“Cruisers translating.” And the holo switched to a view of the system, and the hundreds of Fenri ships sitting about a light hour in from the hyper barrier. Those ships would know the cruisers were there because of the graviton emissions of those vessels moving up through hyper and then jumping to normal space. They wouldn’t see them for an hour, not on any kind of electromagnetic sensors. And a minute later they would pick up the capital ships translating in.
At the same time the cruisers came through another battle cruiser jumped into normal space several light weeks out. Her wormhole was linked to an open portal in the black hole system. Four thousand missiles hit that hole going at point five c over a period of three hours. They came through powered down, and within an hour they would all be cold in space, coasting toward the system. In a month they would be there, fully stealthed and undetectable. On the way through the system they would look for targets. It was hoped they would be a major headache for the Fenri.
Five of the new hyper VII battleships and twelve battle cruisers came into normal space, along with eight destroyers. All were equipped with a multipurpose wormhole, com and cargo. While not in the same class as the three wormhole ships being deployed against the Ca’cadasans, they were still something that the Fenri had never seen. When they entered normal space the targets had already been fed into their firing computers, and they immediately started flushing missiles.
The battleships already had large magazines, maybe not in the class of the VIs, but still enough to launch six hundred missiles. They started cycling these from their tubes at the maximum rate. So did the wormhole on each, putting out a missile a second, a continuous fire for ten minutes, until each ship had put out another six hundred missiles. The battle cruisers cycled their internal magazines and flushed the same amount with their wormholes. In ten minutes firing time the ships had sent fifteen thousand missiles insystem toward the largest concentration of enemy vessels, some five hundred warships.
The enemy returned fire at the human force, which was now decelerating at its maximum rate, killing its velocity so it could move out back beyond the barrier and jump into hyperspace. They would not make it before the enemy missiles arrived, fire from over seven hundred opponent warships. But now all the ships were firing counter missiles from their wormholes, one per second for all thirty ships, a total of eighteen hundred a minute.
Another holo started blinking, and the scene was repeated, though against a slightly smaller enemy force. This happened on every holo, until all six systems were engaged.
The first holo showed enemy missiles being hit by counters, bright flares in space, and the enemy defenses taking out some of the incoming human weapons. Then there were hits, and Sean sat in his seat wincing as some of the weapons got through to his force. A light cruiser went up in a flare, then another, then a destroyer, while a battleship took a hit that hurt her but didn’t kill. Several enemy ships were hit, then more.
The holo switched to a tactical view that showed the humans ships starting to curve back toward the hyper barrier. One of the destroyers blinked, and Sean knew that was the ship with the extra wormhole, the one that was being dropped in space to remain behind. The other ships dropped hundreds of the new mines as they reached the point of lowest velocity before moving back out. The mines, basically cylinders of crystal matrix batteries clustered around the warhead, were fully stealthed. The enemy would only know they were there when they fired, and then they would be shocked.
The force took damage, losing a battleship, three battle cruisers, three light cruisers and a destroyer. As they translated back into hyper the view from the free wormhole showed almost two hundred enemy ships destroyed or crippled. It was a good exchange, though the Emperor had trouble thinking of it that way.
The wormhole that had been left behind now tracked the enemy as they moved through the area where the mines had been scattered. Ships began to flare, as the mines, really small quantum teleportation devices, cycled through the process of sending several kilograms of antimatter into the closest Fenri ships. As soon as they sent their warhead out another charge destroyed the mine, leaving nothing behind to be reverse engineered. As always, only about half of the antimatter actual made it to the targets. It was enough to destroy almost seventy ships, and cripple as many more.
The pattern repeated with all of the strike forces in all the systems, all taking casualties while giving many more. All hurting the enemy strike forces, though not beyond repair.
Now the third part of the strategy took over, as the ships only moved up to hyper VI as they ran. Some even feigned damage and accelerated at a lower rate. The enraged Fenri worked their way out of their systems and jumped into hyper, determined to track down their attackers and destroy them. It was a stern chase, and the human ships closed on the border with the Fenri on their tails. Leading the Fenri right into the ambushes set by the battle groups waiting in normal space.
By the end of the day the Fenri surprise attack had been destroyed. They still had a fleet, though much reduced, and the sure knowledge that their enemy was ready for them, whenever they came.
*
Sean was the first Emperor in history to watch a real time battle, really six of them, over two thousand light years away, and then attend the Opera in the capital. He hadn’t talked about the new war with Jennifer. He thought she had been through enough as it was. The Emperor could tell when he did talk around her that she was tired of death. He was sure she would give it her all when she had to, but why bother her with details that would just distress her.
The hall was packed with people, as many as had filled the Imperial Hall the night they had attended the last opera. Many of the same people were there, nobility and the wealthy who had come to see and be seen. Sean and Jennifer again occupied the Emperor’s box, with the best view of the stage. The holographic curtain was drawn, hiding the performers who were about to play to the crowd.
“Anything eventful happen today?” asked the Imperial Consort, smiling at Sean. The smile left her face and she looked into his eyes, searching. “You seem troubled tonight. You seem troubled so often these days.”
