“What about you?” asked Dawson, looking down at Marken. The battle suit allowed him to tower over the tall alien.
“I and my people will be transferring also,” Marken replied with an unpleasant look upon his face. “The Kleese have decided that we will be responsible for completing your training and supervising you during your first few deployments. Don’t disappoint me.”
Marken turned and left leaving Wade and the others behind. He knew that they were expected to spend another hour working out in their battle suits and then remove them. They were then required to go to the supply room, pick up what they needed, and return to their quarters. Looking at the large hatch to the training room, he saw that the alien in the ever-present battle suit was still there watching them.
“I wonder just what they’re training us for?” Lieutenant Jeffries from one of the other three squads asked as he strode up in his battle suit. It had been Jeffry’s squad that had taken refuge behind the low mounds, which had caused all the others so much trouble.
“I don’t know,” replied Wade, glancing over at the other lieutenant. “The only thing I am sure of is that we will probably not like it.”
Corporal Stern was listening to the exchange and agreed with Lieutenant Nelson. They were in a bad situation, and at the moment, she saw no way out.
-
Marken returned to his quarters where his mate was waiting. “Do you think they’re the ones?” she asked as he sat down across from her.
“They show promise,” replied Marken, thinking about the recently completed drill. “They are a very aggressive race and probably the most warlike we have ever come across. I am almost certain that is why the Kleese elected to destroy the Human home world.”
“Do they know?” asked Harnett, looking at Marken and wondering what it would feel like to know that your world and all of its people were gone.
“Some of their officers may suspect, but they haven’t been told.”
Harnett nodded. It was the way of the Kleese; they treated all the subordinate races as if they were insects. All three of the dominant races were like that. She just hoped that someday another race would put them in their places.
“This Lieutenant Nelson shows much promise, along with a few others. Their training is already far ahead of many of the other groups. Once we reach the training facility, some of the Humans will be shuffled around. Those that fit into our plan will be placed together and given advanced training.”
“Advanced training?” Harnett exclaimed in astonishment, her narrow eyes growing wider. “That will be the Type Two battle suits. Is that wise? What if the Kleese suspect?”
“The Kleese will never know,” replied Marken, confidently. “The training is left up to us, and the only time a Kleese makes an appearance is when it is necessary to hand out discipline.”
“I have seen their discipline,” Harnett said with obvious disgust in her voice. She worked in the ship’s medical facility and too often, she had to treat alien races who had suffered from the Kleese’s obvious contempt for the welfare of others.
“I like these Humans,” Marken continued with a thoughtful look upon his face. “They remind me much of our own race, except they are much more aggressive. If the situation were different their people and ours would have been friends.”
“If things work out as you hope, perhaps we still can be.” Harnett stood to go and prepare their evening meal.
“Perhaps, but I don’t know if they will ever forgive us for what we are about to do to them.” Marken leaned back and closed his eyes. He dreaded what he was about to put the Humans through, but if their plan was to succeed and if these Humans were indeed the ones they needed, he had no other choice.
-
Wade was surprised the next morning when Marken put in an appearance and informed them that training for the day was canceled. He then requested that Wade and Jamie come with him.
“I wonder what’s up?” Corporal Stern asked as they followed Marken through several long corridors. For once not even their ever-present guard in the battle suit was with them.
“I’m taking you to one of the ship’s observation decks so you can see us dock with the training facility,” Marken replied, having overheard the question. “I think you will be quite impressed.”
As they continued through the ship, Wade was surprised to see just how many different alien races were on board. He estimated that just since leaving their quarters he had counted over ten. All were humanoid in appearance.
“Marken, may I ask a question?”
Marken stopped and looked inquiringly at Wade. “Yes, but make it quick. We need to get to the observation deck shortly.”
“Why are all of the races on this ship except the Kleese so humanoid in form?”
Marken was silent for a moment, and then gestured for them to continue to follow him as he talked. “Various species seem to dominate specific regions of our galaxy,” he explained as he turned down another long corridor.
He noticed a few of the humanoids they were passing were frowning upon seeing the Humans that Marken had with him. Most of the humanoid races on the ship were very submissive to the Kleese and never questioned the wisdom of the older galactic race.
“The Kleese may know the reason for that, and if they do they have never mentioned it to any members of my race. There are six species that seem to dominate most of the inhabitable worlds of our galaxy; the Kleese and the other two dominate galactic powers, the humanoid races which may be the most numerous of all species, a dominate insect species toward the outer edge of our galaxy, and then there are the cold-blooded, or in your language the reptile species, scattered throughout. One thing we have found is that all the primary species have many similar traits.”
Wade nodded; this didn’t seem to surprise him too much after what he had seen on the ship.
“Are there other races besides those six?” Jamie asked curiously.
“Yes. On some worlds, evolution has taken strange paths, and there are races that you would find frightening to look upon. There are others that it’s hard to believe they ever found intelligence. These species are not numerous, but they can be found in isolated solar systems across the galaxy.”
