Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) (13 page)

“The population
will grow quickly in the future,” Crylia pointed out. “In less than one hundred
years with current birth rates, there could easily be close to two hundred
million Humans in the Solar System.”

Mason leaned
back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He knew Crylia was
correct. There had been a baby boom since the Human colonies in the Solar
System had become well established. He and Adrienne even had a child. Lara was
their pride and joy.

“I told the
president that it might be impractical to substantially increase the number of
clones. I believe there’s a growing fear amongst the government that we could
see substantial civilian casualties if the Kleese attack the Solar System in
force.”

Harnett remained
silent. There was no doubt in her mind that the Kleese were going to do just
that. “We would have to expand the facility as well as all of our clone
training programs. It will take some time and effort; a lot of it.”

Mason nodded
his understanding. “See what would need to be done. I’ll recommend we hold off
implementing anything unless we see that it’s absolutely necessary.”

Harnett knew
what Mason meant by absolutely necessary. If it were necessary then the Kleese would
have managed to inflict major damage to the Solar System, killing a lot of
Humans. It was something Harnett didn’t want to think about.

-

A few minutes
later Harnett and Crylia were standing in the observation room above one of the
clone awakening centers. Large glass covered cases were being brought in, and
the status of the clones inside were being evaluated. Inside the room a number
of Human and Kivean physicians were busily checking each case and then starting
the awakening procedures. The room was sterile, with everyone wearing white
medical uniforms and surgical masks.

“I never tire
of watching this,” Crylia said softly. “Every time a new clone awakens, it’s a
new life coming into being.”

“So many of
them will be going off to war,” said Harnett regretfully. “Even if somehow we
manage to defeat the Kleese, there will be more battles ahead.”

Inside the
room one of the glass lids slid back, and two Human medical assistants helped a
clone to sit up. The clone looked frightened and confused. The medical assistants
spoke to the clone in soft, soothing voices, reassuring him everything was
going to be fine. After a moment, the clone stood up and took several teetering
steps with the medical assistants hovering close by. Satisfied, they led the
clone out of the room where he could begin being assimilated into Human
culture. As soon as that clone was removed a second case opened, this one a
female. Great care had been given to ensure there were an equal number of male
and female clones.

“We awaken
over eight hundred clones a day now,” Harnett said as she watched the female
clone sit up and then a few moments later being led from the room. “Our indoctrination
systems can barely keep up. I just don’t see how we can increase these numbers
without compromising the clones themselves.”

“Let’s hope we
don’t have to,” responded Crylia, turning to face Harnett. “Mason is a good man
and I’m sure he’ll see the wisdom of not increasing clone production.”

Harnett
watched as another clone was awakened. “I walked through a section of New Eden
earlier. It has changed a lot in the last two years. I saw clones on the
streets and Humans were treating them as equals. In many instances, the clones
have learned to behave as Humans and you can’t tell them apart.”

“A number of
clones have married Humans,” Crylia was quick to point out. “They’re completely
compatible and soon there’ll be children from some of those joinings.”

Harnett
nodded. If her cloning experiment went as she hoped, then someday soon there
would be a child in her home as well.

-

Wade and
Marken were walking down the large downtown area of the Viridian habitat.
Around them buildings soared high up into the air and the street was full of electric
vehicles. Sidewalks were occupied by numerous people going about their daily business.

“It has always
amazed me how rushed you Humans seem to be,” Marken commented as he watched a
group of young people dart across the busy street. “You run instead of walking
and take unnecessary risks instead of reasoning things out.”

Wade laughed.
“Isn’t that why you chose our race to fight the Kleese?”

A serious
looked crossed Marken’s face. “Yes, it was one of the reasons. That and the
fact that nothing seems to frighten you.”

“We’re easily
frightened. We just refuse to let that fright rule our lives.”

