“May the universe help us, Jill,” Skye muttered quietly, the news making her reassess every preconception she held about the Rebels and why they were fighting. To learn that almost all of those who they had thought of as Rebels were probably nearly all as loyal to the Emperor as themselves, shocked Skye to her core. “All those lives lost around the planet. All the good men and women lost, and now the Empress.”
“Charalambous must be in on the conspiracy, don’t you think?” Jill more than stated then asked, shaking her head at the desperate news.
Skye nodded, her face taking on a grim expression. “That bastard was probably the one who subverted the AI’s and senior Officers over to the rebellion in this system, along with the Duke.”
“Commodore?” Skye was interrupted by her Communications Officer. She nodded, indicating he should go ahead.
“We’ve intercepted and decrypted a message from Admiral Charalambous to the new Fleet, ordering it to cover his return to the planet. Their answering response wasn’t even encrypted.” He grinned. “The Commander of the new Fleet wasn’t a happy man and expressed himself very forcibly.”
“Thank you. Please forward a full transcript to Duke Gallagher, along with details of Professor Lucking’s new weapon system and copies of all the remaining ships’ logs.” The Officer nodded and turned away.
Jill turned to Skye. “What do you think they will make of the weapon? Even the Professor admitted it was of limited use, for once it has been used a few times, others would figure out counter-measures.”
Skye nodded, “It was only ever going to be enough to get us out of this system and was never going to win a war. The energy drain and recharge times are too severe. He told me, albeit reluctantly, that he had first come up with the idea of enclosing a particle beam weapon in a tubular force-field many years ago, after researching ancient weapons. Arrows with barbed points could be removed by inserting a device which would encase the head in a smooth casing, enabling the surgeon to pull it out. He simply figured out a way to enclose a beam in another force field which, on impacting the enemies shields, would tunnel through and allow the beam to pass through. Apparently, because their shields obviously work on identical principles as ours, the tunnelling beam can be set to go straight through.”
Jill looked confused. “I can’t see the connection with arrows,” she admitted.
Sky smiled. “Neither can I, but it works. Shame the projectors burn out after only one or two shots, then have to be replaced. Let’s hope the Rebels stay still long enough for us to properly target their engines. Hitting a stationary Jump Station with this new weapon is one thing, hitting a moving battleship is something else entirely.”
Jill nodded, then moved over to stand beside Skye. “When do you want to tell the crew what we know about the Empress and the rebels?”
Skye thought for a few moments before deciding. “Now is as good a time as any,” she replied, instructing the AI to open a ship-wide broadcast that would be transmitted across to the other ships in her fleet.
“Commodore Skye here. I have important news to tell you…”
Duke Gallagher’s teeth rattled, and despite being securely fastened to the deck of the battleship by the boots of his armoured suit, he was not enjoying the experience. It seemed as though his ship was being hit every few seconds by massive hammer blows and if it had not been for the constant stream of information coming into him from the ship’s AI and Carmen, he would have expected everything to begin disintegrating around him at any moment.
Fortunately, the shields were holding firm, and the new armour was proving even more effective than had been hoped. Even so, the constant battering was taking its toll, and he expected anything not secured properly was probably smashed beyond repair. His ship had gone up against an enemy nearly as large, and the two were almost motionless in space, slugging it out toe to toe like two bare-knuckle boxers.
“For goodness sake, how long is this going to continue?” he asked out aloud, his discomfort temporarily making him forget where he was, as a particularly loud thump almost overcoming the padding inside his helmet.
“My apologies, Sir,” replied Richard Honeyman, the Battleship’s Captain who was standing next to him, “I’m sure the enemy Commanders are unaware of the discomfort they are inflicting on us. Shall I ask them to stop firing?”
“It’s a good job we are friends, Captain Honeyman, otherwise that might have offended me,” retorted Gallagher, groaning as the ship took another hit. “How long before we rendezvous with Commodore Skye’s fleet?
“They will have matched velocities with us in fifteen minutes, Sir, despite the rebels’ best efforts to stop it.”
