Exodus - Empires at War 04 - The Long Fall (Exodus Series #4)

by Doug Dandridge

  The ground came toward him and the Prince landed lightly on his feet. As soon as he touched down he activated his holo projector and formed an image of himself overhead.

  “I am the High Prince Sean Ogden Lee Romanov, son of Augustine I and Anastasia, and rightful heir to the throne. I am here to claim my throne from whatever pretender the Lords have sought to place on it.”

  There was murmuring and shouting in the crowd now, some in surprise, some in rage that a possible trick was being pulled on them. More Marines landed around the Prince, until there were over a hundred of the heavily armed warriors nearby, and well over two thousand still in the air. Sean looked around and saw that Colonel Baggett and the two Admirals both had their hand weapons out. He thought for a moment to draw his as well, then decided against it. If the Marines couldn’t handle what was inside, his own particle beam wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

  One of the Marines tried to open the door, but the lock resisted his efforts. At an order from Baggett they moved back, and a dozen heavy troopers fired their beam weapons into faux wood barriers. With heavy explosions four of the doors blew inward, and the sounds of shocked screams came from within.

  One hundred Marines led the way into the cathedral, spreading out so they could cover the entire interior. When the word was given Sean walked in with another fifty Marines, and more were landing in the now vacated open area behind him.

  “What is the meaning of this?” yelled a voice from the dais at the front of the church. An elderly man stood there holding a crown, the crown of state.

  The man sitting on the throne that had been moved to the dais for this ceremony looked familiar. Sean pulled him up on his link and read the information about his third cousin, who according to the record looked like a less than stellar candidate for the position of Emperor.

  “I am the High Prince Sean Ogden Lee Romanov,” said the Heir, walking forward while he retracted his helmet. “I am the legitimate heir to the throne, here to claim my birthright.”

  A large black man stood up from a seat near the throne and glared at Sean. “That’s an imposter. The Prince was killed out on the frontier. This is an attempt by the military to put their own man on the throne.”

  “I am the Prince, Duke Streeter,” called out Sean, striding forward, keeping his awareness on the many Parliamentary Guards on the walls. So far all looked confused, unwilling to act. That may have had something to do with the Marines, who, though outnumbered, at least equaled the Parliamentary Guard in firepower. And every second more Marines were pouring into the room. “Your behavior today borders on treason, but I am willing to be lenient if you stop this farce.” Until I find out that you had anything to do with the death of my parents, thought Sean, looking at the angry face of a man who was on the verge of achieving his aims and realizing it was all coming unraveled.

  “Arrest that man,” yelled Streeter, pointing at Sean. He looked over at the Pope. “Finish the ceremony.”

  “Do not,” yelled Sean, his suit amplifying his voice. “That man has no right to the throne. Pursue this and there will be war between your faction of Parliament and my military.”

  “They are not your military, boy,” yelled Streeter, his facing growing ever more angry. He looked back at the Parliamentary Guard. “I said to arrest that man.”

  “If anyone makes a move toward the Prince he will be gunned down where he stands,” yelled Baggett, waving his own pistol in the air. “This is the Prince. And he will be crowned this day.”

  “No,” yelled Count Sutter, standing up from the throne. “I am the Emperor.” He turned and grabbed the crown from the hands of the Pope, then lowered it to his head. “There. I have been crowned.”

  “You have not been crowned by the hands of the head of the Church,” said Sean, walking up the steps of the dais. He stopped in front of the cousin and stared at the man, clenching his fists. “That is my crown. Take it off, now.”

  “I am the Emperor,” said Sutter, his face going red. “I command that this man be put under arrest. Do you hear me?”

  “Take off the crown, before I take it from you.”

  “You don’t dare. I am the Emperor, and I will see you in prison.”

  “I find you guilty of treason, Count Hector Romanov Sutter. And I sentence you to death.”

  The monomolecular blade sprung from its sheath on his arm and he brought his arm back to commence the execution.

  “Stop,” yelled the Pope, moving in front of the Prince and the usurper. “I will not have blood shed in this church.”

