Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3)

by Raymond L. Weil

  “How are you feeling, Dawson?” asked Wade, turning toward the sergeant.

  “Fine,” Dawson replied. “The pain meds have kicked in and I’m pretty sure the suit’s already injected me with medical nanites to fix my leg.”

  “Medical Nanites?” asked Wade, sounding confused. “I didn’t know Harnett was ready to try those out yet in the suits.”

  Russell laughed. “We’re the guinea pigs,” he said, walking over to stand next to Dawson. He could see that Dawson’s right suit leg had a good-sized dent in it. “Or I should say Sergeant Dawson here is the first guinea pig.”

  Before Wade could say anything else, Hyram came striding over to where the three were standing. He stopped and looked up at the towering battlesuits with an aggravated look in his eyes.

  “Colonel Nelson, I’m extremely sorry about this demonstration. The Naltons have expressed their deep regret over the use of explosives. They assured me that the tanks were set to fire their rounds to go off in close proximity to you and not to strike you directly. They felt this would be more impressive to the other three races that were observing the exercise. I didn’t know this change had been made until the drill began. I hope none of you were hurt.”

  “We got through it,” replied Wade, evenly.

  Hyram glanced over at Sergeant Dawson’s suit and his eyes widened when he saw the huge dent in the suit’s leg armor. “Are you alright?”

  “Fine,” replied Dawson, feeling a little giddy from the meds.

  “Sergeants Dawson and Russell need to get back up to the Fire Fox,” Wade said. He wanted Dawson in the ship’s infirmary as quickly as possible so his leg could be checked out.

  “Fine,” Hyram answered with a nod. “Colonel Nelson, if you’ll come with me, several of the military people as well as a few of the government officials would like to see your battlesuit up close.”

  “Are they going to join the Alliance?” asked Wade, hoping the drill hadn’t been a waste of time. He was still feeling aggravated at one of his men being injured.

  “I think so,” replied Hyram, nodding his head. “They seemed quite impressed with the demonstration and I think after you answer a few questions, they’ll feel well satisfied in our ability to defend their planets from a ground attack by the Zaltule.”

  Wade nodded. He quickly ordered the two sergeants to return to the shuttle and head back to the Fire Fox. However, in the back of his mind he wondered if the tanks had actually been programmed to miss. Several of those rounds, particularly the one that had injured Sergeant Dawson, had come uncomfortably close.

  -

  Harmock watched as the Warrior’s Fire’s weapons lit up the energy shield of the nonaligned world’s battlecruiser, causing cascades of glowing energy to erupt. This was the fourth nonaligned system he'd attacked in the past three weeks and its defenders were putting up a stiff resistance.

  “Send a message to the reserve fleet to strike the enemy force from the rear,” Harmock ordered as the flagship shook slightly from inbound weapons fire impacting upon the ship’s energy screen.

  Recently, he had ordered that all Zaltule attacking fleets would have a reserve force of two hundred vessels accompanying them to be used if the nonaligned system they were attacking was heavily defended. He'd reduced his attacking fleets to four to ensure he had enough reserve ships for support. After each attack, any ship losses suffered by the main fleet would be replaced by ships from the reserve. A message was then sent back to the main Zaltule fleet stationed at the Zaltule shipyards to send replacements to the reserve force to bring it back up to strength.

  “Message sent,” replied Dalock from Communications.

  “Reserve force should be in position in twenty minutes,” added Minor Overlord Gareth.

  On the main viewscreen, a Delton battlecruiser exploded in a fiery release of energy as several Kleese antimatter missiles penetrated its weakened energy screen, annihilating the vessel. The Delton battlecruisers were slim vessels nearly seven hundred meters in length and were equipped with some type of primary energy beam, which could be fired from the nose of the ships. It was far more powerful than the energy beams the Zaltule had at their disposal.

  “These nonaligned worlds are truly a threat to the Empire,” Gareth commented as the Delton ship the Warrior’s Fire was attacking finally succumbed as several energy beams flashed through its battered shield. Several large sections of hull material were blasted loose, then two twenty-megaton antimatter missiles struck the hull and the Delton ship ceased to be.

