Jenetta sent messages of appreciation for their support and congratulations on the successful reacquisition of their territory, but warned them against sending any warships into the Milori Empire beyond their former territory because all Space Command warships had orders to destroy any warship, regardless of their allegiance. She hoped the warning would be enough to stop any attempts to grab territory that wasn't historically theirs.
At three-hundred light-years from Milor, the military targets had thinned considerably. Jenetta had purposely not included outposts and space stations with only defensive capability on the target lists and there was little else after that point. She destroyed armories at remote bases and space docks for the construction and repair of warships, but left Milori transports and supply ships alone. She ordered her small ship to the designated RP, where the Yangtze was already waiting.
As soon as the two ships had linked up, Commander Fannon and Lt. Commander Mojica came aboard the Colorado and made their way to the Admiral's briefing room.
"Welcome, gentlemen," Jenetta said. "I commend you on a job well done. Supreme Headquarters is extremely pleased with the operation so far."
"Thank you, Admiral," Commander Fannon said. "It's been a hell of an exciting three months. We've left the empire smarting."
"Yes, but I think we're all a little tired and can use a good rest. This location is so remote and so far from our last known locations that we should be safe here. The bridge will remain at alert status, but all other sections can stand down so all off-duty personnel can catch up on their sleep, or whatever. How are your supplies?"
"Adequate, but we could use a few items that are low and our ordnance is also getting low. I was glad when my quarters were finally empty of crates, and I never thought we'd use all the torpedoes we brought, but I'd like to have an extra hundred in my holds right now."
"We'll compare stores lists and share what we can. Our torpedo stocks are also low, so I guess we should make a trip to our supply ships after a week layover here. We'll continue to have an opportunity to rest up because it will take a couple of weeks to reach our ships. They should still be a few months from the border, so we'll have to travel further to meet them for this first re-supply."
"Where do we go from there, Admiral?"
"Back into the fray. This break will confuse the Milori leadership. They'll be expecting us to pop up somewhere and attack, and the waiting will get on their nerves. Without a specific target to chase, they'll have to spread out their forces to search for us, or to protect the bases we've bypassed.
* * *
"How did Carver get here so fast?" Maxxiloth demanded.
"We know she has two clones, my Lord. We're speculating that the one in the news broadcasts was standing in for her."
"Then how did she defeat our forces at Stewart?"
"Perhaps the one here, now, is a clone?" the Minister of Defense offered.
"And how many of these damned little ships are in our territory?" Maxxiloth screamed at his advisors as he looked at a map of the sector that highlighted all of the attacked resources. "Are they mere clones as well?"
"We don't know, my Lord," Berquyth said. "They don't identify themselves and, without any external markings, they all look the same. Based on the distances involved and the timing of the attacks, we estimate there must be about twenty, but there could be as many as thirty."
"And not one of our ships has caught sight of one?"
"No, my Lord. They have always remained at least a solar ahead of us as they moved back towards Alliance space."
"Are they retreating?"
"It would appear that way, but not because we've been able to do anything to force them back. They might just be continuing their path of destruction, having already destroyed everything in this direction."
"Yes, Carver would never retreat unless she was being forced back."
"Perhaps it's simply a matter of not wanting to engage the superior fire power of our ships?" the Minister of State said.
"Carver's not afraid of our ships, you fool," Maxxiloth retorted, "and she's not about to end her attack while we still pose a threat to the Galactic Alliance. No, she has something else planned; I can feel it in my bones. And now they've dropped out of sight completely." Slamming a gripper claw down on the table, he said, "Where have they gone?" The question was purely rhetorical, as no one at the table had, or was really expected to have, that information. After a minute of concentration, he said, "She intends to double back and attack us here again after drawing off our fleet! Berquyth, order all ships to return here at once. They're needed to protect our planet."
"My Lord, perhaps that's exactly what she wants you do? You'd be leaving all the territories unguarded again."
"There's little left to protect on that half of the empire."
"At present, my Lord," The Minister of State said, "but cleanup and rebuilding efforts are already underway. If our people learn we've chosen to leave them unprotected again, it might damage morale and slow the efforts."
"How far away are our other forces?"
"Our best ships, the ones that were stationed in the border areas, are hundreds of solars away, but others should begin arriving in just a hundred solars."
Maxxiloth turned angrily and stormed out of the room.
* * *
"Well, Donald, what do you think now," Admiral Hillaire said after the Admiralty Board had watched the latest report from Admiral Carver.
"She's been lucky, so far."
"Lucky? She's destroyed their shipbuilding yards, most of the weapon factories and military production facilities on the home planet, and perhaps half of all principal targets on remote planets in the empire."
"She hasn't come up against their fleet yet. She's been lucky."
