Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra)

by James Prosser

  Alice was stunned. She stood perfectly still for a moment, staring at him open-mouthed. He looked back with a blank expression. She stepped forward and they met in the middle of the corridor. He smiled at her. She slapped him.

  “You son of a…” she started.

  “What?” Lee asked. “I talked to Aztec and the rest already. I just wanted to be sure the whole team was going to stick together!”

  She threw her arms around him again, this time pressing him back against the wall that was still projecting stars. Their lips met in a long, deep kiss that made Lee feels as if it might last forever. When they parted, they were both breathless, but still holding on to each other tightly. They stayed there for a long time, leaning against the cold metal projection and looking at the stars.

  “I’ll come with you, Lee,” she whispered. “I will always be there for you.”

  Lee looked at the woman he held with compassion. She had come a long way from the damaged soul that had dragged him into a passenger shuttle in the engineering bay. He realized that he had also grown during the last few weeks. He felt ready to take on the challenge of command.

  “What are you thinking?” She asked. “What do you see when you look out there, Lee?”

  “I see the stars, Alice,” he replied in a soft whisper. “I look for Earth and all that we have lost.”

  Alice looked at the man she realized that she loved. His strong features were shadowed against the stars. His eyes stared at the dark planet and the vacuum that surrounded it with such passion. He always seemed to be searching those stars, though, for something that was always beyond his reach. She reached up and touched his face, turning it towards her.

  “Is that all you see?” Alice asked.

  “It used to be,” he said, looking back at her. “Now I think I see a path. Now that the fleet is together and I have Resolute under my feet, I think I might just see a way to reclaim what the galaxy took away from us.”

  “How?” She asked.

  “Somewhere out there, Alice is the fleet that got away,” he said, his jaw set. “I was on Zeus as it fled from Earth. She’s still out there, somewhere. I intend to find her and all the forces that the Ch’Tauk scattered.”

  She pulled away to look at him full in the face. There was something there that she had not seen before. She was almost scared at the determination that she now saw in his eyes. He was truly a leader of men now and she saw how well it suited him. She also knew that he needed her more than ever if he was going to succeed.

  “We will take back Earth, Alice,” he said. “And this time, I’ll make sure we keep it.”

  Resolute Stand

  Book 2 of

  The War for Terra

  By

  James R. Prosser, Jr.

  For my Mother, whom I inherited a love of reading and adventure

  And

  For my Father

  Who would’ve thought this was cool.

  Prologue

  Then

  Ch’Tauk Home World

  Primero Ki’Bara climbed the steps of the Winter Palace slowly, hoping to draw out the time and avoid the audience with the Empress Ch’Tauk. He despised these meetings and felt that they were a waste of his valuable time. The Empress, however, required all of the military Primero to join her at least once a growing cycle to report on their progress. As a first among equals, his responsibility was greatest.

  The red fields of sheefa grass rippled under the cold wind blowing off of the Ch’Toma Sea. The winter winds whipped the black sash of authority that hung across his bronze armored chest, and caused his left knee to throb. He was an old soldier by his people’s standard, and he felt the weight of every battle in his joints. The fight he was about to face, however, may prove to be the most difficult, and most brutal, of his entire life.

  The naked Centurions that guarded the palace doors pulled at the heavy handles, drawing aside the grand entrance and permitting the Primero entrance to the darkened interior foyer of the building. He blinked both sets of eyes to adjust to the pale red lighting and waited for a Royal Courtesan to retrieve him and enter him into the presence of Her Royal Brilliance, The Empress Ch’Tauk.

  When the Courtesan entered, Ki’Bara was appalled by the small creature’s adornment. It was a eunuch, as all servants of the court voluntarily became, and it was almost half the height of the Primero. For the first time, Ki’Bara saw that the creature had been clothed in a short pair of bright green trousers and a brown blouse that reminded him of the clothing of the humans he had led the battle against. For the Primero, it was obscene that any Ch’Tauk, let alone one of the servants of the Empress herself, should be dressed so indecent in the palace.

