“I will allow the Zaltule to have four seats upon the council,” Xatul answered. “No more Zaltule queens shall be awakened unless their lives are in danger due to the sleeping disease in the chambers. The Zaltule will bring the nonaligned worlds into the Empire and once that has been accomplished, will continue to expand the Empire out into the galaxy. They will continue to serve as the warrior caste under the command of the Council of Overlords.”
Darthu was silent as he thought over what the Supreme Overlord was demanding. His actions today indicated he had the strength and willpower to continue to rule the Kleese race, at least for now. Sometime in the future, when the number of Zaltule in the Empire had grown substantially, then would come the time to challenge for control of the council, not now.
“Very well,” Darthu answered. “I will pass on your demands to our Military Overlord and recommend that he accept them.”
Xatul nodded at the armed guard holding the Energy Lance to Darthu’s throat. The guard withdrew the weapon, deactivating it and returning it to his waist.
“I will spare your life,” Xatul said in a cold and hard voice. “Now leave us and send word to Harmock of the changes on the council and that he is to send three other Zaltule to fill in these empty Overlord positions.”
“It will be done,” Darthu responded respectfully as he turned and left the chambers. He was wise enough to know not to show any disrespect or his head would end up on the council chamber’s floor.
“Remove these bodies,” commanded Xatul to the guards. “We have additional council business to conduct.”
Through all of this Bixutl had remained silent. Xatul’s actions had changed everything. Now every member of the Council of Overlords was committed to what he'd just decreed. Bixutl knew that any aspirations he had of ever becoming the Supreme Overlord of the Kleese race had just vanished.
-
General Mitchell was meeting with General Pittman, Fleet Admiral Kelly, Colonel Nelson, Marken, Gerald Lawson, and Hyram Blake in his office on Centerpoint Station. They were discussing the recent operation in the Pradel System and the establishing of the Alliance.
“Fourteen worlds,” confirmed Hyram Blake with a tired smile. “All of them have pledged mutual support and increased their ship building.”
“Seventh Fleet is currently in the Lanolthian System and will remain there as the key element in the new Alliance fleet being formed,” added Wade. The troop transport Crimson Star had remained with Seventh Fleet to provide marine support if needed. The Fire Fox and the Defender had returned to the solar system along with one of the passenger liners.
“How large a fleet will it be?” asked Fleet Admiral Kelly. He wished it wasn’t necessary to keep Seventh Fleet in Alliance space, but he understood the importance of what they were attempting to do.
“Each Alliance world has pledged two full squadrons for the fleet,” answered Hyram. “That’s two hundred and eighty battlecruisers with new construction planned to eventually bring the fleet up to five hundred ships.”
“That’s a powerful force when added to Seventh Fleet,” commented General Pittman. “How soon do we need to begin deploying marines?”
“The fourteen Alliance worlds have requested one thousand marines in Type Two or Type Three battlesuits for each world,” answered Hyram his eyes shifting to General Pittman. They’ll be stationed near the capital cities and the main spaceports.”
General Mitchell was silent for a moment as he thought about the logistics of deploying so many Space Marines away from the solar system and keeping them supplied; then he looked over at Marken. “How long would it take to build two more Defender class assault transports?”
“Eight months if we can build them at Vesta,” answered Marken, promptly. “The first four of the new battlecruisers will be done in three and a half months, and once they’re completed we can concentrate on the two new troop assault ships. I’ll have to speak with Ethan Hall and Sean Miller to confirm that.”
Mitchell nodded. He knew that many Kivean technicians were currently working in the large spacedock inside of Vesta on ship construction and other projects, including the cloning program. They were also still in the process of upgrading all of their current battlecruisers and light cruisers to handle the new multiple warhead sublight antimatter missiles.
“What about new weapons from the Talts and the Deltons?” asked Fleet Admiral Kelly. He knew that Gerald Lawson had been meeting with representatives of the two races trying to iron out the specifics of adding their weapons to the new battlecruisers.
