The Ganthoran Gambit (The First Admiral Series)

by Benning, William J.

  But, Billy Caudwell was not destined to see how clean those rifle barrels became.

  As he stood watching a red-coated corporal frantically thrusting the ramrod into his rifle barrel, the whole dreadful scene began to slowly melt in front of his eyes. The British soldiers, the dead and dying Zulu, the terrain, and even the sky began to melt.

  Then, suddenly, his ears were assailed by the loudest cheer Billy had ever heard. From an invisible audience, Billy heard the roar of triumph and approval. The parameters set into the programming of the Time Warrior Ritual computers had been satisfied. First Admiral Billy Caudwell of the Universal Alliance had fought a battle in history that was lost, and he had triumphed. The Time Warrior Ritual was completed, and the Isandlwana programme had been terminated. He was now no longer in a computer-generated terrain of South Africa, but in the Time Warrior Arena. The greens and browns of South Africa were now replaced by the blue-white sands of the Arena and the pale-yellow sky of Chronos.

  And, the cheering and foot stamping was deafening.

  Stunned at the sudden change of environment, Billy stared at the huge tiers and banks of seated Ganthorans who cheered themselves hoarse and stamped their feet until their legs ached. It took him a few moments to understand that the computer programme had run its course. The crowd, having witnessed the Time Warrior Ritual completed by a brave and shrewd commander, now hailed their new Emperor. They had waited anxiously for almost twenty years for a worthy new Emperor, and now they cheered and shouted and stamped their relief. Slowly, Billy Caudwell turned to view the great sea of Ganthoran faces amidst the deafening roars and cheers and the stamping of their feet. RUMM-RUMM-RUMM! RUMM-RUMM-RUMM! RUMM-RUMM-RUMM! The Ganthorans stamped their jubilant tattoo of approval.

  The pale-yellow sky seemed to smile down on the new Emperor of the Ganthorans, and for just one moment, Billy wanted to stand in the blue-white sand and enjoy the applause that his victory had earned him.

  Taking a deep breath, a smiling Billy Caudwell stooped down to pick up the rifle, sabre and helmet he had lost during the battle. They had now become the only physical objects, apart from Billy Caudwell, his pistol, and uniform, to survive the termination of the Time Warrior Ritual programme. Still smiling, Billy straightened up and was about to replace the sabre into its metal scabbard, when he noticed the three figures, standing side by side, near the gateway to the colossal Arena. The central slim and elegant figure wore the robes of the Grand Adjudicator, the second figure wore a green Universal Alliance Fleet uniform, whilst the third; a large and stocky figure, wore the silver-grey colours of the Ganthoran Frontier Fleet.

  Through the deafening noise of the cheering and stamping crowd, the three figures approached Billy. As they approached, it became clear that the figures were Grand Adjudicator Bellor, Karap Sownus and General Grobbeg. Their faces spoke of a seriousness that did not match Billy’s mood of delight.

  “Your Majesty.” The Grand Adjudicator Bellor bowed deeply. “I congratulate you on your victory, but, the Empire is under great threat…”

  “Sir, the Frontier Generals, except for General Grobbeg here, have revolted, and have taken control of Ganthus City,” Karap Sownus interrupted.

  Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Billy thought.

  Chapter 4: The Nevada Desert, Planet Earth

  This is exactly what I’m looking for, John Caudwell thought, as he stepped through the large steel blast-proof door into the gloom of what looked like an old, abandoned aircraft hangar.

  The reinforced concrete roof; some twenty metres high, soared above him like the vaulted arches of some great medieval cathedral. At the base of the arch, dirt-covered windows cast dark brown rippling shadows of the desert sun onto a slabbed grey concrete floor. Dust, dirt, and glass shards from some of the broken windows littered the floor and crunched annoyingly beneath John Caudwell’s feet.

  Almost immediately, he felt the cooling effect of having stepped out from the dry desert heat. Instead, John was struck by the musty smell of dereliction and decay. Turning to his left, John pulled down the small lever on an ancient light switch, which after a moment of resistance rewarded him with nothing more than a dull CLICK. The electricity had been disconnected. It had been more than ten years since anyone had ventured into this building, and John Caudwell was rapidly coming to the conclusion that this building’s solitude would be coming to an end very soon.