Wade stopped
in front of a restaurant enjoying the aroma of the food cooking inside. It
reminded him that he needed to take Beth and Erick out in the near future. Beth
loved eating out though it was a slight hassle with Erick.

Looking
around, Wade noticed the different stores and the advertising signs in some of
the windows. In many ways it was similar to what Earth had been like, and in
many others it was so different.

“If we win
this war someday, I would like to see Kivea restored,” Marken said wistfully as
they resumed walking. “It wouldn’t be that hard to repair the damage the Kleese
did to the planet. A modest bit of terraforming and it could be made habitable
again.”

“Would you
move there?”

Marken
hesitated and then slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. For many of us, we
like the home we have now. I’m sure some of those we rescued from Kivea might
consider it. However, it will be awhile before we’ve built up our population to
the point where returning to Kivea would be practical.”

“The same with
Earth,” Wade said as they turned a corner and began walking toward the residential
areas. “From what I’ve seen of the terraforming plans for the planet, it might
well be over fifty years before we can even think of going back.”

“It’s the
earthquakes and volcanoes,” Marken said with sadness in his voice. “It will
take time to bring those back under control.” Marken knew that billions of
Humans had died in the Kleese attack on Earth. Many had met horrible deaths as
nuclear winter overtook the planet. The planet hadn’t died quickly, it had
taken awhile and there had been much suffering.

Wade waved
down a taxi passing by. It would take too long to walk to his house from here.
While both he and Marken enjoyed their walks through the city, a four-kilometer
walk was a little too much.

-

In the cloning
facility, Mason Randle sat behind his desk with his eyes closed in thought. His
life had been a lot less hectic since he was no longer president. He opened
them and gazed across the room at a large picture showing Smithfield back in
the days before the Kleese had come. In many ways he missed those days when
mining was his number one priority. He had dreamed of flying to the stars and
even begun construction on a ship to make the Human race’s first interstellar
voyage. Then the Kleese exploration ship had shown up and changed everything.

His ship, the
Phoenix
, had been hastily redesigned into a warship, and his dreams of exploration
had been ruthlessly taken away. It was strange now that interstellar travel was
common and easy that he had remained in the Solar System. Adrienne had
suggested several times that he take a trip to Lanolth and see the new capital
of the Alliance, but Mason had declined. There was something special about
being first, and now that could never happen.

His own
brother-in-law, Michael Kirby, had even served as fleet admiral for a short
time until more qualified people had been found. Mason knew his sister, Susan,
was happy now that Michael was no longer involved in the fighting but had gone
back to running his prospecting operation. Of course there was Karen, his niece
who was studying Kivean medical technology. Mason strongly suspected that
someday she might turn to the military or even go and visit other worlds.

Standing up,
Mason walked over to the door of his office and after opening it, turned off
the lights. It was time to go home to Adrienne and Lara and leave his job
behind. He had already decided he was going to tell President Steward that
increasing clone production at the present time was impractical. If Harnett and
Crylia came up with an idea to increase production at a later date, he would
consider it.

-

In one of the
clone awakening centers, a female opened her eyes and stared up at the bright
lights in fear. She could see several shapes moving next to her.

“Don’t be
afraid,” one of them said in a soft voice. “We’re here to help you.”

“Help me?” she
said hesitantly, discovering she knew what was being said to her and also how
to respond.

“Yes,
everything’s going to be fine.”

The clone
smiled and allowed herself to be helped out of the case. She wondered who these
people were and what was to become of her. Little did she suspect that she
would be trained for war and to fight a most dangerous enemy. The Zaltule
waited in her future, and the Zaltule showed no one any mercy.

Zaltule War
Overlord Tetus stood upon the Command Pedestal of his flagship, the
Fists of
Glory
. He was onboard one of the older Zaltule battlecruisers and had just
received specific orders from Supreme Military Overlord Harmock. Somewhere in
Kleese space, between the core worlds and the Human led Alliance, was a
rampaging Human fleet attacking former nonaligned worlds and setting them free.
He was to seek out that fleet and destroy it.

