A Game With No Rules (Perimeter Defense Book #4) LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  What was this nonsense?! He and I were not acquainted, and had never met before! The Minor Capital was in Sector Eighteen, deep in Antagonist space! I had never been there, and never could have, even in theory! The border there was guarded on both sides, and the warp beacons were always turned off!

  It was good that I didn't manage to voice these thoughts, because it would have made things very uncomfortable. My wife jumped into the conversation just in time and commented:

  "Georg, he is not lying. But these events took place BEFORE you came into Perimeter Defense, so you don't know about them. To be as brief as I can, you and your closest relatives — your mother, brother and sister — were invited by the Gold House to your grandmother Eleonora royl Akad’s three hundred fiftieth birthday party The Emperor considered it a sufficiently momentous occasion and made an exception, so the border was opened for invited guests. But you, or to be more accurate, your predecessor Mr. G.I., was strongly disconcerted. He couldn't bear all the pre-party drama, omnipresent Gold House special service agents, and the guard-slash-escort stuck to us all day and night, so he got boorishly drunk. And when I finally managed to get you back to your senses, you took crystals out of spite, after which you sunk into a four-day dream and missed the whole celebration. Your family and wife Marta were just livid."

  Everything became clear at once. Making a mental note to ask Miya to tell me in more detail about my trip when a chance presented itself, I answered Admiral Kevin ton Moldier:

  "I have a perfect imagination of how nasty the impressions I left behind in the Minor Capital were. However, in the last five years, the situation changed cardinally. The Aliens invaded, putting the very existence of humankind under threat. The first meeting with just one of their ships nearly ended with the complete annihilation of the Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet and my death. Oh, I learned well from that heavy and painful lesson! Since that very day, I have been studying in the most intensive fashion, and now I know the tactical and technical characteristics of all Alien ships by heart, along with all their strong and weak points. I have never since allowed myself to underestimate an enemy or act predictably and formulaically — it's the only way to defeat an enemy that surpasses you technologically. Yes, the enemy is very strong, but I believe that this war can be won! And we will continue our determined march to victory, destroying all Alien fleets, as well as any other ships allied with enemies of humanity, no matter what race they belong to!"

  The man on the screen straightened up, adjusted the collar of his luxurious admiral's uniform and unexpectedly gave me a military salute, placing a hand against his black beret with gold ribbon.

  "Crown Prince, I admire you as a military leader, advocating for freedom and the future of humanity. It’s too bad that we ended up on the wrong sides of a barricade. My Gold House Third Expeditionary Fleet is stuck in the Forepost-10 system together with the Green and Purple House Fleets and the Alien armada. From what I understand, you will not turn on a warp beacon to allow us to leave the trap no matter what happens — the risk of releasing thousands of Alien starships is too great. We are fated to die here in this blocked-off, uninhabited system. Is that right?"

  I nodded in silence, still not understanding what the Gold House Admiral was hinting at. Meanwhile, he continued his speech:

  "Alright then... I appreciate the honest answer. But before Your Highness detonates the Forepost-9 beacon, I want to tell you that I support the difficult choice you're making with my whole heart. It is best for the whole human race! If there's anything I can do to help Your Highness, just tell me. Duchess Katerina mentioned Grand Duchy technologies I might be willing to share. I'm afraid I don't have much useful information, but I am prepared to share everything I have. I can send the blueprints of our ships, thrusters, cannons and communication systems. These are the newest Gold House starships, developed and built in the last few years. Perhaps they really were built with Alien technology, as Commander Demyen royl Lavaelle claimed, but I do not know. Turn on data acceptance, I'll send you everything we have. Perhaps it will really be useful to you. Then, I'll lead my ships into battle against the Alien armada. It will be a final, hopeless engagement, but it's better to go down fighting than to die of starvation, old age or realizing one's lack of purpose."

  "Your Highness, long distance data acceptance from the Forepost-10 system has been activated," the on-duty officer commented.