  The battle was raging along a front nearly two million kilometers long. Two hundred and twelve Delton ships were fighting stubbornly against five hundred of the Zaltule disk ships, attempting to keep them away from their home world. Occasionally, several of the Deltons’ ravishing beams of energy would penetrate a Kleese shield, blasting massive holes into the stricken ship and setting off secondary explosions. Already, twelve Zaltule warships had been destroyed and a number of others heavily damaged from the energy beams. In return, the Deltons had lost forty of their vessels.

  “They will only be a threat to the Empire if they become united, and that is not going to happen,” Harmock spoke in a harsh voice. “The Kleese are the superior race in the galaxy and the Zaltule are the warriors. It will be through us that the Kleese Empire will someday stretch across the galaxy.”

  “As it should be,” Gareth replied as the Warrior’s Fire moved on to its next target. Looking around the Command Center, he saw that the twenty Kleese at the ship’s control consoles were focused on their duties. The Zaltule lived for combat, and the air in the Command Center was intense as the command crew fought the ship to bring glory and victory to the Kleese Empire.

  -

  The battle in space raged on, with neither side pulling back. For every Zaltule warship the Deltons managed to destroy, they lost two of their own. The Deltons’ energy screens were better and their energy beams more deadly, but the Zaltule battlecruisers were just too large. It was taking six or more strikes by energy beams to disable or destroy one. The sheer number of weapons the Kleese were able to target upon the defending Delton ships were just too much for their powerful energy shields to bear. Shield after shield was being blasted down, exposing the vulnerable armored hulls to the Kleese weapons.

  The Deltons were a small race, standing slightly more than a meter in height. Their bodies were humanoid with large round eyes that could see in the dark. They were of slim stature and highly dependent upon their computers to operate their warships. In the early years of their civilization, the Deltons had been a savage and warlike people, but those years were far behind them.

  “Ship 247-886 has been destroyed,” reported the Delton in front of the flagship’s sensors.

  “We will not be able to hold our line much longer,” commented Baylith, who was second in command. He turned his large eyes to the Fleet Commander. “We are losing too many ships.”

  “Long-range detectors have located a second Kleese fleet inbound via Fold Space,” reported the sensor operator. “They will be within attack range shortly.”

  “We’re too heavily outnumbered for any hope of victory,” Baylith spoke with great sadness in his voice. He knew that soon the Kleese would be landing on their world and placing their obedience collars around his people’s necks.

  Fleet Commander Achlyn thought about his options. If his fleet were destroyed then any hope of a free Delton race would be gone. He must preserve his fleet and hope that someday he could perhaps return and drive the Kleese from his world. “Is the evacuation fleet prepared?”

  “Yes,” the communications officer reported. “They’re awaiting your orders.”

  “Tell them to initiate the plan; we’ll meet them at the rendezvous with what ships we can,” ordered Achlyn, letting out a deep breath. By activating the plan, he was telling the leaders of his world that there was no hope for victory.

  “As you command,” the communications officer reported. He quickly sent the necessar
y messages, knowing that any hope of setting foot back on their home planet was now gone.

  For weeks, they'd been preparing for the Kleese attack after hearing of what was happening to other nonaligned worlds. They'd known it was only a short matter of time before the Kleese came to their system to bring it forcibly into the Empire. Achlyn did not intend to wear a Kleese collar of obedience now or ever. He would die with his fleet first if it became necessary. However, the Delton High Assembly had crafted another plan, one that gave them hope for the future. They'd gathered all of their passenger and many of their cargo ships and placed inside them all that was needed to continue the Delton civilization. It would be Achlyn’s responsibility to escort them out of the Kleese Empire and find a new world in a distant section of the galaxy.

  For several more minutes, the battle raged, and then the communications officer turned toward Achlyn. “Evacuation fleet has entered Fold Space and is safely away.”