Suddenly, catching everyone watching by surprise, a gigantic explosion illuminated the hologrammatic display of the battle, showing the fiery demise of the Rebel ship which had, until a few moments ago, been pounding Gallagher's. It made Captain Honeyman pause for a few seconds as he called up information and interrogated his Officers. “I wasn’t expecting that to happen, despite what the Commodore told us. Simultaneous direct hits to the matter conversion engines, releasing all the stored energy from their shields in one go.”
“No, neither was I,” replied Gallagher, reading the same information as it came into the Captain standing next to him. “Look, there goes another one of them,” he said, pointing out another explosion from one of the Rebel’s leading battleships. Is this definitely their doing?” at the same time requesting information from the Weapons Master, who confirmed the attack was coming from Commodore Macfarlane’s Fleet. He turned to Honeyman. “It looks as though Professor Lucking's weapon worked. Shame it takes so long to recharge.”
With the constant pounding now gone, the sudden relative peace came as somewhat of an anticlimax, leaving Gallagher unsure what was going to happen next. The answer came moments later, as he watched the Rebel fleet begin to close the distance between themselves and Gallagher’s, trying to shield themselves from whatever had destroyed two of their ships without warning. The two men withdrew their helmets back into their suits and faced each other, both looking surprised at the unexpected turn of events.
“All ships prepare for boarding. Close Combat teams to your assigned positions. Marines to your assigned stations,” the calm voice of the ship’s AI instructed both over everyone’s implants and the public address system.
Only because he was looking out for it and was linked symbiotically into his battleship’s systems, Gallagher noted the subtle change in the air as the AI sent mood enhancers into the ship’s atmosphere, in preparation for physical combat.They had several minutes before the two Fleets began their deadly embrace and he was desperate to avoid further loss of life. Gallagher made a decision.
“All ships, cease fire,” he commanded and immediately the withering fire from his fleet stopped. “Open a channel to the Rebel Commander.”
Almost immediately, a face formed in the tank, replacing the image of battle. Carmen whispered into Gallagher’s mind the man’s name, having identified him as Commodore Scott Watson from the Imperial Navy database.
“Your Grace?” Watson spoke first. “You aren’t going to surrender, so what do you want?”
“Hold position and stand down your weapons until we have finished speaking, Commodore. If you don’t agree with what I am about to propose, then we can both begin firing again.”
Gallagher watched the young man’s face for any sign as to what the answer might be, but he saw nothing, other than a terse nod. The Rebel ships slowed, then held position, the weapon systems going silent. “Agreed, for the moment. So, what is your proposal?”
“Saving Imperial lives, Commodore. We have both been cruelly deceived, and I want to try and right a terrible wrong. We both know Charalambous used your Fleet to buy time for him to escape and by now you have had a chance for your Weapon Masters to update you on the advanced capabilities of my ships.” Gallagher thought he detected a slight flickering of Watson's left eye at the mention of Admiral Charala
mous’s name but wasn’t certain. “You know that I will prevail here. We can out-manoeuvre and out-gun anything you have at your disposal.” He held his hand up to forestall Watson’s response. “No, please hear me out, Commodore. I am sending you a complete breakdown of what and who you are really fighting for, together with recordings of the Emperor, his son and what has happened to the Empress. Your technical Officers can confirm whether they are genuine or not.”
The Rebel Commodore said nothing for a few moments, then nodded towards someone not in shot. He turned his attention back to Gallagher.
“And? What will it prove?”
“For one thing, that you have been used. Now, if you already knew the contents of the message then you are part of the conspiracy, and I’ve wasted nothing apart from a few minutes. I’ll know the answer to that if you start firing again.But if you were duped like most people, then we can both make this temporary cease-fire more permanent and save thousands of Imperial lives. Take as much time as you need, I’m ready to respond either way. You know my reputation.”
“Indeed I do, and it was the only thing that made me take your call.”