  Hideaki Nakamura had given John Caudwell a list of contacts, including a Major at the Department of Defence who dealt with the disposing, or on some occasions, selling off disused and abandoned military facilities. Originally, John had asked about purchasing an old missile silo. Unfortunately for John, international tensions were still high and all of the missile silos in the United States were currently fully occupied and fully functional. However, the Major, who was not a stranger to cranks and lunatics who wanted to buy an Army Base, did suggest a site, just outside Las Vegas in the Nevada Desert that might be of interest. What John Caudwell had been recommended was an old U.S. Army Ammunition Complex that had been built in the early paranoid and panicked days of World War Two.

  Switching on the cheap plastic torch that he had bought at the Los Angeles airport, John scrutinised the plan of the base that the Major had tele-typed over to him at the hotel in Tokyo. The beam was surprisingly bright for a cheap hand-held and disposable torch, allowing John to fix his bearings on the site plan. He was in the largest of the three hangars that stood over a huge underground network of tunnels, linking up a myriad of storage bunkers, barracks, workshops, and a host of ancillary rooms. However, it was the huge hangar that had originally caught his interest from his initial reading of the site plan. At over one hundred metres long and twenty metres high, John Caudwell could see his Trionic Cannon lodged beneath this roof in his mind’s eye.

  Yes, if you dress it up as a large optical or radio telescope, and only those in the astronomical telescope building business would recognise that it wasn’t what it purported to be. Set the Cannon on a large platform that could rotate at its base, and you had a device that could cover most of the sky above it. Absolutely ideal, John Caudwell thought, and tried to see the far end of the hangar with the beam from his cheap torch.

  Unfortunately, the beam of the little torch wasn’t powerful enough to cover the distance, so John decided he’d just have to do it the difficult way. Crunching over the hangar floor, torch in mouth as he struggled with the site plan, John Caudwell tried to get an impression of just how big this hangar was. With echoing, crunching footfalls, he walked slowly across the concrete floor, becoming more and more certain in his mind that this was the place.

  From the site plan, he could see that there were underground workshops for making and restoring the parts needed to keep the ammunition of a previous generation safe to store.

  These could very easily become laboratories and workshops to service the Trionic Cannon. There was a huge underground fuel storage tank, which, with a little persuasion, could be removed and replaced by a large nuclear reactor. There was an above ground Administrative Block that could be used as a Control Centre for the “Research Facility”; the very public face of what John Caudwell planned.

  And, John Caudwell had barely scratched the surface of the potential of this place.

  Yes, thought John Caudwell, smiling broadly, torch in mouth, staring up at the high arched ceiling, this could do very nicely.

  Very nicely, indeed.

  Chapter 5: The Time Warrior Arena, Chronos

  Drawing a deep breath, Billy let the bombshell explode in his mind.

  Only a few minutes before, he had emerged from beneath the Vide-Orb, having successfully completed the Ganthoran’s Time Warrior ritual. With the cheers of the half-million Ganthorans packed into the Arena, and the celebratory drumming of their feet still ringing in his ears, he had been led away by Grand Adjudicator Bellor, Senior Intelligence Officer Karap Sownus, and Frontier General Grobbeg. They had told him that Frontier General Kallet had mutini
ed, and had seized Ganthus City. The news had shaken the reverie of his hard-won triumph from his mind, and had immediately focussed his attention on the new situation.

  “Very well, what’s the situation, Officer Sownus?” Billy asked the Senior Intelligence Officer.

  “General Kallet’s Fleet has chased off our Star-Cruiser, and his entire Frontier Fleet is in orbit above Ganthus City,” Karap Sownus began, “General Kallet has declared martial law, and his troops control the streets. They hold the Civil Government District, the broadcast media, the communications facilities, the Imperial Guard positions, plus the water and power facilities for the City.”

  “I have summoned the loyal Fourth Frontier Fleet to Ganthus to drive off the traitors, Your Majesty,” the gruff, larger-than-life General Grobbeg announced.

  “But, they’ll take several hours to reach us,” Karap Sownus said.

  “No matter, your loyalty will not be forgotten. Second Fleet?” Billy asked.