“We’ve worked out the designs necessary to add the Talt plasma weapon to our new ships,” confirmed Lawson, looking down at several sheets of paper on the table in front of him. We’re also considering modifying the Delton energy beam weapons to use them on our assault ships.”
“Why not on our light cruisers and battlecruisers?” asked General Mitchell.
“Our particle beam cannons are more effective,” answered Lawson. “However, on the assault ships these new energy weapons will be just as powerful as the smaller particle beams they’re currently equipped with and will nearly double their firepower.”
“We need a different classification for these new battlecruisers,” commented Fleet Admiral Kelly. “They’re twice the size of our regular battlecruisers.”
“Battleships?” suggested General Pittman.
“How about dreadnoughts?” added General Mitchell, looking thoughtful.
“Our Alliance worlds still call their ships battlecruisers,” commented Wade, looking around the group. “A few of them have battlecruisers that are one thousand meters in length.”
“How about just heavy battlecruiser?” suggested Fleet Admiral Kelly. “It’s the simplest. Perhaps someday we’ll build really massive ships that will be worthy of the names battleships or dreadnoughts.”
“Sounds like a winner to me,” commented General Mitchell with a nod. Then, turning toward Marken, he asked another question. “How are our guests coming along?”
“Both the Talts and the Deltons seem happy with what we’re doing for them,” Marken responded. “Commander Pasha and Fleet Commander Achlyn have been very forthcoming in offering whatever advanced technologies they have to help in the war effort.”
“The Deltons are a surprising species,” added Gerald Lawson with an enigmatic smile. “They’re only about a meter in height with large eyes and they’re very slim. They remind me of the little aliens we used to read about in UFO abduction stories.”
“Which makes the size of their warships surprising,” spoke Fleet Admiral Kelly. “Their battlecruisers are seven hundred meters in length.”
“Their ships are highly computerized,” Gerald Lawson informed the group. “I visited one the other day and had to be careful walking down the corridors so I wouldn’t bump my head. I was very impressed by the tech they use on their vessels.”
The meeting continued for several more hours before Wade excused himself to go check on Major Winfrey’s latest recruits. Marken joined him as he also wasn’t needed for what the others were currently discussing.
“How’s Harnett?” asked Wade as they walked through the station toward a nearby transit tube.
“Glad to be home,” Marken answered with a pleased smile. “President Randle’s wife had her baby while we were gone and Harnett's been spending a lot of time at Vesta pampering it.”
“Why don’t you and Harnett have children?” Wade asked as they boarded a transit shuttle to take them to the training dome.
Marken sighed heavily and his narrow eyes took on a look of sadness. “The Kleese are very strict about breeding on their stations,” he said in a forlorn voice. “They decided that Harnett should not have any children so she was operated on to ensure that would never happen.”
“I’m sorry,” Wade said, wishing he had never asked the question.
“It’s okay,” Marken said with a wry smile. “We’ve accepted that children are not in our future. At least with al
l the families we rescued from Kivea there are a lot of young ones inside the habitats. Their laughing and playfulness makes life much more pleasant.”
The shuttle came to a stop and the two exited, walking the short distance to the training dome. Going inside, they were soon standing in the dome’s Command Center watching the latest batch of recruits on Charring Mountain.
“I heard Ryan’s platoon captured two Zaltule,” spoke Major Winfrey as he turned his gaze away from the viewscreens. The current trainees in Type Four battlesuits were only halfway up the mountain and had already lost all but three of their number, including their commanding officer.
“How’s our current batch of recruits?” asked Wade. He'd been impressed with the reports he had received of the Type Four suits in action. Beth had also spent some time giving him her opinion of the new battlesuits.
“We just graduated a second company and have started the training scenarios for the third,” answered Dylan, gesturing toward the viewscreens.