“The fleet is
nearly ready,” reported Minor Overlord Klantos, who was Tetus’s second in
command.

Tetus shifted
his gaze to the bank of viewscreens showing the space around the
Fists of
Glory
. They were in the system of Sherlund, which was one of the Kleese
core systems. Sherlund was the home to over ten billion Kleese and also
contained the massive shipyard used to construct new trading stations as well
as exploration ships. There were fourteen worlds in the system as well as
numerous moons. In the distant past, there had been several large asteroid
fields, but those had long since vanished having been used as resources for the
massive Kleese construction projects.

The planet
Sherlund was the most heavily populated of the three worlds in the system that
had breathable atmospheres. Sherlund was the fourth planet out from the K class
star. The third and fifth planets had been terraformed to allow the Kleese to
move about on the surface of the planets without the aid of breathing devices.
All three worlds now held robust populations of Kleese, all dedicated to
expanding the empire and someday dominating the galaxy. Around Sherlund, the
orbiting space was full of artificial constructs consisting of space stations,
shipyards, and massive storage facilities.

On the
viewscreens, hundreds of Zaltule battlecruisers were visible. The ships were
three kilometers across, one thousand meters thick, and heavily armored. Their
hulls were covered in powerful weapons emplacements. Unlike the larger Kleese
exploration cruisers, these ships were designed for war and to destroy the
enemy. Capable of traveling 120 light years per day in Fold Space they could
quickly travel to any section of the massive Kleese Empire.

“What is our
first destination?” asked Minor Overlord Klantos.

Tetus reached
forward and touched the command console in front of him with one of the seven
digits of his right hand. On one of the viewscreens, a group of stars appeared.
“Our war computers predict this area of space is the most likely region for us
to encounter the Humans. Supreme Military Overlord Harmock believes this is but
a feint to attempt to draw his attention away from the Human led Alliance. However, we can’t allow this Human fleet to be freeing former nonaligned worlds.
What is even worse, they have found a way to neutralize the collars of
obedience. Harmock believes the Humans have seriously underestimated the number
of ships we have available and don’t believe we can respond to this threat
without recalling the Supreme Military Overlord’s fleet.”

“Ten thousand
of the new battlecruisers have been created in the Zaltule shipyards in the
home system,” commented Klantos in understanding, nodding his triangular shaped
head. “We also have nearly five thousand of our older battlecruisers.”

“Yes,” Tetus
said in agreement. “Military Overlord Harmock left me in charge of our older
fleet and protecting the core worlds from future attacks by the Humans and
their allies. We will be taking fifteen hundred of those ships to seek out and
destroy this Human fleet; the others will be left behind to protect our
worlds.”

“When will the
rest of the new battlecruisers still in the home system set out to rendezvous
with our Supreme Military Overlord?”

“In the next
few days they will be leaving,” Tetus replied. “Minor Overlord Kaluse has
indicated construction is finished and the ships are ready for combat.”

“Then very
shortly the Human led Alliance will fall and the Humans themselves will be
exterminated.”

War Overlord
Tetus nodded and turned his multifaceted eyes toward Klantos. “Once we have our
victory over the Alliance and the Humans, we will begin to expand outward
across the galaxy.”

Leaning
forward, he changed the view on one of the viewscreens. A huge shipyard
appeared, measuring hundreds of kilometers across. Inside a large open bay, a
massive vessel was in the final stages of being completed. It was a new Kleese
trading station; however, this one was much different from those constructed in
the past. It was heavily armed and had fewer of the habitation domes on its
surface. Even the assault ships that would deploy from its numerous flight bays
were different. They had been upgraded and were now larger and much more
heavily armed. While the Humans had shown themselves to be capable warriors,
they had also demonstrated to the Zaltule weaknesses that needed to be
corrected in the stations. The new trading station would have a large
contingent of Zaltule warriors to protect it from possible boarders. No longer
would it be possible for the Humans or anyone else to attempt to seize one of
the stations. If they did make the attempt, swift death would await them.