  Sean turned as a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Colonel Samuel Baggett standing by his side, and a score of Marines around them. “Leave well enough alone, your Majesty,” said the Colonel, shaking his head. “Don’t start out your rule with blood on your hands.”

  Sean looked back at his cousin, seeing the fear in the man’s eyes. Hector put his hands on the crown and took it off his head. He offered it to Sean with shaking hands. Sean took the crown with a smile on his face. He turned and offered it to the Pope, while two Marine guards led Hector away. Sean looked around the hall, seeing the Parliamentary Guard laying down their weapons as battle ready Marines moved in with guns pointed at what were essentially security cops.

  He turned back to the Pope, who was holding the crown and praying. Sean knelt down and closed his eyes, saying a prayer that he be given the wisdom to rule his people in this time of trial. If I don’t make good decisions, we could end.

  “I hereby name you Sean the First, Emperor of the New Terran Empire, Sovereign of Human Space.” The Pope put the crown gently on Sean’s head, then stepped back and motioned for Sean to stand.

  The crowd was still confused, but it didn’t take long for the cheers and claps to start, spreading through the million witnesses to the ascension of a new monarch. Sean turned to face the crowd, raising his hands in the air, knowing that he had a speech to make, and not having one prepared. Just have to wing something, he thought, then linked his suit into the speaker system of the Church.

  “We have suffered much in the last month. An invasion of human space by the old enemy, still out for our blood. The murder of a ruling monarch and his family. And ahead there are great challenges, challenges that will test our fitness to survive as a species. But from what I have seen in the past month, we are up to it. I will try my best to lead our people through this war. There will be sacrifices to be made, by all of us. I will ask no one to do what I am not willing to do myself.” He saw disapproval in Colonel Baggett’s eyes at the last, an expression mimicked by Commodore Mei and Admiral Montgomery. Well, too bad.

  “Now, we have work to do.” Sean turned and looked at Streeter, who sat in his seat slumped in shock. “And Prime Minister Streeter. You are fired.”

  “I can’t be fired except by order of the Emperor,” said Streeter, shaking his head, his eyes then widening in realization.

  “I can’t remove you from the Lords,” said Sean, glaring at the man. “But I want your office cleared out immediately, so I can put the man or woman of my choice in the position.”

  Sean turned back to the crowd, reveling in their cheers, while at the same time calling for a staff meeting at the Hexagon on his link

  Chapter Two

  God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless. Chester W. Nimitz.

  JEWEL SYSTEM, APRIL 28TH, 1000.

  Sean knew many of the people seated around the table, and knew some only from reputation, or what he could pull up from his link. He knew that Grand Marshal Mishori Yamakuri, Chief of Staff of the Army, and Field Marshal Betty Parker, Commandant of the Imperial Marine Corps, had been two of his father’s closest advisors, and he planned to trust them just as much as his sire had. Of course Grand High Admiral Len Lenkowski was also a trusted advisor, but there was no way that Sean would allow the man to stay in the capital. The man’s life was in danger here, what with the nest of snakes still in the Lords. Even
if he got rid of all the current leadership, there were still a lot of adherents hiding in the shadows.

  “I know you’re not going to like this Len,” he had told the Admiral in the aircar on the way to the Hexagon. “But I am going to relieve you of your position as CNO.”

  “I understand,” said Lenkowski, not looking happy in the least.

  “You will keep your rank, of course,” said Sean, putting a hand on the Admiral’s forearm.

  “Maybe it’s time to write my memoirs,” said Len, trying to smile and failing.

  “I’m not letting you retire, Admiral,” said Len, shaking his head. “I need a supreme field commander, and you are going to be it.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” said the surprised Admiral.

  “It’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

  “Of course, your Majesty. It’s what every high ranking officer wants, when we realize we’ll be commanding a desk for the rest of our careers.”

  “Who do you think should replace you as CNO?”

  “Grand Fleet Admiral Sondra McCullom,” said Lenkowski without hesitation.

  “The commander of the Home Fleet?”