For the first time, Gallagher could plainly see indecision start to play over his opponents face. “Perhaps my gamble will work after all; nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he thought to himself, using one of the English expressions he had learned from studying idioms from Karen’s planet.
The image of his opponent went dark in the tank, but a quick check confirmed the channel had been kept open and not terminated. Gallagher used mind calming techniques while he waited for the response, at the same time forcing down his heart rate. Unbidden, his mind returned to thinking about his eldest son, Thomas, commanding Gallagher’s Grand Fleet, the pride of Sector Two, currently attacking the Jump Station. He thought back to before they set off to retake this system. Prior to making the Jump, Gallagher had received intelligence from Vimes, taken from one of Alexander’s hidden probes that were both providing valuable intelligence on the Rebel’s movements and spreading an alternative narrative about Duke Frederick and the Rebellion’s real plans. Also, Alexander had provided his old friend with a contingent of the new battleships, and Gallagher had taken these to head in-system to rescue the beleaguered Commodore Macfarlane before she was caught between the two Rebel Fleets, leaving his son to attack the Station with the bulk of his forces.
Gallagher smiled, remembering the relieved look on the Commodore’s face when he first identified himself after Jumping into the system, telling her his plans and identifying what needed doing before he could move towards the inner planets and the Rebel Duke. The light delay had made real-time communications problematic at first, but he was now looking forward to sharing a well-deserved bottle of wine with the Commodore and hearing about her exploits. Hopefully, she would have some information useful to him when he faced down the Duke.
The image in the tank reformed, bringing Gallagher back from his musings, his eyes searching the younger man’s face for any clues as to his decision. He could feel his heart rate increase again in anticipation for the answer, but said nothing, allowing the younger man to speak first.
“Your Grace, I am at a loss what to say or how to respond. The ramifications of this are beyond horrendous. We have possibly been tricked into fighting ourselves.”
“Only possibly, Commodore? Didn’t you validate the files? Doesn’t the fact we are still talking indicate you know in your heart they are true? Come now, admit t0 yourself they are real, and we have all been tricked into fighting ourselves, just as you said.” Gallagher’s expression and tone of voice softened as he continued. “We are all victims here, Commodore Watson, and I hold you blameless, just as I do all the other Officers in your Fleet who were not part of the conspiracy. On that, I would advise you to lock out the AI and anyone of command rank you do not trust implicitly. I doubt they will let themselves to taken prisoner and face the Emperor’s mercy, not now the Empress has been murdered.”
Gallagher finished speaking and waited for a response, giving the other time to think through a plan of action and response. He almost pitied Commodore Watson and wondered how he might have reacted to the news if their positions were reversed. Unexpectedly, Carmen told him the signal from the other ship had changed, having switched to a highly encrypted mode.
Commodore Watson’s face reappeared, his voice sounding flat, indicating a privacy screen had been erected around him. “To think of what I have done against the Empire is a bitter pill to swallow and hard to accept. Duke Gallagher. I wish to surrender, but have a problem. Almost one hundred of my fleet joined just before we Jumped and I am unable to vouch for any of their Captains. Several dozen of my own have been replaced since this Rebellion started and I suspect they may all be part of the conspiracy. If I broadcast a surrender or reveal what has happened, there is every possibility they will begin firing on you or us. Your suggestions would be welcomed.”
Gallagher nodded, having suspected this might have happened. He was taking a chance that Commodore Watson wasn’t playing a double bluff, but Carmen had been reviewing his service record and the physiological tells as he spoke, usually a good indicator of whether someone was lying. She had judged a high probability that the man wasn’t trying to deceive him. Gallagher made his decision.
“Commodore, send me a complete list of those ships you believe might be compromised, then instruct your fleet to widen the distances between them. I also suggest you bypass the senior officers and transmit what you know and the files I’ve sent you directly to the Marine Sergeants and the general rank and file crew across your fleet, before making any announcement of your decision. I have a strong feeling they will take matters into their own hands and help remove any conspirators once they show their true colours. I have great faith in the common sense of our Marines. Carmen will send you further information as required. Good luck, Commodore. I look forward to meeting with you in person when this is all over.”