  I looked at the screen where Admiral Kevin ton Moldier was standing at attention with his right hand on his beret, and answered him with an identical military greeting. After that, I said to the courageous military man:

  "Admiral, I value your bravery and readiness to sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity. So, in order for your last battle not to be utterly senseless and hopeless, I have decided to share some important information with you. The warp beacon in your system has been mined. There is a two-hundred-megaton bomb installed on it. I'll give you the activation codes. Use the code table and send the Alien ships to the station to charge, then blow the bomb. Two hundred megatons won't be enough for the Alien heavy ships, but the little stuff will be ground to dust. And I’ve also got a tip: before blowing up the warp beacon, make sure to turn it on. That will increase the power of the blast by many times. We started a similar explosion in the Aysar Cluster, and it was judged by my science consultants to have been four hundred teratons in TNT equivalent. Almost nothing survived within a radius of four thousand miles of the epicenter. The only ships with any chance are Mammoth-class supercarriers, but even they might be destroyed. There is also one very important condition: the Aliens are no fools and will not trust humans. If you attempt to bring your ships away from the mined station, the Aliens will do the same, and the explosion will not do much damage to them."

  Not a single muscle twitched on the courageous admiral's face, although he knew perfectly that I was proposing his certain death.

  "I'll do it for the good of humankind, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle! And I thank Your Highness for the chance you've given me and my soldiers to go down in eternity with honor and our heads held high."

  * * *

  I saluted the heroic man, and the admiral went offscreen. He needed to give his final orders to his fleet. Taking advantage of the pause in negotiations, my cousin Katerina ton Unatari walked up closer, switched off the microphone and turned to me:

  "Georg, you're just going to let them die? What, you aren't even going to try and lure at least the most valuable Great House ships away to reinforce your fleet? Doesn't seem like you..."

  In reply, I just shrugged my shoulders indefinitely, because I really had not yet made a decision on the trapped starships, even for myself. My advisor Katerina ton Unatari was not mistaken in guessing the struggle going on inside my head.

  On the one hand, it was very stupid to risk it and give the enemy even a slight chance of escaping the trap I'd tried so hard to get them in. On the other, Admiral Kevin ton Moldier of the Grand Duchy seemed like a good guy, even though he was commander of an enemy fleet. What was more, as Katerina had noted correctly, there was a huge number of ships in the Forepost-10 system that could potentially be used to reinforce my fleet...

  "Commander, data transfer complete. I've sent the materials to your terminal."

  After quickly skimming the files he'd sent, my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Battleships that shot antimatter. Cloaked cruisers with fully-fledged weaponry. Stealth frigates capable of firing laser turrets without revealing themselves. And a colossus with cannons of just over half a mile in length...

  Blowing up a detailed blueprint of the starship with gigantic turrets on the huge hologram in the center of the room, I stood up and walked over to the shimmering three-dimensional projection.

  "Officers, I want everyone's attention! Before us is Executioner, flagship of the Gold House. It is a human ship that incorporates Alien technology. I don't even know how to classify such a prototype. Mega-battleship? Dreadnaught? Titan? At any rate, it shoots antimatter.
To be more specific, it has long rail cannons that fire spheres of anti-iron at near-light speeds. Based on the specifications we just received, the projectile travels so quickly that it will essentially ignore energy shields. A strike from such a giant could one-shot any ship, including a carrier. It would take down our Joan the Fatty, for instance, in the blink of an eye."

  "Reload time?" "Effective firing distance?" "Cannon tracking?" questions piled in from all around and I called for silence with a gesture.