“When the war
with the Humans and their Alliance is over, that station will be moved outside
of Kleese space and we will begin the expansion of our empire. In time, the
entire galaxy will come to acknowledge our superiority and our rightful place
as supreme rulers of all other species.”

Klantos
stomped his six feet against the deck in approval. “We are the superior race.”

Tetus nodded.
“When we reach the area of space I have designated, we’ll divide our fleet up
into fifteen subfleets. Each fleet will have one hundred vessels and should be
able to deal with this marauding Human force.”

Tetus tuned
his gaze back to the large viewscreen showing the trading station construction
yard. Even from here, the bright flashes of welding arcs were visible. There
were over sixty thousand conscripts being used in the construction. From the
latest reports, over the last two years, forty thousand had lost their lives in
construction accidents. While the accidents were unfortunate as it meant new
conscripts had to be brought in and trained, it was inconsequential as the
lives of conscripts were unimportant.

-

Supreme
Military Overlord Harmock gazed expectantly at the tactical screen. His fleet
would shortly be dropping out of Fold Space into the last nonaligned system,
which wasn’t a part of the Human led Alliance. Once he had conquered that
system, his next move would be against either the Alliance or the Humans
themselves. If everything went as expected, it would most likely be against the
Humans.

“We’re nearing
drop out,” reported Minor Overlord Gareth. “Do you expect the Humans or the Alliance to be waiting for us?”

“No,” answered
Harmock. “The very fact that they sent a fleet into our space to attack former
nonaligned worlds signifies they’re weak and not ready to come to the aid of
other worlds.”

“So you
believe this reported Human fleet attacking the empire is but a ruse?”

“Yes, a very
clever one. If I were to respond to it by pulling our fleet back, it would delay
the attack upon the Humans and their Alliance by months. That is what I believe
they’re wanting, and I refuse to give them that extra time.”

Gareth nodded
in understanding. “That’s why you have ordered War Overlord Tetus to search for
and destroy this Human fleet.”

“Yes,” Harmock
responded. “I don’t believe the Humans know our full fleet strength. Once we
have conquered this last nonaligned system, they will shortly learn the error
of their ways.”

“It will take
time for the remainder of our fleet to reach us,” commented Minor Overlord
Gareth.

Harmock felt
the
Warrior’s Fire
drop out of Fold Space. Instantly on the main wall of
the Command Center, numerous viewscreens began flashing to life.

“Alishian
warships detected,” reported Jalridd from sensors.

Harmock
shifted his gaze to the tactical screen. He had brought the fleet out of Fold
Space two million kilometers from Alish. “Are there any Human or Alliance ships showing on the sensors?”

“No, just the
Alishian fleet of sixty battlecruisers. They’re holding their position between
Alish and us. They’re twenty thousand kilometers above the planet.”

“Take us in,”
ordered Harmock.

He was anxious
to subdue this system so he could turn his attention on his real adversary.
While he expected major resistance from the Alliance when he launched his
attack against their worlds, it wouldn’t be until he attacked the Human home
system that he expected a truly grand battle. In many ways, he savored the
thought of going into battle against the Humans. Of all the species he had ever
fought, only the Humans had gained his respect. They were a true warrior race
like the Zaltule and were worthy opponents in combat. While there was no doubt
in Harmock’s mind that he would eventually defeat the Humans, he also knew he
might never encounter such adversaries again.

“We have
communication with the Alishian fleet officer. He is offering to surrender his
fleet if we agree to allow his crews to go down to the surface.”

Harmock
remained silent as he gazed coldly at one of the viewscreens showing an
Alishian battlecruiser. The ship was six hundred and forty meters in length and
seemed to be built in six sections. The sections were circular and one hundred
meters in diameter. Each section was connected to the next by a short
cylindrical shaped tube. The front globe was slightly larger than the others.