  Instinctively, the rotund Ganthoran General responded with the clenched fist across the chest salute of the Ganthoran Frontier Fleet.

  “Regrouping on the Liguarian Frontier, they’re still involved with operations there, but we need to get you and the Adjudicators to safety, sir,” Sownus said.

  “We’re safe enough here for the moment, Officer Sownus, but your concern is noted and appreciated. Admiral Parbe’an and Third Fleet?” Billy asked.

  “They’re refitting on the other side of the Calyx Wormhole, sir.”

  “The Calyx Wormhole?” Billy questioned Sownus, with the germ of an idea began to form deep in his mind.

  “Yes, sir, they’re taking on replacement fighters and repairing damage.”

  “Well, best to leave them there out of harm’s way for the moment,” Billy said. “Grand Adjudicator, if the Frontier Fleets have mutinied, what of the Imperial Guard?”

  “Your Majesty,” the Grand Adjudicator bowed almost apologetically, “the Imperial Guard swore an oath of loyalty to defend the person of the Emperor or Empress. I am convinced that they are loyal to you.”

  “Yes, but didn’t the Frontier Fleets also swear loyalty to the Emperor?” Billy asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty, but with respect to General Grobbeg, the Imperial Guard do not have the freedom and autonomy of the Frontier Fleets,” Bellor said.

  “To be fair, sir,” Karap Sownus interrupted, “from the reports from Ganthus City, the Imperial Guard anti-aircraft batteries fought Kallet’s ships from the ground, and were wiped out. The Guard, although heavily outnumbered, contested the landing of Kallet’s troops and fought to defend the Imperial Palace.” Sownus surprisingly found himself defending Bellor’s position.

  “Still, we cannot afford to be too careful,” Billy said, “if the Frontier Generals have conspired, then we must assume that some elements of the Imperial Guard have also conspired with them.”

  “But, Your Majesty, I must protest...,” the Grand Adjudicator began to raise his tired voice in protest.

  “Yes, I know, and I’m sorry, but, I appreciate your loyalty to the Imperial Guard, Grand Adjudicator,” Billy said, “but until we can be fully confident of the loyalty of the entire Imperial Guard, then we have to assume that some elements have been compromised.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Grand Adjudicator Bellor bowed once again.

  “Very well, then.” Billy rose to his feet decisively.

  At moments like this, Billy Caudwell, or the part of his mind that was Teg Portan, knew that he had to be seen as acting decisively. Grobbeg and the Alliance personnel needed to know that they had a strong, decisive leader who was ready to do whatever was necessary in the situation. And, even though his bowels were dissolving with uncertainty, Billy Caudwell had to put on a good enough show of bravado to convince Grobbeg and Bellor

  “Let’s get out of this uniform.” He indicated the dark blue Anglo-Zulu War uniform with the tear over his injured arm. “We’ll get the Adjudicators and their families to the safety of the Aquarius, then we’ll see about sorting out our friend General Kallet and the other rebels.”

  “Yes, sir.” Sownus and Grobbeg snapped to attention in unison.

  Then, they looked at each other quizzically.

  “General Grobbeg,” Billy said, “there are half a million people out there now trapped and unable to get back to Ganthus City. Can you decant them into the facilities of the Arena temporarily, please? Then, when you’ve done that, take your Frontier Fleet to the far side of the Calyx Wormhole, and then wait there for further instructions.”

  “Sir!” The rotund Ganthoran snapped another salute.

  “Grand Adjudicator Bellor, please accompany Officer Sownus to the flagship, where we can get you to safety aboard the Star-Destroyer Olympus. You are far too valuable to be put in jeopardy in the forthcoming military operations. Your wise counsel will be needed when we have suppressed these rebels,” Billy flattered, trying to disguise the fact that Bellor was effectively under arrest.

  “Your Majesty is too kind.” Bellor responded with a deep bow.

  “Officer Sownus, establish Grand Adjudicator Bellor and the other Adjudicators in the Diplomatic V.I.P. suite aboard Olympus,” Billy began, “then, get me all the Intelligence you can on General Kallet and the other rebels.”

  “Sir!” Sownus snapped his heels together.

