Exodus: Empires at War: Book 2 (17 page)

“Who are they?” asked
the Admiral, focusing on the holo tank which had reconfigured to show the local
area.

“Imperial cruiser
River
Platte
and two destroyers,” called back one of the tactical officers. 
“Along with four IP frigates belonging to the Imperial Bureau of Prisons.”

“Inform the Fleet ships
that they are no longer under local control, but are to stand down and prepare
to aid us,” ordered the Admiral, looking at the holo and focusing on one of the
civilian ships.  “Send my authentication codes.”

“And the Bureau ships?”
asked the second com tech, looking over her shoulder at the Admiral.  “They’re
lighting my board, Admiral, sending multiple inquiries.”

“Tell them to also
stand down,” said Len, glaring at the frigate he had brought into zoom focus. 
“Under pain of being fired upon.”

There
, he thought, switching
his view to another frigate. 
I’ve stuck it in for good now.

“We’re still getting
inquiries from the planet,” yelled out the chief com officer.

The Admiral checked the
status of the ship, noting that they were only thirty-four seconds from a
complete stop.  “Put them on the line.”

“Prison planet
Purgatory,” came the voice over the com.  “
Valkyrie
, what are your
intentions.  Repeat, you are approaching restricted space and are warned away. 
This is Central Control of Prison Planet Purgatory.”

“This is High Grand Admiral
Lenkowski,” said the Admiral in his most forceful voice.  “Chief of Naval
Operations for the New Terran Empire Navy.  We are here on official Fleet
business.  You are holding a prisoner illegally, and we will take her with us.”

“Launch,” said the Admiral,
leaning over and looking at the Marine liaison officer.

“Launching,” said that
officer.  Moments later the holo was filled with the green arrows of assault
shuttles, moving away from the battleships and toward the planet.

“You are not authorized
to take prisoners from this installation,” came the voice of Central Control. 
“You must have permission of the Imperial Bureau of Prisons, or a court order
to take a prisoner.”

“Nonetheless, we have
come for a prisoner that you will release to my custody,” said the Admiral. 
“Prepare to be boarded by my Marines.”

“Their weapons are
fully powered,” said one of the tactical officers.

“Any attempt to take anyone
off this station will be met with deadly force,” said the Central Controller. 
“This is an illegal action, and will subject all participants to prosecution
and arrest.”

“Please,” said one of
the techs with a laugh.

“Do not fire on our
shuttles,” said the Admiral, hoping the damned fools would see reason.

“They’ve fired a shot,”
said the tactical commander.  “No hit.  Looks like a warning shot.”

“Take out all of their
weapons installations, except for the fort,” ordered the Admiral in a cold
voice.  The tactical officer looked back at the Admiral with wide eyes.  “Now,
Commander.”

“Aye aye, sir,” said
the Commander, turning back to his board.

There were eighty-five
weapons installations on the planet’s surface, lasers and missile batteries,
and three dozen platforms in space.  The battleships opened up with all laser
batteries and particle beams.  In moments the installations, not made to stand
up to capital ship bombardment, were silenced.

“The fort is sending
capitulation signals,” said the com officer.  “The naval personnel aboard have
taken over.”

“I kind of thought they
would,” said the Admiral with a smile.  “Now I can only the hope the one on the
other side of the planet does the same.”  He looked over at the Marine
officer.  “Keep me apprised of the assault.”  The officer nodded and kept at
his board, talking into the com link.

“One of the frigates is
firing missiles,” called out the Commander in charge of tactical.

“Take them out,”
ordered the Admiral, knowing he didn’t have to give defensive commands.  The captains
in charge would see to that.  The ship vibrated slightly at that thought, the
battleship cycling counter missiles.  There really was no chance that a frigate
would shoot its way through the defenses of two capital ships.

The holo showed the
reward that came the way of the frigate, as it exploded in space under the
assault of hundreds of pentawatts of laser power.

“If any of those others
are stupid enough to fire, blast them,” said the Admiral, his attention drawn
to a high mounted side screen where the assault shuttles were blasting the
doors of the hanger bays, then flying in.

The Admiral fretted for
a couple of minutes, worrying about what might be happening during the Marine
assault.  Something he couldn’t do anything about, which made it so much more
worrisome.

“We are meeting some
resistance,” said the Marine Liaison Officer.  “Nothing really unexpected,
sir.  And nothing our boys and girls can’t handle.”

Pray God we just keep
the casualties light on both sides
, thought the Admiral.  He knew that none of
those fighting was responsible for this mess.  For the most part the prison
security force were good men doing a job.  And some of them were going to die
for it because they were standing in the way of what should be done.

More time passed.  The Admiral
restrained himself from watching through the cameras of the Marines.  There
would be too much temptation to step in and micromanage.  Something the Corps
didn’t condone, much less the Navy.

“We have her, sir,”
said the Marine Liaison Officer.  “She’s in good shape.  And the Colonel is
also reporting some surprising prisoners we thought long gone.”

Len looked at the dozen
names that scrolled across his link, whistling at some of them.  Men who had
disappeared, presumed dead.  Held in captivity in that hell hole for how long? 
“Make sure they get aboard as well.”

Within another half
hour it was over, and a signal sent to the IIB HQ on Jewel would still be seven
hours in transit to reach anyone who could do anything.

“Everyone is aboard, Admiral,”
said the liaison officer.

“How many casualties?”

“The Marines have three
permanent dead,” said the officer, the smile leaving his face.  “Another
fifty-four that should all return to duty.”