"Luck or not, it's time we put the full support of the Galactic Alliance behind this operation," Admiral Moore said. "Now that the Council has approved annexation of the former Milori Empire and the complete isolation of Milor, we'll begin moving assets immediately. I'm assigning all of the former Milori warships that Admiral Carver's command was able to repair and retrofit for Space Command use, to her new command. They'll be fully crewed, stocked with as much food, ordnance, parts, and supplies as they can carry, and sent out as soon as possible. Any other ships we can spare without leaving our territories under-protected will also go as part of this fleet. The twelve ships Admiral Carver had the foresight to fill with supplies and assign patrol duties along the outermost border are to be immediately released to her command."
"Is Admiral Carver going to be able to sustain the operation while she waits years for these resources to arrive?" Admiral Burke asked.
"Because of the nature of the action," Admiral Plimley said, "I'd say yes. She'll retreat as needed, re-supply food and ordnance, and then move back in to carry on the fight with the hope that she'll eventually wear down the Milori. Without the ability to replace warships, each destroyed Milori ship will strike another serious blow to the empire."
"Although they can't build new ships, they can still acquire them from other species," Admiral Bradlee said.
"Maybe, and maybe not," Admiral Ahmed said. "I seriously doubt the Hudeeracs or Gondusans will supply them, for any price, and they've alienated the Raiders by attacking and destroying Raider Ten. The Tsgardis are dumb enough to supply ships to a race that would later subjugate them, but the quality of their ships is quite inferior, and at Light-225, they're the slowest military ships in the quadrant. Their best bet would seem to be the Uthlaro, who will build for anyone who meets their price. Of course, with a top speed of Light-262, their warships are considerably slower than the Milori ships and their hull plating is much too thin. That's why we've been able to destroy so many Raider ships."
"Our latest intelligence is that the newest Uthlaro warships are capable of Light-300," Admiral Bradlee said.
"Problems with speed and hull plating can be easily resolved," Admiral Woo said. "We have to face the prospect that the Milori
might begin exporting their shipbuilding technology if they can make a deal with one or the other species to manufacture their ships"
"Perhaps we should inform both the Uthlaro and Tsgardi that selling ships or ordnance to the Milori will remove their neutrality status and identify them as being allied with the Milori, making them legitimate targets to all our warships," Admiral Platt suggested.
"But we can only do that within Galactic Alliance space," Admiral Ressler said, "unless we intend to start a war with those neighbors."
"If the encounter occurs within a declared war zone," Admiral Bradlee said, "such as the Milori Empire, they would probably be hesitant to begin an open conflict with us."
"So it would be like the Korean conflict in the twentieth century," Admiral Plimley said. "The Chinese planes ducked back across their border whenever things got too hot for their pilots and the US planes were expected to break off the engagement."
"That would be intolerable," Admiral Hillaire said. "If pursuit begins in a war zone, the ship must be allowed to continue pursuit, even if it means open warfare with the Uthlaro or Tsgardi."
"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Admiral Moore said. "We haven't even learned if the Uthlaro would supply ships in violation of a ship embargo by the Galactic Alliance."
"Such details as embargos wouldn't stop the Uthlaro," Admiral Plimley said, "as long as the client pays promptly."
"We shall see," Admiral Ahmed said. "Perhaps the Milori will not even want their ships."
"If they must choose between Uthlaro ships or no ships at all, the choice would be clear even to Maxxiloth," Admiral Moore said.
* * *
"Welcome aboard, Admiral," Captain Bonilla said to Jenetta as she emerged from the starboard bow airlock into the GSC Battleship Pholus.
"Thank you, Captain. It's good to see you again. How have things been going?"
"No problems, Admiral. The ship has been running fine and we haven't encountered any Milori vessels. I've arranged for a light breakfast in the bridge conference room. Commander Fannon is docking at our larboard bow airlock and will be escorted there when he comes aboard."
"Thank you, Captain. You know my aide and second officer, Lt. Commander Ashraf, don't you? And this is Lt. Commander Gallagher, my first officer."
Captain Bonilla welcomed both aboard. Gesturing to the two officers by his side, he said, "This is Commander Olympia, my first, and Lt. Commander Grogan, my senior tactical officer."
After handshakes all around, the small party walked to the lift that would take them to the bridge deck.
Commander Fannon, Lt. Commander Mojica, and Lt. Baran were already in the conference room. Captain Bonilla made introductions again. After everyone had helped themselves to the small breakfast buffet, they took their seats.
"I've received orders transferring my ship from Stewart Base command to your new command, Admiral," Captain Bonilla said. "How far outside of Galactic Space do you wish us to travel?"
"Your destination is a system called Quesann, three-hundred-eight light-years this side of Milor. The Milori files we retrieved from seized vessels indicated the fourth planet from the sun is an Earth Class paradise. We swung by there recently to confirm that assessment. I've designated that planet as also bearing the system name. The Milori began building a military base there about a dozen years ago, on an island about the size of New Zealand near the planet's equator. They had made a lot of progress, but after the new commanding officer for the sector visited the location he ordered the construction halted and went in search of another planet."
"Why did he move the base?"