  "It is a one-shot ship. It can shoot a volley from its two main cannons, destroying the one or two most dangerous targets, after which it requires a prolonged and complicated reloading procedure of around one hour. However, Executioner is free to participate in combat with its twelve laser turrets during this time, and they are comparable in battle characteristics to the combat lasers of our Tyrant-class battleships. But, you must understand that, while reloading, the Executioner is not such a great threat. It's just an overgrown battleship with all the associated downsides. The cannon tracking is worthless. It will never hit fast maneuverable ships. Sluggish and unwieldy, it is simply an ideal target. What's more, I have serious suspicions that our stealth bombers would be able to get that giant off the battlefield using a standard chain of electromagnetic and gravitation bombs. All in all, it isn't easy to find an application for the Executioner in battle. It has lots of downsides. But, dear officers... you know my weakness for heavy starships. I want to try and get this giant in our fleet."

  Silence descended, my subjects thought over my words. Finally, Admiral Kiro Sabuto asked:

  "Crown Prince Georg, are you suggesting that our fleet return to the Forepost-10 system to capture a trophy?"

  "Oh no," I reassured the famed admiral with a happy chuckle. "Doing something like that would be equivalent to suicide. It's too dangerous to go into a system where a fleet three times larger than your own is waiting. What's more, the enemy is backed into a corner and totally hopeless. They have nowhere to retreat to, so they would fight to the death, not even counting their losses... That is surely not the end result I'd like to see. I would like to try and solve the matter not by brute force, but diplomacy. But here, there is one important obstacle in my way..."

  "My Prince, what might that obstacle be?" Bionica asked, curious after I went silent midsentence.

  "That obstacle is you!" I said, pointing my arm in a wide arc at everyone in the headquarters. "Yes, you precisely, my most experienced and loyal officers who have followed me through fire and water. After all, I could try to lure some of the ships onto our side from the trap in Forepost-10, but many times I have heard you all say that you would never fight side-by-side with Antagonists. To me, your loyalty is worth much more than any potential ship acquisitions. And because of that, although the trophies are very attractive, I will not do anything to get them without your approval."

  Admiral Kiro Sabuto came out in front, pushing through the backs of the officers. The gray-haired East Asian veteran, who enjoyed massive authority among the military, was a veritable expert in army traditions and officer honor.

  "Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, there is no leader in the galaxy with so much respect for the traditions of the Imperial Fleet and Army, and who is so respected by the military. I think that I am now speaking for all space fleet officers, no matter what political force they belong to in these troubled times — the pitiful remains of the once-great Empire, or our proud and quickly growing Unatari State or the bizarre new government made of Great Houses. All military people understand perfectly that Your Highness is the very leader capable of ending all our squabbles and rallying humanity against the Alien horde. Securing the future of our species is a very lofty goal, and nothing can be allowed to stop Your Highness on that path. So, do whatever you think is right! We will support Your Highness in all undertakings!"

  The other officers started clamoring loudly, confirming the admiral's words and assuring me of their loyalty. But Kiro Sabuto called everyone's attention with a gesture and... unexpectedly bowed down before me on one knee.

  "Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, the others simply haven't made up their minds to say this aloud yet, but I will. We all see before us a future Emperor, who is coming to replace the decrepit August royl Akad!"

  After these bold words from the famed admiral, silence descended. After that, all my staff officers, as if on command, lowered down on one knee and bowed their heads. Duchess Katerina ton Unatari and Bionica followed their example, and even the Iseyek made deep bows in a showing of deepest respect. My chameleon bodyguards became visible and also lowered their heads to demonstrate solidarity with the others and their feelings toward the ruler.

  Everyone in the room was silent and clearly expecting me to answer Admiral Kiro Sabuto's words along with the overall expression of respectful loyalty. In such a situation, staying silent would be totally impossible. I ordered everyone to stand with a gesture and, increasing the volume of the microphone on my uniform, said:

  "Yes, friends, I see no reason to hide or obscure it any further. Emperor August has long been too old to lead and, based on his last absolutely mindless actions, he's now so decrepit he has no good sense left. We all remember the way he made an unprovoked and vile attack on the Unatari State Embassy in the Throne World. Although the Emperor did beg my apology then, he gave an order today to exterminate my Truth Seekers so we couldn't capture the Alien Queen. And when his plan blew up in his face, August royl Akad finally pulled off the mask of a just ruler of the Empire and openly declared war on us. So, I have no further plans to act ceremonious with this old madman! My friends, I officially declare to you that I intend to win this war and become Emperor, uniting a scattered humanity under my command! So, I don't see the ships trapped in Forepost-10 as enemies from the Grand Duchy so much as potential subjects who can and must be encouraged to join our side. I think soldiers who stay true to their oaths should not suffer because they didn't have the good fortune to be on the right side of a conflict!"

  Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.

  Present Empire Military faction opinion of you: +66 (veneration)

  Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.

  Present Empire Military faction opinion of you: +67 (veneration)

  Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.

  Present Empire Military faction opinion of you: +68 (veneration)

  Just what I needed! My subjects, who had declared their undying loyalty to the Emperor not so long ago, and also said they would never accept being in the same fleet as Antagonists, were now reacting positively to my scorn toward the ruler of the Empire, and my suggestion that Grand Duchy ships join our fleet.

  Now, I had the following mission before me, which was quite challenging: force the Grand Duchy fleet, which was larger than mine, to join the Unatari State, then somehow drag these ships out of the trap in the Forepost-10 system without letting the Alien fleet come with.

  Enemy of the Empire

  "SOMETHING isn't coming together, cousin..." Duchess Katerina ton Mesfelle said, setting her tablet aside and sitting back in exhaustion in her small sofa. "I've spent the last hour pouring over the list of Truth Seekers, officers and general crew members who were present for the attack on the Queen. I didn’t find anything of use. No one seems to fit the bill. Someone who participated in the first negotiations with the Aliens, and was also at our recent battle. It seems to me that we must be making some mistake or missing something. All in all, it looks like the first contact of the Aliens and humanity took place in Antagonist space. Is that right? Georg, don't stay silent, answer me! What, are you sleeping?!"

  I cracked open one eye and yawned in exhaustion, covering it with my hand for politeness. I wanted horribly to sleep. Energy drinks and stimulants had lost all effect. But I was holding on and fighting to stay awake, because I knew my body very well. If I gave into weakness and fell asleep, then
it would be very hard to think when suddenly awoken later. It was better to bear it for an hour or two while the whole crisis situation with the trapped Grand Duchy fleet was resolved, then give into Morpheus' sweet embrace and sleep even for two days, if necessary.

  "I'm not asleep, just resting. All in all, it looks like you're right. First contact must have taken place in Antagonist space, given that the Gold House is in possession of Alien technology," I agreed with my advisor.

  "Yes! We saw hundreds of starships built in the Gold House based on Alien designs with our own eyes. If similar ships were built in the Empire or at Green House docks, we would know. So, let's take it as a given that contact took place in Antagonist space, and the one who made it is from the Gold House. But after that, the mysterious conspirator somehow got through unnoticed to Imperial space, successfully passing all the meticulous questioning at the border. Then, they stayed away from mind reading or loyalty checks by your psionics in order to embed themselves in the crew of an Unatari Fleet ship. You must agree that the risk of failure would be huge, and the main thing is: what does this person stand to gain from that?!"

  Here I was in complete agreement with my advisor. This was extremely illogical behavior for the Antagonist spy. What was more, if it was a captain or senior officer, he would probably have been efficiently exposed. Florianna and Miya regularly scanned the thoughts of my subjects to detect traitors and spies. Sure, general crew members were not checked, but the information such a person might have access to would hardly justify the huge risk of such infiltration.

  "The same goes for the Truth Seekers," Duchess Katerina continued her train of thought, now convinced that I had caught her idea on the military. "All psionics from Krista's group are quite famous Truth Seekers. Their biographies are freely available. They're always in the public eye, and it can be said for certain that none of them have been in Antagonist space for the last one hundred years. And same goes for your Truth Seekers. Miya has spent the last few years with you. Florianna's biography is also transparent, until meeting you, the girl had never left her home system of Veyerde. Dead end..."