“Thank you Lord,”
whispered the Admiral under his breath.  He didn’t ask the casualty figures for
the defenders.  He didn’t want to know.  “Bring the prisoner to the flag
bridge, if you please, Major,” he said to the Marine Liaison.  That man nodded.

“Central Control,” said
the Admiral, switching on the link back to the outgoing com.  “We will be
leaving now.  Thank you for your cooperation.”

“You will regret this, Admiral,”
said the voice of the controller.

I already do
, thought the Admiral,
again thinking about those who had died this day.  He got up from his seat and
headed back to the day cabin, staggering just a step as the ship jumped back
into hyper VI.

A few minutes later the
door buzzer sounded.  “Come in,” he said, watching the door as it opened.  An
officer stood at the door.

“She’s here, Admiral,”
said the man, gesturing the tall blond woman with slightly slanted eyes into
the compartment.  The Admiral nodded his thanks and gestured the woman to a
chair.

“I’m sure you’re
wondering what this is about,” said the Admiral, leaning forward across the
desk.

“Not as much as I’m
thankful to get out of that place,” said Dr. Lucille Yu, a smile creeping
across her face.

“We’ll make sure you
don’t return,” said the Admiral, noting the intelligent eyes of the woman. 
“You shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

“So,” said the
scientist in a soft voice.  “What happens to me now?”

“You go back to work,”
said the Admiral.  “Getting the Fleet what it needs from the
Donut
Project.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that,”
agreed the Admiral, holding his hands open to her.

“And what’s to stop
them from putting me back in that place?”

“We’re to stop them,”
said the Admiral.  “We’ll get you back on the station and keep you secure.  It
will mean having to give up some privacy.”

“But I’ll be able to
work,” said the woman, tears coming to her eyes.  “That’s all I want to do.  Do
my work, and help my society.”

And Len Lenkowski knew
he had made the right decision this day.  Now he just had to live with the
consequences.

*     *     *

“I am so glad you could
come, High Lord,” said the Archduke Horatio Alexanderopolis, Imperial
Ambassador to the Empire of Elysium.

“I wish the reason for
my coming was not of this nature,” said the High Lord Grarakakak, chief
official of that Empire, clasping the hand of the human in a delicate member of
his own.

That did not surprise
the human, who had known the Brakakak noble for many decades. 
He
understands us so well.  As well as any could understand one of another
species.  Hell, another evolutionary tree in all reality.

“My deepest
condolences,” continued the avian sentient, bowing and looking at the floor. 
“It is always hard to lose a leader, especially one as competent as Augustine.”

“Thank you my Lord,”
said the Archduke, gesturing the avian to take a chair that was configuring
itself to the Brakakak physiology as they spoke.  “Would you like a drink? 
Bourbon?”

“Thank you,” said the Lord
of Elysium, fitting his body into the now suitable seat.

The Archduke made the
drinks and handed the High Lord his human favorite.  He made his way to the
facing seat and took a position across from the colorful avian.

“He was more than just
a sovereign to me, my Lord,” said the Archduke, nodding his head toward a holo
portrait of the Emperor and his wife.  “He was my friend, as was his father
before him.  I used to hold him in my lap when he was a child, while myself and
his father played chess.”

“It was a harder blow
for you than most,” said the High Lord, again bowing his head.

“Thank you, my Lord,”
said the Archduke again, wiping a tear off of his cheek.

“And I understand that
the two heirs were also killed?”

“Yes, my Lord,” said
the ambassador, his ears perking up as he understood the main reason the leader
had come to the embassy to visit him. 
Not that he doesn’t truly care.  But
he still has the interests of his people as his prime focus.  And a change in
leadership of the most powerful Empire in the region is always something to be
concerned about.

“And that leaves the
youngest son as the heir?’ said the High Lord.  “A serving naval officer. 
Hopefully not one on the Lasharan frontier.”

“No, my Lord,” said the
ambassador, taking a sip of his own drink.  “Sector Four, on a battleship.”

“That would make
sense,” said the High Lord, who then took a sip of his own drink.  “No use
risking him, so best to place him in a quiet sector.”

Again it amazed him
that the High Lord of another Empire knew so much about the Terrans.  But then
again this had been the preeminent Empire in the region prior to the coming of
the humans.  And Elysium had an intelligence apparatus second to none.

“We are worried about
this young man who may become Emperor,” continued the High Lord, setting his
empty glass on the side table.  “He is an unknown commodity.”

“I am sure he will
continue the policies of his father,” said the ambassador, arching an eyebrow. 
“That boy was taught well by Augustine.”

“That is not what
concerns us,” said the High Lord, his beak like mouth quivering, a sign of
nervousness in his species.  “We are more concerned as to whether he will be
his own man, or a puppet to your Lords.  And we are especially concerned that
he not become a pawn of the Humanity First Party.”

“I don’t see anyone
from Augustine’s family being associated with those idiots,” said the
ambassador, shaking his head.  “As to how much he can hold up against the
pressure of other politicians?  I really don’t know.  Unfortunately, he was not
trained for the position of Emperor.  That was going to be his brothers.  Until
whoever this scum was who decided to kill them changed the equation.”

“Our intelligence is
looking into that very thing,” said the High Lord, the feathers standing up on
his head.

They’re good friends,
but they don’t make very good poker players
, thought the ambassador, nodding at the
High Lord.  Some species just hadn’t evolved to be deceptive, like humans.  But
the Brakakak had other species to aid them.  Some that were still only rumors
to the ears of Imperial Intelligence.  Like shape shifters?  Was such a thing
really possible?  “I appreciate the aid,” he said after that moment’s pause. 
“And I would appreciate if you contacted me fist about anything you find.”