Shifting his gaze toward the screens, Wade was just in time to see popup stunners take out the last three members of the platoon currently assailing the mountain.
“Looks as if they have a lot to learn,” commented Wade, recalling the trying times he'd experienced going up the mountain when they were captives of the Kleese. Marken had been in charge of their training during that tumultuous time and more than one marine had died on the treacherous slopes.
“They’ll learn,” Dylan replied.
He had spoken to Sergeant Morris earlier and she'd been very forthcoming in her evaluation of how Major Steven’s marines had done on Ryerson. After a long discussion, Dylan had decided to change the training slightly to take into account what the marines had encountered in their attack on the Zaltule positions.
“We’re going to need them,” stated Wade, nodding his head. “These Zaltule are tough to bring down.”
“Where are the two Zaltule captives?” Dylan asked.
“At Vesta,” answered Wade, shifting his gaze back to the major. “We didn’t want them on Centerpoint and Vesta has the best security system. General Bailey has constructed some special holding cells for the two.”’
“Are they talking yet?”
“No,” answered Wade, shaking his head. “Not a word.”
“They’ll talk,” Marken said with a long frown on his face. “I’m going to personally speak to them when we get to Vesta. I think they’ll talk to a Kivean.”
“So, you’re going back to Vesta?”
“Yes,” Wade answered. “Beth has already gone and Ryan is visiting our parents.”
Dylan nodded; he had no surviving family members other than the marines in his Special Forces unit who had been with him at the survival camp in the UK. He was like so many others who'd been left with no surviving kin. Many people were still dealing with depression and the suicide rate amongst the survivors was still high.
“When you see Lieutenant Nelson, tell him no one has beaten his record on Charring yet.”
“I will,” promised Wade, smiling. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear that.”
-
Casey sat uneasily in Ryan’s parent’s home on one of the soft couches. Ryan was beside her busily talking to his mom and dad about the training they had gone through at Centerpoint and only briefly describing the fighting on Ryerson.
“I just wish you weren’t in the marines,” his mom said in a worried voice. “I would've felt better if you had gone into the fleet.”
“Ryan is an excellent marine,” Casey said defensively, then wished she'd stayed quiet. Ryan’s mom had said very little to her since they arrived. Casey wondered if it was because she was a clone.
“I’m sure he is,” Jonathan answered with a gentle smile. “From what I’ve heard from Wade, you both are pretty good.”
“I just don’t know if we should be provoking these aliens like this,” Ryan’s mom said, shaking her head. “They’ve left us alone for over six years, why go and try to stir up a hornet’s nest?”
“They were coming back eventually,” Ryan explained in a softer voice. He knew his mother didn’t care for the war and only wanted them to be left alone. “We did it to keep them away.”
“Maybe,” his mother replied with doubt in her voice.
“You’re mother’s just worried about you and Wade,” Jonathan explained. “She’s always been.”
“I’m going to start supper,” Ryan’s mother said, standing up and smoothing down her long skirt. “We’re having fried chicken and mashed potatoes.”
Ryan watched his mother go into the kitchen and noticed she hadn’t even glanced at Casey. “I’ll be back shortly,” he said as he stood up and headed to the kitchen.
“I understand you and Ryan met at the Academy,” Jonathan said in a pleasant voice.
“Yes,” answered Casey, feeling more relaxed in Jonathan’s company. He certainly seemed to be trying to act friendly. “We had many classes together and were even at the fleet training faculty on the Moon for two years before we joined the marines.”
“You like Ryan, don’t you?”
Casey felt her face flush and then nodded. “I think the world of him; he’s my best friend.”
Jonathan nodded; he'd seen the looks she cast at Ryan on occasion. There was no doubt in his mind that he might very well be looking at his future daughter-in-law. “I hope everything works out well for you. “I’m sure you’ve noticed my wife hasn’t spoken much.”