  “How dare you!” the Primero said to the creature. “What heresy is this?”

  The Courtesan stared back at him, uncomprehending. Ki’Bara reached out and ripped the obscene blouse from the creature’s shoulders, tearing the thin fabric and shredding the clothing. The servant shrunk away from the Primero, holding the torn shirt to its skin and cowering.

  “You have been away from Ch’Tauk too long, Ki’Bara,” said another voice in the foyer. “You are out of touch with the latest styles.”

  Ki’Bara turned on the other man and snarled. He had come up through the ranks from Centurion to Quartero and then on through Tercero and Secundo to reach his current rank. The man he saw before him had inherited his rank after his own father was assassinated a few cycles ago. He was wearing a printed gold blouse and dark bronze trousers and exuding a pheromone of arrogance and condescension.

  “Ki’Bontri” said Ki Bara, throwing the scrap of fabric at the floor and staring at the other man’s ridiculous attire. “What is the meaning of this foul attire in the presence of the Empress, may she always be the Eternal Light of our people?”

  “Ki’Bara,” said Ki’Bontri. “The Empress has become fond of theses humans that you have so much trouble with. She has decided that this is the new style.”

  Ki’Bara looked back at the Courtesan that now stood in the entry doorway to the inner palace. Its tattered clothing had been arranged over its small form by a knot it had made. The Courtesan motioned for the two Primero to follow and the men walked through the door. Ki’Bara noticed that the other Primero kept only a half-step behind him as they walked into the outer audience hall. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the man.

  They joined the other Primero in the big room and Ki’Bara saw that several of the Primero present had foregone the formal sash that he wore in favor of colorful blouses and trousers. He saw, though, that some of the assembly had remained true to the tradition and stood apart from the vulgar clothing. He approached the sashed Primero and tried to appear unperturbed by the display.

  “Ki’Bara,” said one of the men. He was younger than Ki’Bara by only a few seasons, but had always seemed much wiser to the old soldier. “Admiring the entertainers, are we?”

  “It is an obscene affectation,” said Ki’Bara. “Does the Empress, may She always represent the true Soul of our people, really favor this style, Ki’Bualan?”

  “Yes,” the other man answered. “Blame it on your human pet, Ki’Bara. He has become too strong an influence here in court.”

  Ki’Bara looked back at the other Primero in confusion. He had not brought a pet to the Empress. The human had convinced him of his worth with a technology that had enabled them to hold on to the former Confederation and its territories. Ki’Bara secretly cursed the decision that had led to the loss of an entire segment of their society and the need to hunt out technology and engineers from another race.

  “Primero,” announced the voice of the Lord Camerlingo. “The Empress Ch’Tauk, Immortal Soul of our People, Light of a thousand Suns, and ruler of all She desires; grants you audience. Please step forward and present yourselves for her inspection.”

  The tall Camerlingo backed into the inner audience chamber, motioning with both four-fingered hands for the group to follow. The sixteen Primero began to
take their positions in the procession, with Ki’Bara at the head. He noticed the shifting in the order behind him as he approached the door. Although directly behind him was Ki’Bualan, Ki’Bontri had assumed the next position. He would definitely have to keep an eye on the arrogant Primero in the future.

  Ki’Bara entered the Grand Audience Chamber with both sets of eyes downcast to the black marble floor. Swirls of radiant light swirled in the infra-red spectrum under his clawed feet. He kept his head low until he heard a tap of the Camerlingo’s staff against the stone. He knelt and placed his armored head against the floor. He held the position until he heard the scrape of the staff again, indicating that he could stand and present himself to the Empress.

  “My Empress, Giver of all Life in the galaxy,” he said, still keeping his eyes down while standing to his full height. “I present Ki’Bara, Primero of the Eight Regions and First among Equals to Her Majesty’s Warriors.”

  A lilting scent of pleasure at his formality wafted to Ki ’Bara’s nostrils. The Empress waved her hand and the Camerlingo tapped his staff in a tight staccato. Ki’Bara looked up to see his Empress. In all his many cycles, he had seen many incarnations of the Ch’Tauk Empress, but none more magnificent to his eyes. But what he saw before him on this day sickened him deeply.