They reached their destination and Marken entered a special code on a control panel next to a metal hatch. Once entered, the hatch swung smoothly open and the three stepped inside.
Jamie gasped in amazement at the sight in front of her. One entire wall seemed to be open to space. She stepped over closer and reaching her hand out, encountered a hard, transparent substance that served as a window. It was so clear that it was nearly invisible.
“When the ship is in combat or an unknown situation, large metal blast plates come down to shield the observation windows,” Marken explained. “The ship is protected by a low level energy shield, which can protect it from most space hazards and is also quite effective against energy weapons.”
Wade looked out and his eyes grew wide in disbelief. Everywhere he looked there were stars, but the most amazing thing of all was the huge structure they were approaching. It had dozens of massive domes upon it and there were several ships similar to the one they were on docked to it. Other small ships could be seen moving around with some in formations and others singly.
“What’s the main purpose of the station? I can’t believe it’s just for military training.”
“It’s the training and trading center for this sector of the galaxy,” Marken explained as he came to stand next to Wade. “Some of those domes are training facilities and range in size from ten to twenty of your kilometers across. There are smaller domes that are home to some of the humanoid races that serve the Kleese on their ships. The entire station is one hundred and twenty kilometers across and twenty-four kilometers thick. The Kleese maintain fifteen of these in their section of the galaxy to help control their Empire.”
Wade was awestruck as he realized the power the Kleese must wield. It made him wonder just what they needed with
Humans.
“You said trading center,” spoke Jamie, looking thoughtful. “Do other races come here to trade products made on their home planets?”
“Some do,” Marken replied as he watched a flight of six deadly assault ships pass close by. “The Kleese furnish each planet that is part of their Empire a list of what is acceptable for trade. A number of nonaligned worlds also send trading ships to the stations.”
“Nonaligned?” spoke Wade, glancing curiously over at Marken. “I thought all space traveling races were part of one of the three Galactic Empires you speak of.”
“No,” replied Marken, shaking his head. “A few of the more civilized ones have managed to remain free of being controlled by any of the three galactic powers.”
Wade nodded as he filed this information in his head. What was so special about those races that the Kleese were willing to leave them alone?
Marken turned his gaze to a group of five assault ships passing close by between the ship and the station. The assault ships were two hundred meters long, one hundred and fifty meters wide and forty meters thick. They were the main fighting ships deployed by conscripts in the Kleese Empire. They normally carried a flight crew of one hundred, plus four drop groups of twenty battle suits each. Marken had served on one for several years before being reassigned to this training detail.
“What exactly are we going to be used for?” ventured Wade, seeing that Marken seemed to be in a talkative mood and wanting to take advantage of it.
“The galaxy has billions of star systems in it, and every day new civilizations are being discovered,” Marken explained as he watched a large freighter maneuvering itself toward a docking port on the station. “Contact is normally made after they develop space travel within their solar system. At that point, a ship from one of the three galactic powers makes contact and offers them the choice of joining their Empire.”
“What if they refuse?” Jaime asked, already suspecting the answer.
“They are not allowed to refuse,” Marken replied, his eyes focusing on Jaime. If they do, then force is used to bring them into the Empire. That’s where you Humans will come in. The Kleese will arrange for you to be dropped upon planets that refuse in order to demonstrate to them the wisdom of joining the Kleese Empire. The superior firepower from the battle suits normally encourages most planets to change their minds and agree to join rather quickly.”
“What if more than one of the Galactic Empires wants the same planet?” asked Wade, seeing where there could be a major conflict.
“It does happen, probably more than the Kleese are willing to admit,” Marken answered as he continued to watch the station they were approaching. “When it does, the fighting is intense and there are more casualties.”
Jamie nodded to herself as she listened. What would actual combat between two opposing armies wearing battle suits be like? She shuddered just thinking about how dangerous such a battle would be for both sides.
“Do the three Galactic Empires ever actually fight one another?” Wade asked. It was hard to imagine ships of this size fighting.
“No,” replied Marken, shaking his head. “The war between the empires is more of a proxy war being fought on planets that two, or occasionally all three, of the empires want. The battles are fought on the ground upon the planets in question.”
Wade turned his attention back to the massive structure the ship was approaching, marveling at the technology it had taken to build something like this in space. It was years ahead of anything that Earth possessed. Thinking about Earth, he eyed all the small spacecraft that were flying around or docked to the station, his eyes studying several of the nearer ones. If someday they could find a way to safely remove the collars and if they could grab one of the small ships, they might just be able to fly it back to Earth.
Wade knew that any hope of ever escaping and going back home depended upon them learning as much about the alien’s technology as possible. He had a vague plan in the back of his mind, but he needed to learn a lot more before he seriously contemplated enacting such a dangerous idea.
They stood at the large windows for several more minutes before Marken indicated that they needed to return. There were a number of other humanoids in the room, including some from Marken’s own race. Wade and Jamie were the only Humans present.
