Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) (30 page)

“Let’s go,
then,” Beth said, turning and jogging down the wide corridor with the two
marine companies following close behind.

It took then
nearly forty minutes, but after boarding the shuttles and passing through
thirty kilometers of tunnels, they reached the junction, which connected with
shuttle line fourteen. The marines jumped out of the shuttles, sending them on
so the shuttles behind could unload their complements of marines.

“It looks like
we made it,” Wade said as he surveyed the large room they were standing in. It
was over one hundred meters across and several transit lines met in this
location. It served as a transit hub for many areas of the massive station.

“They need to
get through that hatch to get to the Fold Space Drive,” Beth said, pointing
across the room.

“There’s no
cover in here,” Wade said as he looked around trying to decide how best to
defend the transit hub. “Let’s move our two companies over against the far wall
next to the hatch, and when the Kleese arrive we can try to pick them off as
they disembark from the shuttles.”

“I wish there
was some cover in here,” moaned Sergeant Russell. All he could see were a few tables
and chairs and some crates of supplies.

“Just shoot
fast,” suggested Sergeant Dawson. “The smoke will hide you.”

“Yeah, right,”
responded Russell, shaking his head.

It took a few
minutes for everyone to set up. RG rounds and RG explosives would be the
primary weapons used. Only ten percent of the marines held energy cannons.

“I hear the
shuttles,” reported Sergeant Dawson, who was standing with his squad a few
meters away from Captain Foster.

“Stand by,”
Nicole ordered as she unshouldered her RG rifle and clicked the safety off. She
had already set it to explosive rounds.

The first
shuttle suddenly appeared and came to a stop, the doors slid open and heavily
armed Kleese swarmed out. Behind it another shuttle appeared and then another.

“Fire,” yelled
Beth as she saw the first Kleese.

Instantly, the
area around the shuttles was covered in explosions as RG explosive rounds began
going off. A few hit the first shuttle, reducing it to a pile of scrap.

“Keep firing!”
Captain Stern yelled as she fired her RG rifle on full auto, spraying RG rounds
into the mass of Kleese, who were now charging across the floor.

“They’re
coming out of the tunnel,” warned Sergeant Russell as a swarm of Kleese
suddenly appeared out of the transit tunnel firing their weapons into the
marines.

The fighting
grew vicious as the battle ebbed back and forth. Marines were going down as
well as Zaltule warriors. The Zaltule continued to come out of the tunnel, and
the marines were soon heavily outnumbered.

“How many are
there?” yelled Sergeant Dawson as he fired several explosive rounds into the
Kleese.

“Too damn
many,” grunted Sergeant Russell as he continued to fire his RG rifle at the
enemy.

“They’re
getting too close,” warned Dawson as he shot a Kleese that had nearly made it
to the line of now desperate marines.

“I’m hit,”
yelled Sergeant Russell as a series of RG rounds struck his battlesuit.

Beth turned
pale when she saw the green icon representing Sergeant Russell turn amber and
then red. Sergeant Russell had been with them from the beginning and she
couldn’t believe he was gone. It had happened so suddenly.

“We can’t hold
them,” Captain Foster said over the command channel. “There are just too many
of them!”

Wade fired two
explosive shells at a pair of Kleese, seeing one fall and the other stagger and
then continue toward them. “We have to,” he said, savagely. “We can’t let them
get past or the station’s lost!”

“Looking at
his HUD, he saw that over half of his marines were either injured or dead, if
something didn’t change soon they were all going to be wiped out.

Wade felt a
sudden pain in his leg and fell to the deck. An RG round had penetrated his
suit, going all the way through. He felt as if he were going to pass out and
then the suit began injecting meds.

“Colonel’s
down,” yelled Captain Stern as she rushed over, standing in front of Wade to
give him covering fire.

Beth felt
frantic, seeing more marines falling. Wade was injured and she could see no way
out of this situation. “Keep firing,” she ordered, taking command. “Keep them
away from the hatch. Switch to explosive rounds only.”

Several more
minutes passed and the room was full of smoke and exploding ordnance. Nearly
every marine was now injured or dead. Nicole had been hit in both the leg and
the upper body and was lying immobile on the deck. The surviving marines
gathered around Beth and Wade, who was now in a kneeling position firing his RG
rifle nonstop at the advancing Kleese. The room was littered with the torn and
broken bodies of both marines and Zaltule.

Just when Beth
thought it was all over, the hatch they were defending suddenly swung open and
Major Winfrey charged through. Behind him were marines in Type Four
battlesuits.

“Need some
help, Major?” he asked as he took up a defensive position just in front of Beth
and her surviving marines. Major Winfrey had brought two full companies of his
Space Marines backed up by Captain Brandon Perry and his company of Type
Threes.

The tide of
the battle quickly changed as the marines in the Type Four suits charged the
attacking Kleese, pushing them back toward the transit tunnel. The Type Fours
were more nimble and their armor more resistant to Kleese weapons fire. Captain
Perry was in the thick of things with his company mixing it up with the Kleese
as well.

For ten more
minutes, the battle raged as the marines finally reached the transit tunnel and
began clearing out the Kleese still inside of it. At last, the weapons fell
silent and no Zaltule were left standing.