  “Sure,” said Len, nodding. “She got that position because she’s good. She spent a decade as commander Sector Three. And we both know that Home Fleet is really not going to a factor in the early stages of this war. At least, we must hope not, or we’re really screwed. We’re going to have to leach units away from it for the other fleets. But the fleet structure itself will have to stay in Core Space.”

  “OK. The job is hers. But I want you sitting in on the meetings with her for the first couple of weeks, and letting her take advantage of your knowledge. And you will be surrounded by Imperial Security Corps forces at all times. Is that understood?”

  It took several hours for those who had been called to the meeting to gather, those who could make it at all. The representatives of the Commons and Scholars were already on the planet for the coronation, as well as the Commander Home Fleet and all of the Cabinet. Now they all gathered around the table to discuss the business of the Empire at war, the huge cityscape of Capitulum visible through the holo window set in the east and west walls of the room. A room that was actually situated deep under the five hundred story building that housed the offices of the military.

  Now he looked around that table, seeing faces that radiated curiosity at the prospect of a new head of state. On one side of the table sat the cabinet that had been installed by his father, and he wondered how many were friends, and how many foes. Tough shit. We’re in a war now, and these people will work with me, or they will be relieved of their positions.

  From the head of the table down were Lord Chester Halbrook, the Minister of the Exchequer; the Phlistaran Minister of Security Lord T’lisha; Lord Garis Primiveras, the Minister of State; and the Gryphon H’rressitor, Minister of Commerce and Industry. Next in line were the Scholars, Professor Cornelius Martin, Physicist and Minister of Science; Professor Amanda Loristrates, Historian and Minister of Education; and Professor Klashpek, the large Dinosauroid Minister of Communications. Next were Ms. Landrulis Lanticon, the small Matlican Minister of Labor, who looked very human except for her greyish skin; Josh Jenkins, the Underminister of Colonization, who would probably be asked to fill the post as the minister was missing; Mr. Hyrum Klein, the Minister of Agriculture; and Ms. Clara Chung, Minister of Justice.

  On the other side of the table sat Lady Hannah Mkambe, the Minister of War, along with Field Marshal Betty Parker, the Commandant of the Imperial Marines; Grand Marshal Mishori Yamakuri, Chief of Staff of the Army; and alongside Len Lenkowski was newly promoted Sondra McCullom. Up from them were the newly appointed Leader of the Lords, Archduke Gregor Stoyanovich; Laura Goolsby, the Speaker of the Commons; and the Chief of Scholars Mohamed Ishner; along with the Imperial Intelligence Agency Chief Ekaterina Sergiov. And at the far end of the table sat the newly appointed Prime Minister, Countess Haruko Kawasaki, while Samantha Ogden Lee sat next to the Emperor as his chosen regent.

  Of course, some of these appointments are going to have to be approved in committee, but with a war on, that shouldn’t be more than a rubber stamp procedure. “I call this meeting to order,” said Sean, smiling at the people seated around the table. “I wanted to meet with all of you together for the first time, kind of a getting to know you meeting. Later, we will meet in committees and panels to finalize my vision of how we will fight this war.”

  “Let me say, your Majesty,” said Lord Halbrook, giving a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “how overjoyed we are to see you returned to us. And may I express for all present the sorrow we endured at the death of your father, mother and brothers.”

  “Thank you, Lord Halbrook,” said Sean, keeping his poker face in place. “And sometime later we will talk about their murder, and what I intend to do about it. But right now we have a war to discuss, and a strategy to plan.”

  “Are you sure these creatures are really the aliens who chased you from your homeworld?” asked H’rressitor, his hard beak speaking Terranglo with a decided but understandable lisp. “Could they not be another race, resembling these Ca’cadasans?”

  “In answer to that, Lord H’rressitor, I offer this,” said Sean, and a holo of historical footage appeared over the center of the table, showing the ancient enemy as they had looked two thousand years before. After running thirty seconds of vid it switched to a scene showing the same kind of alien, pacing back and forth in a cell. “As you can see, unless there was a remarkable case of convergent evolution, this is the same species. And these,” he said, as a side by side image of an ancient and modern Ca’cadasan ship sprung into existence on the holo, “are also remarkably similar.”

