war, and when it comes they are capable of great violence and sacrifices. I fear that we might awaken a beast tomorrow, a beast we won’t be able to control.”

  The younger captain looked at Vokar. He spoke quietly but with a firm voice.

  “Do you fear that we might fail my Lord?”

  “No Sokar. I don’t fear about tomorrow, i fear about the future. I fear that as time passes they will become strong just as we did in the past and then they will strike. I fear that there might be some other colony somewhere out there. The Alterans or the humans however you want to call them are warriors. In a way they are like us. That is why our ancestors had so much trouble with them. In some ways our two races are so similar that I fear that the gods played some cruel joke with us in some distant past.”

  “You had the same discussion with V’Las I did, didn’t you my Lord?”

  “Yes Sokar. The youngling has a very clear and rational mind. Just as everyone from his clan. I can’t wait to see Ristarion. He was the pride of his father. You know that both he and V’las were against it when it was proposed. But the council made its decision and they obeyed. They even obeyed the order not to reveal anything to their clan. I know Arios personally. He is very close to the youngling. And he has honor, the kind of honor that is rare among our race. Their clan might be small and weak now compared with the others but they are among the best ones in our race. And the emperor knows that.”

  “I know my lord. Arios and my father once served together. Their history and honor codes are well known among the people of my clan. I highly doubt that Arios would have approved a mission like this one.”

  “Not without getting permission from the emperor or the admiralty first.”

  After this they both just stood there not saying anything for several minutes. They were entrenched in their thoughts.

  “You need to take a rest my Lord. We have time till the transition.”

  The admiral stayed quiet for several more minutes. He still felt tired from the waking up. While some of the crew and most of the fleet personal were awoken from time to time, he spent most of the time in cryo sleep. That was now taking its toll. He knew that he would be ok by the time they reached the warp point but he needed the rest.

  “You are right as usual my friend. I will be in my quarters if you need me. Call me when we are at the warp point.”

  “Yes my Lord.”

  After this they both exited the chamber and while the captain went on the bridge Voran went to his quarters.

  The fleet slowly started moving towards the warp point in distance. And as they did deep inside the system other ships started preparing for the long awaited confrontation the D-Day was finally here.

  The young officer looked carefully at his screen on board the Prometheus. He felt tired just as the rest of the crew. They were at full readiness and red alert for the past ten days. He wasn’t the only one on the edge. Most of the crews on the ships felt the same. They all hated the waiting.

  As he looked away the sound of the sensors registering something at the edge of the system got his attention back on the screen. He looked at the results from the scans. And immediately activated the alarm and turned towards the officer on watch. Both the captain and the admiral were resting at the moment and Lieutenant Atkinson had command of the watch.

  “Sir I’m registering anomalies at the edge of the system.”

  “What kind of anomalies Rivers?”

  He turned and rechecked his results in just a second.

  “We have hyperspace windows opening sir…Multiple contacts. We have confirmation of Dacarian warships. Hull configuration matches.”

  “Go to passive sensors and red alert. Stop all communication’s.”

  The bridge suddenly erupted with activity.

  Over the intercom Atkinson contacted the admiral and the captain.

  Several minutes later all officers were on the bridge.

  “What do we have?”

  The question came from the admiral.

  “Hyperspace windows opened at the edge of the system sir, at a distance of forty eight astronomical units.”

  “Are they Dacarians?”

  “Hulls and engine signatures confirmed it sir. We have Dacarian ships in bound.”

  Jennings took his seat, and so did Linda. On all the Earth ships the same activity was being conducted.

  “How many are there Rivers?”

  “We are reading six hundred plus contacts sir.”

  Just a minute later the young officer turned towards the admiral.

  “Six hundred and eighteen contacts confirmed sir. We have fifty four dreadnoughts, ten heavy, and twenty light carriers, sixty battleships, fifty heavy and seventy light battle cruisers, eighty destroyers, and one hundred frigates and hundred and twenty corvettes. There are also fifty four other ships I can’t classify. Forty of them are huge sir.”

  As the officer read the results o
f the scans an eerie silence took over the bridge.

  The number of ships was enormous. By tonnage they far out classed and outweighed the entire fleets, both in space and on sea that humanity had. And no one even thought about the fire power. The scans showed multiple armaments, just as the cruiser that was destroyed on earth had. And some had even more.

  “Show me.”

  “Yes sir.”

  On the screen before Jennings a digital representation appeared that showed the disposition of the enemy fleet. He focused on the forty largest ships.

  “Those must be the transports and the fuel ships.”

  “Jesus Sir. There are a shit load of them.”

  “Yes there are. Well there will be a lot of targets for the warheads when they make their way on the other side. Rivers did the drone transition through the warp point?”

  “Yes sir as soon as it registered the hyperspace windows forming.”

  “Good, is every one in position?”

  “All ships are ready and on their assigned places. I sent a short transmission as soon i noticed the anomalies to Admiral Peck and the Eden defense fleet. They are on red alert and on passive sensors as well, and they are ready to assist us if needed.”

  “Let us hope we won’t need them.”

  The Eden defense fleet consisted of two corvettes, eight Los Angeles class and two converted ships from the Alteran fleet. The colony had over a million inhabitants. The colonies were placed at Alpha Borealis the huge mountain massive that the planet had. The deep caves in it offered good protection against orbital strikes. Powerful rail gun batteries to provide protection against ships in orbit were placed on the base and the mountain massive. The colony was well protected and the small fleet was there to offer a little more help. But as he saw the fleet that was forming up Jennings knew that if Earth falls Eden will follow soon.