  She had the large black crested head of royalty with the delicate red tips denoting her incarnation as the Empress, but she also wore a jeweled silver circlet above her eyes. What Ki’Bara had always thought of as a delicate and sinewy neck now was festooned with metal and pearl neck charms. Beneath, she covered her broad armored chest with a bright blouse the color of their sun and a broad fabric covering over her shapely legs. He struggled not to release pheromones of revulsion that would surely mean his death.

  He bowed to the Empress again and quickly looked back to the floor, following tradition and being thankful for it. His mind swirled with the sight in his mind of the Empress, the preserver of his culture, wearing human dress. The thought made him ill as he watched Ki’Bualan follow the same pattern of introduction.

  When Ki’Bontri stepped up, Ki’Bara noticed the scent of pleasure strengthen from the Empress. The man spoke in flowery metaphor to his Empress before he walked to his place in the semi-circular audience hall. Ki’Bara noticed with shock that as Ki’Bontri left the presentation area, he did not lower his eyes to the floor in accordance with tradition. It was another heresy that stirred Ki‘Bara’s warrior spirit.

  When all sixteen Primero had gone through the ritual introduction, Empress Ch’Tauk looked over the assembled warrior commanders. The Goddess-Empress of the Ch’Tauk people graced each of the men with a gracious pheromone, stopping with a precisely timed pause on each. Ki’Bara mentally felt the look linger over his rival for a moment longer than the rest.

  “Please present your report to The Empress,” said the Camerlingo. “We shall begin with Ki’Benara; lowest among equals.”

  The younger Primero stepped forward and began his litany. He was a minor commander, barely above a Secundo in authority and had only recently been given his new name and title. Ki’Bara seemed to remember that when the man had been given his new ‘Ki’ prefix and name, he had held a grand ball and gotten so drunk that he had almost embarrassed the Empress. That would have meant his death if Ki’Bualan had not carefully covered up the man’s indiscretions. The old Primero had decided that the younger man would make a good project apparently.

  The progression of reports continued until Ki’Bontri. In the most obsequious tones possible, the man wove a story of his involvement in military planning and projection. He made his position seem to be one of high importance and power. The Empress practically purred at the man’s tale, but she refrained from showing too much interest in him directly, refusing to look at him while he spoke.

  After Ki’Bontri finished, Ki’Benara reported in his succinct and simple way about the construction of eight new ships for the Empress’ warrior fleet. The man was a master of giving maximum information in a minimum of words, in sharp contrast to the bloviating Ki’Bontri. Ki’Bara had always admired the man for his brevity.

  Finally, the attention of the Empress was turned onto Ki’Bara. Since he was the First among Equals, his responsibility was the war effort against the humans. Although the war had been swift to victory twelve seasons ago, he had never conceded that it was over or that they had won. Through his interaction with several of the humans, he had learned not to overestimate them.

  “My Lady Empress Ch’Tauk,” he began. “I come before you to report on the status of the war against the humans.”

  There was a tap on the stone floor that surprised Ki’Bara. He broke tradition and looked to the Camerlingo for clarification. The man stared back at him without scent. He tilted his armored head toward the Empress, indicating that Ki’Bara needed to meet with his God-Empress’ gaze. Ki’Bara looked to Her in confusion, but tried not to show it. Once again, he suppressed his revulsion of Her clothing. For the first time in the life of the Primero, the Empress spoke to him.

  “Primero Ki’Bara,” She said, meeting his gaze. He was suddenly frightened beyond words. “Are we still at war with the humans? We thought we had conquered and absorbed their remains into the Empire. We rather like the creatures, don’t you?”

  Ki’Bara thought for a moment before answering. The Empress’ fondness for the fragile pink creatures was a complication that he had not thought of. He tried to come up with an explanation that would not cause him to lose favor with the Empress. In this one moment, he actually envied Ki’Bontri his ability to embellish the truth to his own ends.