  “May we see these Ca’cadasans for ourselves?” asked Halbrook, his skeptical expression retreating.

  “They are on the Donut at the moment, being examined by our intelligence and biological specialists,” said Sean, switching off the holo. “By tomorrow there will be a direct link from this building to the station, and you are welcome to go and look at the aliens all you want. I just wouldn’t get too close.”

  There was some strained laughter at the last remark, though most still looked to be in a state of semi-shock.

  “But, what are we going to do about this?” asked Speaker Goolsby. “We can’t evacuate the entire species.”

  “We aren’t going to run again,” said Sean, slamming a hand down on the table. “We are going to beat the crap out of these bastards. We are going to make them wish they had stayed in their own backyard, and not come out to play in ours.”

  Then was a lot of whispering and murmuring at that, and Sean could tell that most of the people in the room didn’t believe it. Only the Minister of War and her service chiefs maintained a look of confidence.

  “Look,” said the Emperor, keeping his cool, for the moment. “They are only slightly more advanced than we are. In basically a thousand years we have gone from the tech we had when they first met us, which was absolutely pitiful compared to theirs, to only a decade behind them. In two thousand years they have progressed maybe a century in their tech, by the way we measure things. I say we can catch them in another couple of years.”

  “And they will still be much stronger than we are,” said Klein. “Much larger, and capable of rolling over us.”

  “OK,’ said Sean, standing and glaring at the ministers. “Anyone who can do nothing more than complain about how we don’t have a chance can leave. I need people who are willing to work for the victory of our species. And I include the nonhuman members of our Empire. If you are willing to give it your all, and support my agenda for conducting this campaign, then you are more than welcome to stay in your positions. If not, I will replace you.”

  Halbrook started to open his mouth, then thought better of it. Probably about to say who do I think I am, thought Sean. Then remembered who I am.

  “We also have the Donut, and the ability to generate large numbers of wormhole
s. My science advisors, including Dr. Yu, tell me that the Cacas do not have this capability, and will not have it until they build a generating station around a black hole. Something that took us over a century to accomplish.”

  “What do you want us to do, your Majesty?” asked Countess Kawasaki, her face set in grim determination. “Name it, and I for one will do whatever is needed to make it happen.”

  I made a good choice there, thought Sean, looking at the small woman. He felt a hand on his forearm squeezing and looked over at Samantha, who nodded at him. Two good choices.

  “First off, we need to organize the Empire for a long war. One such as we have never fought. That includes expanding the military and manufacturing the tools we need to equip those Soldiers, Marines and Spacers. We’re going to have to tighten belts, raise taxes, build new shipyards and energy production facilities. And I am going to make a speech tomorrow declaring Level Five Martial Law.”

  “Martial Law has not been declared in a century,” exclaimed Minister of Labor Landrulis. “The people will not be happy.”

  “Will they be happier having kinetic weapons dropped on them from the sky?” asked Lady Hannah, a scowl on her face. “Would they rather have a new aircar, so they can look at it while their city is incinerated around them.”

  “Lady Hannah speaks truly,” said Lord T’lisha in his booming voice. “We are talking about life and death here. And freedom for those of us not in danger of extermination. You humans were once our masters, but have since become friends. I would not trade your Empire for that of these other aliens, who would make us slaves for as long as they rule.”

  “But why Level Five?” asked Director Sergiov. “We are in a total war situation. Why not Level One?”

  Lord T’lisha, Ekaterina’s superior, nodded his great crocodilian head, and some of the other ministers canted their heads in questioning poses.

  “I am not willing to suspend all freedoms, as of yet,” said Sean, shaking his head. “I think the people need to know what is going on, and I don’t want the Empire to become a police state. I think we need some restrictions on travel and transportation, and a strengthening of the Official Secrets Act. And we need to develop a unified transportation plan to move materials safely and securely to where they are needed. Taxes will have to be raised, but we should be able to employ everyone who can work, so that should balance out.”