Casey let out a sigh and nodded. “I assume it’s because I’m a clone.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Jonathan replied with a slight frown. “Wade and I have spoken a lot about the cloning program, and I understand you’re just as Human as I am. It’s something that might take my wife a while to get used to.”
“I understand,” Casey replied. “I think I’ll go and see if she needs help with supper. I do know a little about cooking.”
Casey stood up and walked to the kitchen door, as she neared it she could hear Ryan and his mother arguing.
“She’s a clone!” Ryan’s mother said dismissively. “She’s not real!”
“Casey is just as real as you or I,” Ryan answered in an aggravated voice.
“She was grown in a tank! How can she be real?”
“Mom, Casey is a wonderful person once you get to know her.”
“I can’t believe you brought one of those things into our house.”
Ryan just shook his head, not sure what to say.
Casey backed away from the kitchen door and turned to find Jonathan standing behind her.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said in an embarrassed voice.
“I think it’s best if I leave,” Casey said, feeling crushed. “Tell Ryan I’ll call him later.”
Casey turned and quickly left the house as the tears began to flow from her eyes. How could she and Ryan ever have a future if his mom felt the way she did? Of course, Ryan and she had never discussed a future; it was something she'd started thinking seriously about after speaking with Lauren and Mary. Casey knew that Lauren was somewhere on Vesta visiting her parents. She really needed someone to talk to and Lauren was the only one she could think of.
Ryan stepped out of the kitchen feeling flustered. How could his mother feel that way considering all the conversations with Wade about the clones? It was beyond his understanding. Looking around the living room, he noticed Casey was missing. He looked at his father, who was standing at the front door with a pensive look on his face.
“Where’s Casey?” Ryan asked. He'd really wanted her to meet his parents.
“She left,” answered Jonathan, dropping his shoulders. “She overheard your mother and you talking. I’m pretty sure she was crying when she went out the door.”
“Did she say where she was going?” asked Ryan, growing concerned and feeling intensely aggravated at his mother.
“She said she would call later,” Jonathan answered. “Ryan, she’s a really sweet girl.
When you see her, please tell her I said that.”
Ryan nodded; all he could do now was wait for Casey to call. Vesta was too large a place to go off on a search for one person.
-
President Mason Randle stood in the Vesta Spacedock with General Bailey, Ralph Steward, Commander Pasha, Sean Miller, Ethan Hall, and Skagern. In one more month, the general elections would be held and Mason fully expected Steward to take over as president of the solar system. Mason would continue to serve in a secondary role of advisor, but much of the day-to-day work and decisions would then be Steward’s responsibility. In many ways, Mason was ready to relinquish his authority. He had a new daughter at home, and he was looking forward to watching her grow up.
Around them, the spacedock was humming with activity as dockworkers unloaded cargo vessels and reloaded others. A number of the small, fifty-meter long prospector ships were being worked on as well as a slew of other vessels. The main hub of activity was around the four new heavy battlecruisers being constructed.
“Impressive,” Commander Pasha commented. Commander Pasha was of the same size and build as a regular Human though he was of dark complexion with large, yellow eyes about double the normal size.
“All four of the new cruisers will have a plasma cannon on them,” spoke Ethan. “In addition, there will be two heavy particle beam cannons on the bow as well as two enlarged KEW cannons. There will be an additional eight particle beam turrets on the main hull plus our standard weapons. The armor is twenty percent thicker and the energy screens will be the most powerful we’ve every built.”
“What abut the new multi warhead sublight missiles?” asked General Bailey.
“The ships will have twenty-four expanded missile tubes all capable of handling the new missile,” replied Ethan.
“I understand the Tureens joined the Alliance and have a forty-megaton antimatter warhead on their missiles,” spoke Pasha. “Are they willing to share the technology which makes antimatter in that quantity stable?”
“We’re currently in negotiations with them about that,” answered Steward. “We’re hoping by the time the heavy battlecruisers are finished we’ll have the design specifications.”
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) Page 24