Commodore Watson nodded. “As do I, providing I am still around to do so. Watson out,” and with that, cut communication.
Gallagher turned to his ship’s Captain. “Poor bastard, I feel for him. How long do you think before the fireworks start, Captain?”
Captain Honeyman shook his head slowly. “It depends on the message he sends with the data. Probably no more than five minutes.”
The two men watched the tank in front of them, noting how Commodore Watson’s ship had begun to move away again. Many of the Rebel ships were also following suite, although a sizeable minority were holding their position. Gallagher sent a recording of what had just transpired to the other ships in both his and Commodore Macfarlane’s Fleet, which had rendezvoused and was moving to take station towards the centre of Gallagher’s much larger one, where it would be protected by the screens of the more modern battleships.
The five minutes passed without any outward signs, then suddenly, two of the rebel ships nearest to Commodore Watson’s began accelerating rapidly towards him, on a course that would avoid the Imperial ships and take them on the fastest course away. In response, five capital ships moved to intercept and interpose themselves. Weapons fire streaked across the void from the two ships, followed by railgun slugs and particle beam weapons. The five returned fire, instigating a round of exchanges between other ships. Suddenly, the entire Rebel fleet was ablaze with furious fighting as Captains revealed where their loyalties lay.
“Your Grace, what are your instructions?” Captain Honeyman asked, his body language clearly demonstrating his wish to join in and protect those ships that had shown for the Empire.
Expecting such a development, Gallagher had already given Carmen clear instructions for such an eventuality, and she opened a channel to Commodore Watson, whose face appeared immediately, almost as if he too, had been expecting a call.
“Commodore, we stand ready to offer assistance. Please identify those of your fleet that have shown for the Empire and those you have identified as hostile.” Gallagher’s
voice remained steady, despite his inward exultation at his gamble having seemingly come off. Now he just had to persuade the population of Ragnar to do the same in a few day’s time.
“Thank you, Your Grace. Your offer is greatly appreciated, but I have matters in hand. I don’t want to risk anyone getting the wrong idea about your coming to help. There, the details are being transmitted now, along with a link into our Fleet-wide communication net so you can listen in. As you can see, those ships who joined my command recently have most of the traitors. Please link me through to your Weapons Master and AI. Ah, thank you. Watson out.”
Gallagher turned to his Captain “Richard, please work with Commodore Watson and his Officers as appropriate. If I am not mistaken, most of the Rebel ships will begin to have severe problems in keeping their Marines from wresting back control of their ships. There will be bloody knife work onboard many vessels today.”
As he spoke, one of the Rebel ships ceased firing on its neighbour and declared for the Empire, quickly followed by several more who began firing on those identified as Rebels. Gallagher and the Officers watched events in the tank and listened intently to the communication byplay between the ships making up Watson’s Fleet. With every passing minute, angry Marines fought for control, more ships declaring for the Empire and moving into firing positions against those remaining loyal to Fredrick.
In less than an hour, almost all of the ships in Commodore Watson’s Fleet had declared for the Empire, with those that had refused to surrender having been disabled or destroyed, despite every care having been taken to avoid unnecessary loss of life. Gallagher’s son, Thomas, had called off the attack on the Jump Station and had begun moving his ships in-system towards his fathers, leaving a large contingent behind to ensure the Jump Point remained destabilised. Between them, Commodore Watson and Gallagher had agreed that Watson would return to the Jump Station with his ships and present it with the same evidence given to him to persuade them to surrender. Coming from those who had so recently been on the same side might help convince them to at least listen to what he had to say. Although a long-shot, both Gallagher and Thomas were reluctant to delay any further in the recapturing the planet and bringing retribution to Duke Vincent. Once he was out of the way, the retaking of Sector Ten could begin in earnest.
Imperium: Coda: Book Three in the Imperium Trilogy Page 24