  “My Lady Empress,” began Ki’Bara. “I was prepared to report that we have subdued the humans in virtually every location in the Empire. The remaining creatures are like vermin and are little threat to us anymore.”

  “If this is true, Ki’Bara,” said Ki’Bontri, interrupting the older Primero and displaying enormous disrespect. “Then why have you lost the human scientists that you were keeping prisoner?”

  Ki’Bara turned to the man, silently wishing he was armed. Ki’Bontri was emitting a self-satisfied scent in the hall that only fanned Ki’Bara’s anger. The arrogance of the man was unforgivable. He had moved from being someone that Ki’Bara felt the need to watch to someone who was an outright threat.

  “Oh,” said the Empress, looking away from Ki’Bara. “You have lost them? But, Primero isn’t that where you were keeping our new advisor?”

  Ki’Bara was shocked. The Empress had just implied that the human that he had brought to their home world was now Her advisor. The idea that a human could ever have any advice to give to the God-Empress Ch’Tauk was too much for Ki’Bara to take. He knew his pheromones had begun to release anger scent into the air and he decided to direct the Empress’ attention back to the other Primero.

  “My Empress,” he began. “Allow me a moment. The report of the loss of the prison station where the human engineers were being kept has only just arrived. The Primero, Ki’Bontri, has spoken out of turn by informing you of this event and will be dealt with after we have been removed from your presence.

  It is true that the station where your new advisor was taken has been destroyed and the Centurions stationed there were killed. Apparently the Quartero that commanded the station was also murdered, saving me the trouble of taking care of his disgrace myself. We are investigating the nature of this action and I will be able to report more details when we are sure of them.”

  “Forgive me, My Empress,” said Ki’Bontri, stepping forward and turning to face Ki’Bara directly. “I have the report from your own men, Primero. It says that the plasma signatures and engine trails indicate that a human warship destroyed the station. How do you explain that?”

  This time, the Empress looked directly at Ki’Bontri as he spoke. The man immediately began to emit arrogance from his scent glands. Ki’Bara advanced on the other man, stepping out of his place to confront the other Primero. He realized immediately that it was
a mistake as the Camerlingo slammed his staff against the stone floor. Ki’Bara stepped back into his place with his head lowered. He controlled his pheromones to not emit the shame he was feeling.

  “Ki’Bara,” said the Empress, not looking in his direction. “It seems that you cannot control the humans as well as we believed. Perhaps the Eight Regions is too vast a territory for you to retain dominion over.”

  Ki’Bara stared at the floor, numb. He had entered the audience hall the First among equals and now he felt his authority being ripped from him by the upstart Ki’Bontri. How had he allowed the man to goad him into the display of anger in the presence of the Empress? His mind felt weak as he tried to contemplate his mistake.

  “Ki’Bontri,” the Empress said, looking at the man. “You have impressed us with your planning and skill. We believe a new hand is needed to suppress these wayward vermin. We are granting you control of the Eight Regions while you hunt down and destroy what Ki’Bara could not. We believe the Primero looks tired and is in need of a break from his duties. Our new advisor calls it a ‘vacation’, we believe.”

  “Now you may all leave our presence,” She said. “We are tired ourselves and in need of food. Camerlingo, see them out.”

  Ki’Bara stood still as the other Primero filed out of the room, each kneeling and taking their leave in order as they left. When Ki’Bontri stood still, Ki’Benara looked confused. The Camerlingo motioned for the soldier to leave out of his order. When he was finished, Ki’Bontri stepped up and took his place, indicating his new status right away. The Empress graced the man with a look again just before he left and he emitted a confident scent.

  As Ki’Bara took his leave, the Empress stood and left the room, shaming him further with Her refusal to acknowledge his words. The Camerlingo turned quickly, following the Empress from the room. Ki’Bara was left all alone in the vast audience chamber. He stared at the bright veins of color in the floor and vowed that the next time he saw Ki’Bontri; the man’s blood would flow across the stone.