  The Diplomatic V.I.P. suite aboard the Star-Destroyer Olympus was the most luxurious facility in Third Fleet. The Diplomatic V.I.P. suite was usually reserved for the Head of State of some visiting legation. It may have been a very luxurious cage for Bellor, Tiba, and Arrad, but it was still a cage nonetheless.

  “Thank you, Gentlemen.” Billy dismissed them.

  When they had disappeared through the Tele-Portal, Billy Caudwell turned to the huge window of the Adjudicators room. Outside, in the Time Warrior Arena, the hundreds of thousands of people were still celebrating his victory. They were unaware that General Kallet had taken control of Ganthus City.

  Billy had arranged for them to be accommodated in the depths of the Time Warrior Arena, where the Imperial Guards and the technicians lived and worked. It would be cramped and uncomfortable, but ultimately, it was a lot safer than back in Ganthus City.

  Resting his hands on the console in front of the window, Billy Caudwell watched the Ganthorans celebrate. The Adjudicators room was deadly silent, and for a moment, Billy Caudwell wished he could find the monitor switches that would allow him to hear their celebrations.

  How many more are going to die before this Ganthoran situation is resolved, he asked himself.

  The answer he got back from the part of his mind that was Teg Portan did nothing to enlighten or encourage him. There would probably be hundreds of thousands more people killed before the crisis was over. Kallet, like most of the Frontier Generals, was most likely to be a dangerous, sadistic, sociopath who could only likely be stopped one way: by being killed. And, as Billy Caudwell watched the great mass of Ganthorans silently cheering his victory, he felt that circumstances were now starting to run out of his control.

  He had to get some handle on what was happening and start dictating the terms of the action. It was the job of a battlefield commander to impose his will upon the enemy. Somehow, First Admiral William Caudwell had to impose his will upon a situation that was rapidly running away from him. Shattering Kallet’s Fleet in orbit above Ganthus would send out the message to the other Frontier Generals that Billy Caudwell was going to fight, that Billy Caudwell wasn’t intimidated by them or their Frontier Fleets. Turning on the heel of his tight-fitting black leather boots, Billy strode determinedly to the opaque Tele-Portal.

  Let the rebels beware!

  Chapter 6: Planet Earth

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving at our final destination of London Heathrow…” The voice over the intercom sounded reassuringly masculine, and in control, to Elizabeth Caudwell, as she reclined once more into her comfortable seat.

  For Elizabeth Caudwell, there were
some jobs that only a man could do, and captain of a passenger jet was one of them. Strangely, she felt much safer with a man in command of the aircraft than with a woman. It was just one of those things, Elizabeth decided, just as she felt more comfortable with a woman as her financial adviser.

  Men were good for flying aircraft, and women knew how to look after money, she thought to herself with certainty.

  That, Elizabeth Caudwell considered, was one of the few certainties that she had left in her life now. Before the trip to New York, she had considered that she had things pretty much figured out. Billy was safely established at that expensive school up in the Highlands. His grades, especially in science, at which he had never really previously excelled, now showed that he had some latent talent. His marks for physics were amongst the highest in Scotland, if not the whole United Kingdom.

  Well, he would get that ability from John, Elizabeth considered.

  John Caudwell, ah yes, John Caudwell, she mused, and wondered what on earth she was going to do about John Caudwell. Before New York, it had all been so simple and straightforward; she had married John, she had a son called Billy, and they were the most important things in her life. Yet, now, here she was, a mere four days later, and her whole world felt like it had been turned upside down. To Elizabeth, it had felt like she had been trapped in a cage, and had been released to go to New York. She had tasted a little bit of freedom in New York, and she had liked the flavour associated with it. Now, she knew that she would find it difficult to return back to the cage she had slipped away from.

  “I’m sorry, madam...,” The voice of the pretty young brunette stewardess in the blue and red uniform broke into her consciousness, “But, we’re coming in to land, and the Captain has put on the seatbelt light.”

  “Oh, I do beg your pardon,” Elizabeth stammered, shaken from her deliberations.

  “That’s perfectly all right, madam...Sometimes the Captain forgets to mention seatbelts.” The smiling young stewardess lied smoothly, in a quiet, conspiratorial tone, as she helped Elizabeth to fasten the buckle.