“What’s to be troubled about,” Sean said with a slight smile. “My realm is in danger, the entire human race is threatened. And I may not have the power to stop the threat.”
“You can just do the best you can do,” said Jennifer, holding his arm in her hands. “That’s all we can expect from anyone.”
“And they can put that on the plaque they will leave on a hidden moon somewhere,” said Sean, shaking his head. “He tried his best, and we all still died. Not really my idea of a great epitaph.”
The curtain shimmered, a sign that the show was about to start. The Emperor turned his attention to the stage. Even though his heart and mind were really not into a performance tonight, it was expected of him to be calm and worry free. The people would see him and know that things were going to work out. If they weren’t here, they would see him on the evening news. Almost like walking the poop of a Man-o-War, except that no one is shooting at me. Just as that thought went through his mind he realized how wrong he was. He had been shot at while addressing Parliament. If it could happen there, it could happen anywhere, even here.
The music started and the curtain faded away, revealing the singers on the stage. The Phlistaran lead, dressed like a dragon, started the song going, his deep voice resonating through the acoustically perfect hall. The cast was made up entirely of non-humans, all playing the parts of human fantasy. It was a play written by a Malticoran playwright centuries ago, exploring her interest in human mythos. The voices were captivating, the best singers that could be found to perform The Dragon King.
Sean sat and watched the opera, his consort hanging onto his arm. He was familiar with the story, about an evil dragon who wanted to destroy the elf race he felt was encroaching on his realm. The majority of his people didn’t agree, but he was king, and therefore must be obeyed. Until one of his subjects decided to end the madness
and assassinated the king.
If only I could do the same with the ancient enemy, thought the Monarch, as the last scene of the last act worked its way out on stage. But they will not treat with us. That Ca’cadasan Brigade Commander made that clear enough to me. Either we beat them to the point where they cannot attack us anymore, or they beat us, and we are no more.
He glanced over at Jennifer. Her eyes were full of tears, the emotional response to the touching story as presented by master performers. Sean had wished that he could let himself go like that. He had always enjoyed this opera. Just another thing the war had ruined for me. Like that has any meaning.
The ride back to the palace was pleasant. Jennifer was in a playful mood, and it always amazed Sean how sad stories could stir sexual feelings in people. They kissed and cuddled until the car touched down on the landing pad. Leaving the car and walking into the palace, Sean was again reminded how he was not a regular person with a life of his own. Marines and Secret Service Agents abounded, covering every possible approach. The panels that closed behind him looked like French doors, but were actually transparent alloy coated with a layer of diamond and set in a frame of ship steel. Nothing short of a military heavy weapon was going to get through those doors.
Sean was enraptured by the body of his love lying in his arms, and at least for a time was able to forget anything other than his being a human male, with a very desirable female in his clasp. One he had fallen for the first time he saw her. Was I really in love then, he thought as he thrust into her, listening to her gasps of pleasure. He kissed her soft lips and felt the real love that had grown in him since that moment. And she loves me, he thought as she pushed her soft tongue into his mouth. She didn’t want to love me, and I really can’t blame her. How does even an Emperor live up to a Marine combat officer?
Jennifer reached her climax first, the normal occurrence in lovemaking where nanites could control the response cycle according to the wishes of the human host. Sean made sure she hit the peak again before he let himself go, wondering all the time if she would want to have his baby, and would be willing to disable the prophylactic function of her internal nanites. And Samantha and the rest of the family would raise hell, he thought as he rolled off of her, then turned back to take her in his arms. I would either have a bastard, which could later muddy the succession. Or I could marry her, and that would cause all kinds of problems. He looked at the smiling face of the half sleeping woman, the light dusting of freckles on her nose like the kiss of angels on her skin. He kissed that nose himself, then her forehead, and thought that he really didn’t care what the nobles thought about his love life, or life in general.
The next morning he awoke at his regular time, his internal clock activating his system and bringing him to total awareness. Jennifer continued to lay next to him softly breathing, and he disentangled himself from her tender limbs without waking her. He got out of bed and showered, then put on the clothes that had been laid out for him by the staff. I wonder if they watch us making love, he thought as he pulled on his soft boots. Supposedly that was not allowed, and his link with the system didn’t reveal any illegal monitoring. But that wouldn’t stop them if they really felt the need to keep an eye on him.
Breakfast was also laid out for him, as always, eggs, bacon, muffins and good coffee, the things he wanted in the morning. He linked into the palace computer system while he ate, his secure access allowing him to look over all the reports compiled during the night by the various security and military services. There would be a live briefing later, but he always liked to be up on things before he saw the briefers. There were really too many for him to pay attention to them all. He skimmed the titles, then brought up some abstracts put together by the experts who had read the entire report, if not written it themselves. A few he read in their entirety. Only a few.
One caught his eye, and he dove into the diplomatic report from the Ministry of State. So the wormhole had arrived at the Crakista capital, and now we can talk to them in real time. And their government wants to talk directly to me, as well as their ambassador.