"According to the reports, he felt the planet was too cold. He wanted a place for his command where the average temperature was closer to forty degrees Celsius. The site selected for the base on Quesann is twenty-five degrees year round, which was too uncomfortable for him. The trip should take you about a year and a half and you'll be traveling through hostile territory for most of it, so you'll have to stay on your toes.
"Supreme Headquarters has transferred all of the other M-designate ships to my command in support of this operation and promised as many others as can reasonably be freed up. We've stung the empire hard and wiped out their warship production capability, but they still have a sizable fleet of older ships. I'm estimating its size at anywhere from one hundred to two hundred. Their shipbuilding capabilities were incredible and in ten year's time they might have been almost invincible. They had at least a thousand ships in various stages of construction, and I'm talking about destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and battleships. Transports, freighters, and other support ships were being produced at facilities located elsewhere."
The officers of the Pholus listened in rapt attention as Jenetta described the attacks.
"We destroyed all of their shipyards during our attacks, so the only ship construction programs they have now are whatever they manufacture on the planet's surface— most likely just space tugs, shuttles, fighters, and small transports."
"What will you do until our support gets here, Admiral?"
"We've primed the pump with our attacks, and the Milori warships have already begun flooding back in to protect the home world. Only by destroying the Milori fleet can we end this war, so we'll let them do most of the work by assembling their ships in one place, instead of our chasing them all over the territory. While we're waiting for our forces to arrive, Maxxiloth is also waiting for his.
"My plan is to hit and run, and try to drive the Milori crazy. Anything the Colorado and the Yangtze can do to whittle down his forces will help later. Who knows, we might get lucky and find a few ships traveling alone or in pairs. In any event, the final act in this show can't begin until Maxxiloth's ships arrive back home from the border areas."
Before heading back into the Milori Empire, Jenetta called a meeting of all twelve captains and briefed them on their destination and the progress of the fight so far. Held in a conference room aboard the Pholus, she answered as many questions as she could during the meeting. The officers felt good about the operation by the time they returned to their ships. Most had openly expressed their wish for speed comparable to that of the Colorado or the Yangtze because the journey was so protracted, while the two small ships could be there in weeks.
* * *
"I'm happy to report that the Milori have pulled out completely," Minister of Intelligence Vertap Aloyandro said to the Royal Assembly of noblemen in the government center. "When they withdrew, they removed all warriors from the occupied planets. They left their civilian overseers to their own devices and our citizens have dealt with them as they have dealt with us for decades. Intercepted communications show the ships' officers were in a state of panic, and, in complying with their Emperor's order for all ships to immediately return to the home world, assumed it was a complete withdrawal of all military forces."
The Royal Assembly erupted into thunderous applause that lasted for minutes after the minister took his seat. Finally, as it began to die down, one of the more powerful members of the Assembly, Lord Melendret, stood up. "Long have we suffered under Milori rule. Maxxiloth's great-grandfather took part of our territory when he ascended to power and Maxxiloth took the rest after he murdered his own father to become Emperor. The great-grandson has proven to be worse than the great-grandfather."
A chorus of voices agreed with the statements and Lord Melendret waited until it had died down before continuing. "But we are under his whip no longer and we have regained all our territory without the loss of a single ship." Another round of applause halted his speech. "And now, the time has come for us to expand our borders, while we're strong and Maxxiloth is weak. There are Milori colonies rich in mineral wealth and others rich in food production that we can conquer as easily as Maxxiloth's great-grandfather conquered our peaceful ancestors. They can be our colonies now, bringing their wealth and bounty to us in tribute, instead of to Maxxiloth. What say you, my countrymen?"
The assembled group fairly shook the building with
their yelling and clapping. Minister Vertap Aloyandro knew it would be fruitless, and perhaps political suicide, to try to dissuade them from this course of action, but they had grown mad with what they mistakenly perceived as their new military power. Vertap knew the Milori had left their territory because of Space Command, not because of anything the Hudeerac forces had done with their quick raids and even quicker escapes. Admiral Carver had distinctly warned them not to go beyond their original borders or her forces would fire on them. She had never lied to them before and he didn't believe for a second that she was being untruthful now.
"My Lord," Vertap said to his sovereign in the King's sumptuous private chambers after requesting, and being granted, an audience, "this course of action is reckless and fraught with danger. We must not venture beyond our original borders. Admiral Carver has specifically warned us against that, and to go against her warning would be most foolhardy."
"There's nothing I can do right now, Vertap, except register my opposition to this activity, and I have already done that both on and off the record. For a long time, it has been our intention to recover our territories and much more as just reward for what Maxxiloth's family has done to us. Hundreds of thousands of Hudeerac citizens died in defense of our realm, and their descendants are anxious for retribution. Our ambitious shipbuilding program required diverting enormous sums that would otherwise have gone into social programs. With each passing year, we grew stronger militarily and Maxxiloth grew more wary of trying to overrun this lone system. He knew they would lose many ships in the battle, so he left us alone. This opportunity has presented itself much sooner than expected and we aren't fully prepared to take advantage of Maxxiloth's downfall, but I can't hold back the forces that have been unleashed."
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