As they walked out, Marken smiled to himself. He had noticed the intense looks that Lieutenant Nelson had given the smaller ships. It was not difficult to guess what he was thinking. All in good time, Lieutenant, Marken thought.
-
Several hours later, Lieutenant Nelson and his squad stood with other marines in one of the large domes. Looking around, Wade guessed it was a good twelve or fifteen kilometers across. The inside of the dome was amazing. There were rolling hills, small forests, and even what looked like a small mountain that rose several thousand meters above the floor of the dome. Directly in front of them was a flat training area with buildings off to one side.
“This will be your home for the next six weeks,” Marken announced, standing in front of the assembled squads with several other members of his race as well as a marine captain. “You will be trained on how to use the weapons that go along with the battle suits, as well as practice being dropped on a planet. You’ll also begin training in the Type Two battle suits.”
The marine captain stepped forward and spoke for the first time. “I am Captain Matt Jenkins, and I will be in command of the platoons assigned to this dome. As of right now, there are two hundred and fifty marines assigned to this training facility. Over to my left you will see some buildings. The Kleese have set up some barracks as well as a mess hall. There is also a small medical center as I have been told that it is not unusual to suffer injuries during this phase of our training.”
“We try to make the training as lifelike as possible,” explained Marken, his voice taking on an ominous tone. “While there normally are very few fatalities, sometimes severe injuries are common in this type of training environment if you become careless.”
“I expect everyone to act like a marine and I will enforce discipline in the ranks,” Captain Jenkins continued as his steel gray eyes swept over the assembled formation. “We will learn how to operate these battle suits and become quite deadly in their use. Our continued survival rests on what we learn in this training.”
“Training will begin tomorrow,” Marken informed them. “You will soon learn just what the battle suits are capable of and the destructive power of the weapons you will be entrusted with. Make the most of this training period; your lives will depend on it.”
“Will Lieutenants Nelson and Williams remain. The rest of you are dismissed and may go check out the barracks and other facilities,” Captain Jenkins said.
Wade stepped forward, noticing a woman lieutenant farther down the line do the same. Captain Jenkins and Marken came to meet them as the rest of the marines began walking toward the indicated buildings.
Nelson and Williams both saluted and stood waiting for the captain to speak. Jenkins returned their salute and his eyes gazed piercingly at the two.
“According to Marken we have six weeks to prepare for our first drop,” Captain Jenkins began. “When we are deployed we are taken down to the target in small drop ships that can carry up to twenty marines in battle suits. Depending on the deployment, the engagement can last a few hours to several days, so we will need to learn how to operate and maintain the battle suits in an ongoing field of battle.”
“As I have mentioned earlier, the suits have a combat charge of ten hours with an emergency reserve of two more,” Marken stated. “The battle suits have to be recharged from the generator inside a drop ship or with a portable one. It takes thirty of your minutes to fully recharge a suit.”
“There are two hundred and fifty marines here presently, as well as a few other personnel that will serve as cooks and in other support capacities,” Captain Jenkins added. “In total, there will be slightly over three hundred of us inside this
dome. Each of you will be in charge of five platoons of twenty-five each. There will be two corporals assigned to each platoon. Unfortunately, we are short on sergeants though some of the corporals may later be promoted to fill those slots. I expect you to maintain discipline and learn from this training. For now, all we have is each other, and I intend to keep us together and alive. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir!” Nelson and Williams replied in unison.
“Very well; go get your people settled in. Lieutenant Nelson, your people will be identified by a blue armband. Lieutenant Williams, your people will have a red one. Dismissed.”
As Wade walked toward the buildings with Lieutenant Williams, she turned to him and spoke. “What do you think about all of this? Do you think we will ever see Earth again?”
“Call me Wade, and I hope so. I know that as long as we’re alive there will always be hope.” Looking at Lieutenant Williams, he guessed she was in her late twenties.
“You can call me Beth, and I agree.”
The two walked along in silence for a few moments and then Beth asked. “Did you leave anyone behind?”
Wade was silent for a moment. “My parents and my younger brother; they all live in Phoenix.” He tried not to think of those he left behind too often. He knew that by now his family had to be extremely worried about what had happened to him.
“I left my fiancée as well as my mother,” Beth said with a sad look in her eyes. “I was supposed to get married on my next leave.”
“I’m sorry,” Wade replied.
Beth stopped and looked at Wade intently. “We need to find a way home!”
Wade nodded in agreement. “Let’s just get through this training and see what we can learn. The more we know about their technology the better off we will be. It’s too early yet to be making any escape plans.”
-
Marken watched the two lieutenants walk off. Captain Jenkins was on his way to the mess hall to check it out as well as the supply situation. Marken smiled to himself. The three hundred Humans in this dome had been specially chosen by Marken and several others of his race. If their plan was to work, it all depended on these so called Human marines.
Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (The Galactic Empire Wars) Page 11