  “Ships 189-779 and 121-768 have been destroyed,” the sensor operator reported. Examining the tactical screen, he knew over half of the fleet was now nothing more than glowing debris.

  “We have many ships that are heavily damaged,” Baylith reported, his large eyes focusing on the commander. “They will not be able to withdraw.”

  Achlyn nodded in understanding. “Order all ships with functioning Fold Space Drives to implement withdrawal plan Delton-221 and rendezvous at the emergency coordinates. All other ships are to cover our withdrawal.”

  The orders were quickly passed and eighty-seven Delton battlecruisers suddenly spun about on their axis and accelerated away from the surprised Zaltule battlecruisers. They continued to gather speed and then activated their Fold Space Drives, altering course to take them safely out of the system.

  -

  “They’re fleeing!” roared Gareth as he saw the red threat icons that represented the Delton battlecruisers pull away from the battle and then enter Fold Space.

  “We’ll worry about them later,” Harmock spoke in a hard and cold voice. “For now we must destroy the ships that can’t escape.” Looking at the tactical screen, Harmock could still see nearly forty Delton battlecruisers continuing to attack his fleet. With their reduced numbers, they wouldn’t last long against the Zaltule.

  For long minutes, Harmock watched impassively as the remaining Delton ships were hunted down and destroyed. None attempted to flee but fought until their ships were blown apart. Harmock stood quietly as he thought about the ships, which had escaped. That had been unexpected and now he had the aggravating prospect of having to hunt them down and destroy them. It might take thousands of vessels to find that small of a fleet in the myriad of stars that encompassed the Empire. With a slight feeling of resignation, he knew he would have to call upon the Council of Overlords and request the Empire’s exploration ships and assault ships be put to the task. It might take a while, but they would eventually find the missing Delton ships.

  -

  Fleet Commander Achlyn watched tensely as his flagship exited Fold Space. The star system they had entered was a red giant, and they were far from the system’s primary. It was in this system the evacuation fleet was supposed to be waiting.

  “Contacts!” reported the sensor operator as numerous green icons began filling the tactical screen.

  Achlyn watched the screen, feeling relieved that the evacuation fleet had made it to the rendezvous point along with a sizable portion of his military fleet. “Give me a status on the ships that are here,” he ordered. “Including our battlecruisers.”

  “Eighty-seven battlecruisers, sixteen passenger liners, and twenty-eight cargo ships,” replied the sensor operator promptly.

  Achlyn nodded. That was all the ships that had been equipped with modern Fold Space Drives and included in the evacuation. The passenger liners were large vessels, nearly one thousand meters in length, and quite luxurious. They'd been used by Deltons primarily interested in taking lengthy vacations to other nonaligned worlds. Each passenger liner held over two thousand civilians. Many of them were scientists, technicians, and even farmers who would be needed to raise crops on a new world. The cargo ships contained supplies and the materials necessary to help establish a new Delton civilization. Each cargo ship held several hundred more civilians plus their crews. In all, not counting the battlecruisers, nearly forty-five thousand civilians had made it to the rendezvous coordinates.

  “Where to now?” asked Baylith. “I don’t think we should stay in this system too long. The Kleese will be searching for us shortly.”

  “To some of the outer nonaligned worlds,” responded Achlyn, turning to face his second officer. “We must warn them of what the Kleese are doing before we flee the Empire. Some of them might want to send evacuation fleets along with us.”

  “It will be a long voyage,” Baylith commented his large dark eyes growing even wider. “The civilians might not like being inside the ships for such an extended period of time.”

  “They will adapt,” Achlyn answered. “We will spend six hours here to allow our warships to make necessary repairs to the damage they suffered in the battle. Once repairs have been made, we’ll enter Fold Space and head outward toward the far reaches of the Empire. Perhaps by warning other nonaligned worlds, they will be better prepared when the Kleese come for them.”