“Message from
the planet,” Dalock added. “Their planetary leader is offering a full and
unconditional surrender.”

“This
nonaligned world is not as advanced as many of the others,” Minor Overlord
Gareth commented as he studied some data on a screen. “Even their ships are
weaker than many we have faced in previous battles.”

“We shall use
this world as an example to the Alliance,” Harmock said in a cold and merciless
voice. “We will eliminate their fleet and then move on to the planet. When
we’re finished here, word of what we have done will spread swiftly through the Alliance Systems, and they may very well change their minds about resisting the Zaltule
and the Kleese Empire.”

-

High Admiral
Toshan stared at his ship’s main tactical screen with growing concern. The
Kleese had so far refused all attempts at communication. “Still nothing?” he
asked, looking over toward Communications. The Alishians were a short, squat
race as the gravity on their world was considerable. They had diminutive legs
as well as arms. Their heads seemed to set directly on their torso.

“Nothing,”
replied the communications officer. “They’re also not responding to our
leader’s offer to surrender.”

“Should we
power up our weapons and energy shields?” asked the second in command.

Admiral Toshan
slowly shook his head. “There are over twelve hundred Kleese battlecruisers
inbound toward us. We dare not show any threatening gestures. If we keep our
shields down and our weapons offline, surely they will accept our offer to
surrender.”

“Kleese are
nearly within weapons range,” the sensor operator reported uneasily. “Their
weapons are online and their missile hatches are open.”

“I recommend
we raise our shields,” the second officer said in a concerned voice, his eyes
focusing sharply on the admiral.

Admiral Toshan
looked at his long time friend and second officer. “If we offer resistance, we
surely will be destroyed. No, our only chance is to submit ourselves to the
Kleese and hope they show us mercy.”

“Incoming
weapons fire!” screamed the sensor operator in panic.

Before a look
of alarm could cross the admiral’s face searing heat swept through the Command Center, vaporizing everything in its path.

-

“Alishian
flagship destroyed,” confirmed Jalridd from sensors.

“Launching
sublight antimatter missiles,” added Salten from his weapons console.

“They were
fools to leave their shields down,” commented Gareth contemptuously. “They have
demonstrated weakness and do not deserve to serve us.”

On the main
viewscreens, massive flashes of light were erupting as twenty-megaton
antimatter sublight missiles struck the defenseless Alishian warships. Ship
after ship was being obliterated in massive flashes of released energy.

“Destroy them
all,” ordered Harmock coldly, his voice deadly and without mercy. “I want every
Alishian warship turned into space dust!”

-

In space, the
devastation continued. Not a single Alishian warship managed to raise its
shield or fire an energy beam at the attacking Zaltule battlecruisers. It was a
slaughter and within forty seconds of firing the first antimatter missile, the
Zaltule ruthlessly blew apart the last warship of the Alishians. Where the
proud Alishian fleet had once orbited, now all that remained were wisps of
glowing gas and drifting wreckage.

From the
surface of the planet frantic pleas continued to fill the communication
frequencies with offers to surrender. The Zaltule battlefleet went into orbit
above the planet at four thousand kilometers. For an hour, the fleet orbited
and then their missile tubes became active once more. Two thousand
twenty-megaton antimatter missiles slammed into the planet annihilating over
two billion inhabitants in a matter of a few seconds.

Across the
planet cities were leveled and massive fires raged, consuming the ruins. Palls
of smoke began rising up into the atmosphere, darkening the sun. The few
panicked survivors fled into the countryside heading for the mountains and
other isolated areas hoping they would be spared. 

It didn’t take
long for the planet’s atmosphere to become dark and foreboding as dust, ash,
and smoke from the raging fires turned daylight into dusk and in some areas to
actual darkness. Communications from the planet had ceased almost immediately
after the first missile fell as no communication centers had survived the
initial bombardment.