Sean thought about his new allies for a moment. There had never been an alliance between the two peoples, though they had engaged in trade for centuries. And there had been wars, some of them hard fought, though no one could say the Reptilians had ever been savage or heartless opponents. They had fought with logic, and did not consider violence for its own sake acceptable. In fact, thinking back on the history of the two races, humanity had not always been the kindest of opponents, even though the Crakista Ambassador thought humans were among the more honorable races in the sector.
And still those idiots in the Lords weren’t sure how much they trusted the Reptilians, he thought with disgust. Until I explained to them that unless we got reinforcements from some allies I would have to strip their own systems of Fleet units. Then they had reacted fast enough. He was still going to take those units from them, in time, and it had gotten him what he wanted.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Jennifer asked, coming sleepy eyed into the room. A servant came in as soon as she sat with a covered platter of food, having seen her coming into the hall and anticipating her needs.
“You looked so lovely sleeping, I couldn’t bring myself to wake you,” Sean said with a smile, his heart beating faster as he looked into her beautiful face.
“Wake me up next time, and I’ll make it worth your while,” she said with a broad smile. “I’ll make sure that you get up as well.”
Sean laughed, reaching over and grabbing her hand. “You tempt me to go back to bed,” he said, shaking his head as her face glowed. “Unfortunately, the fate of a trillion beings rests on my attending my morning brief, so sex will have to wait.”
Jennifer took up a fork full of eggs and took a bite. “I’ll take you up on that tonight,” she said.
“Any plans today?”
“I think I might go riding with your cousin May,” said the woman, shaking out her long red hair.
“I wish I could join you,” said Sean with a frown. “Unfortunately.”
“I know. Unless you hear it with your own ears, the efforts of your subordinates don’t count. I understand.”
“I promise you we will do something this weekend. That’s what, another two days? Then we’ll do a getaway. Maybe the boat again, maybe the mountains.”
“OK,” said Jennifer, getting up from her seat, walking to Sean and putting her arms around him.
They kissed for a moment, and Sean really didn’t want to break the connection, but duty called. “I have to go.”
“I know. Just remember, you can only give the orders. You can’t also fight the battles.”
Sean smiled, turned and walked away. She is right, you know. But the responsibility is still mine.
The private train ride over to the Hexagon was as uneventful as ever. Security was in place of course, but the train line was two kilometers beneath the ground, and the tunnel itself was sealed in ten meters of ship armor. Anyone that wanted to get him there would have to drop a big kinetic weapon on him, something unlikely to occur on Jewel, where the Fleet controlled the orbitals.
The staff jumped to their feet as he walked into the conference room, and he ordered them back to their seats with a motion of his hand. “So, besides a conversation with our new allies, what’s on the slate today?”
“Task Group Fifty-one should be reaching the Lasharan home system within the next three hours,” said the CNO, Grand High Admiral Sondra McCullom. “From there it’s a two day fastest transit to orbit, and Mishori’s boys will be going down to the surface.”
“And we don’t have real time on that op?” Sean asked, already knowing the answer, but regretting it nonetheless.
“It was decided that a wormhole was not really needed for that op,” said Lady Hannah. “Not with the need so great in other areas. We really didn’t think the Lasharans were going to give us enough of a fight in space to make it worthwhile.”
“And what
about the ground campaign?”
“Not really much we can do there, your Majesty,” said Grand Marshal Mishori Yamakuri, Imperial Army Chief of Staff. “I agreed with the consensus. We need wormholes on the planets we’re contesting with the Cacas. Not on a backwater like the Lasharan homeworld, no matter how important the op.”
“We’re getting the signal from the Crakista home world through the wormhole, your Majesty,” said Lord Garis, the Minister of State. “Are you ready to talk with them?”
“Let’s get this show started,” said Sean, feeling the butterflies flapping in his stomach. I will be the first Emperor to ever speak with their Ruling Council. Hope I don’t say anything to completely screw it up.
Then there was no time for more thought about what might go wrong. The holo faded in over the table, and Sean found himself looking face to face with the Spokesbeing of the Crakista Ruling Council. He had no way of telling if it were male or female, and had heard that, except for breeding purposes, such distinctions were moot among the egalitarian species.
“Greetings from the Council,” said the being in flat, unaccented Terranglo. “We find it gratifying that our brother species has seen the wisdom of joining forces with us.”
The being spoke without any facial expression, and the Emperor wasn’t sure if that was because its face was incapable of such, or whether it was the general emotional control the Crakista were noted for. He knew they had emotions. They had acted emotionally, to their own detriment, in past wars. They were also known to have their emotions generally under control as they acted according to the dictates of logic.
“And we are also, gratified, that we could come to an accommodation with the Crakista,” said Sean, keeping his own face flat, not sure how a smile would be interpreted. “I will leave it to our military commanders to work out the details of our integration of forces. It is enough for me to know that you are on our side against this threat.”
Exodus - Empires at War 04 - The Long Fall (Exodus Series #4) Page 33