  -

  Harmock glared with rage at the four Delton leaders in front of him. Each wore a metallic obedience collar and had been defiant in their answers when asked about where the Delton warships had gone. Harmock stepped over and took a small black box from the hands of one of his fellow Kleese. He saw the fear suddenly grow in the Deltons' large eyes as they recognized what the box was. It had been explained to them earlier when the obedience collars had been placed around their necks.

  The Deltons looked at each other nervously and then back at the terrifying Kleese. There were six of the spider-like Zaltule in the audience chamber. Just gazing upon them was a frightening experience, sending cold chills through the four leaders.

  “You will answer!” Harmock snarled as he pressed one of the buttons.

  A resounding explosion rang out in the chamber as the head of one of the Deltons was blown off, showering the other three with blood. They cringed as they saw their fellow leader fall lifeless to the floor, his body still pumping blood, which was spilling out onto the ornate tiles. They looked back in terror at the Kleese that towered over them.

  “How many ships were in the fleet?” demanded Harmock, stepping closer and gesturing toward the black box he still held in his hand. “I will continue to blow your heads off until someone talks. If you refuse, then I will start on your families, including your offspring.”

  The three looked at one another, knowing there were too many Deltons who knew about the evacuation fleet. Even if they said nothing, the Kleese would eventually learn of the fleet. Fortunately, the rendezvous coordinates were only known to the ship commanders and they were long gone.

  “We sent an evacuation fleet of forty-four ships away from our world,” one of them confessed his large eyes wide with fear, knowing his answer probably meant his death. He then looked up at the Zaltule leader with defiance replacing the fear. “They’re going out of the Empire where you will never find them!”

  Harmock eyed the three, feeling defiled at having to deal with a lower race even though it was a nonaligned world rich in science and technology. “You should have answered my question sooner,” he spoke as he adjusted the black box and pressed the button again. Three more explosions rang out as the remaining leaders fell lifeless to the floor.

  “That’s more ships we’ll have to find,” spoke Gareth his voice showing aggravation.

  “They should be together,” commented Harmock as he turned away from the dead Deltons. “Their warships and civilian ships are bound to have joined up. When we find one ship, we’ll find all of them.”

  Harmock left the chamber, his multifaceted eyes gazing about. Zaltule warriors were fanning out across the pla
net, eliminating resistance and placing the collars of obedience on all Delton leaders and their scientists. Soon the planet would be completely compliant and another cog in the growing Kleese Empire. As soon as he returned to his flagship, he would be sending a message to the Council of Overlords. They had some ships to find and he expected the council to cooperate fully or he would be forced to add more of the Zaltule to its governing body.

  -

  Ryan stood once more upon the summit of Charring Mountain, only this time over seventy percent of his platoon stood with him. Over the past weeks, they'd learned how to use the Type Four suits to spot the hidden weapons on Charring and to take them out before they could fire. The suits now felt like a second skin and for the most part, Ryan couldn’t even tell he was wearing one. Even the neural implant now seemed like a natural extension of his senses.

  “That was easy,” Casey spoke as she looked at the upraised pedestal and the waiting red button on the pylon, which would signal victory. “Surely this will mark the end of our training.”

  “Possibly,” conceded Ryan with a nod. He walked over to the pedestal followed by his platoon and stepping up onto the platform, pressed the red button on the pylon one more time.

  “Drill is over,” Major Stevens announced over their suit coms. “Everyone report to the parade grounds for an announcement.”

  “I wonder what that’s about?” asked Private Parker. This was the first time a drill had ended that they had been told to report to the parade grounds. He wondered if they had done something wrong.

  “Guess we’ll find out when we get there,” Private Adams responded as she turned around and began walking toward the steep slope that led back down from the summit.

  Lauren hoped this signified that their training was over, though she felt apprehensive about where they might be deployed. The training over the last few weeks had been intense and physically exerting. The platoon had been forced to push the new battlesuits to the limit as they learned to respond instinctively to changing battlefield conditions. The biggest part of the training was learning to trust the neural implants and use them in conjunction with the suit’s weapons to assess and annihilate an opponent.