The transit
hub was a wreck. Jagged holes were in the walls, the floor was torn apart, and
pieces of suit armor were scattered about. It was a very morbid scene and more
than a few marines got sick inside their suits. There was so much smoke in the
large room that seeing without using suit optics was nearly impossible.

Major Winfrey
returned to where Beth and Wade were standing. Captain Stern was helping Wade
to stand on his two metal feet. “The Kleese have been eliminated,” he reported.

“Where’s
Captain Perry?” asked Jamie not seeing him anywhere.

“He didn’t
make it,” replied Major Winfrey, sadly. “He was killed in the transit tunnel
but he took a hell of a lot of Zaltule with him.”

“He was a good
marine,” Beth said, knowing he would be greatly missed. “How’s Captain Foster?”
She knew that Nicole had been badly hit.

“Hanging in
there,” reported Sergeant Dawson, trying his best not to think about Sergeant
Russell. He couldn’t believe his friend was gone.

“We need to
get her to the med bay,” spoke Jamie with some urgency in her voice.

Beth nodded in
agreement. They'd lost so many marines in the fighting. Captain Perry, Sergeant
Russell, and many others she had known for years. Looking at her HUD, she saw
that out of the two hundred marines who had entered the transit hub with her
and Wade, only twenty-two were still showing green and another thirty-two were
amber; all the rest were red. For a moment, Beth felt herself sway on her feet
as she realized everyone who had been lost.

“Let’s get our
wounded to the med bay,” suggested Major Winfrey, nodding at Captain Stern who
was picking up Nicole’s limp battlesuit. “The threat is over.”

Wade nodded.
He felt numb at the losses they had suffered today. After they had time to
recover he fully intended to see if he could talk Beth into resigning her
commission and taking a civilian job, perhaps in Vesta. If she would have been
killed today, he didn’t know what he would have done.

-

“It’s over,”
reported General Pittman, drawing in a sharp breath. “Colonel Nelson managed to
stop them at the transit hub but it was touch and go for a while. If Major
Winfrey hadn’t made it when he did, we might have lost both companies of
marines, including Colonel Nelson and Major Williams.”

“At least we
won,” replied General Mitchell in an even voice. Looking up at the main
tactical screen, he saw Admiral Rivers had arrived and the last Kleese warship
was gone.

“What now?”
asked General Pittman.

“Now we
rebuild,” answered General Mitchell in a soft voice. “We rebuild and try to
replace what we lost today. This was a brutal battle, but there are more ahead of
us. The important thing is that we survived and still have a future ahead of
us.”

In deep space,
War Overlord Harmock looked at his shattered fleet. Out of one thousand
battlecruisers, only six hundred and twelve remained and many of them were
heavily damaged. In another week, the reserve fleet would arrive with their
five hundred vessels. Once they did, he intended to withdraw to the trading
station in sector twelve and repair his battlecruisers. It would take several
months for that task to be completed with the resources of the station.

“What of the
Humans and the Alliance?” asked Gareth. He was still shaken that a vermin
species had repelled the Zaltule.

“The Humans
may not be Vermin,” spoke Harmock as he thought hard and deep about the enemy.
“They fight like Zaltule and their ships are very powerful.”

“Surely you
can’t compare them to our race?” objected Gareth, not believing what the War
Overlord was suggesting.

“It had to
happen someday,” Harmock answered as he descended from the Command Pedestal.
“The Humans, while they are not Zaltule, are clearly not an inferior species. I
found it hard to believe myself, but the proof is in the battles; we have yet
to defeat the Humans.”

“Then they are
a grave threat to the Empire,” uttered Gareth. “We should gather the entire
Zaltule fleet and destroy them.”

“We must learn
more about them first,” Harmock replied as he thought about what needed to be
done. “We shall repair our fleet and then capture a number of Humans to
interrogate. We'll learn their strengths and their weaknesses. Once that has
been done, it will be necessary to return to the home world and speak to the
Council of Overlords. Our ships must be updated with new and more powerful
weapons. It may take time, but someday the Kleese will rule the galaxy and the
Humans will be no more.”

Gareth bowed
his head in acknowledgment. If the Supreme Military Overlord said it would be
so, there was no doubt that someday his prediction for the Kleese and the
Humans would come to be.

-

General Mitchell
was in his office meeting with General Pittman and Fleet Admiral Kelly. They'd
been discussing the losses incurred during the Kleese attack.

“We lost forty
percent of the fleet,” stated Fleet Admiral Kelly with a dismal look upon his
face. “It will take two years to replace the losses, let alone the personnel.”

“We’re already
moving the damaged ships into the station’s bays,” replied General Pittman.
“Vesta is moving ships out of her spacedock to make room for the damaged
battlecruisers.”

“We're fortunate
the Alliance fleet made it here in time,” Kelly said, shaking his head at how
close they'd come to being defeated.

“The Alliance fleet is headed home,” commented General Mitchell. He had personally thanked the
commanders of the Alliance fleet for coming to the solar system’s aid. “Seventh
Fleet will remain in the system until further notice.”

“The Kleese
fleet suffered heavy losses,” Kelly said his eyes looking intently at the other
two. “They won’t be a threat to anyone for a while.”

“The Defender
and her small fleet will soon be in Alliance space,” added General Mitchell.
“For now, they will have to represent our people to the Alliance.”

“They don’t
even know what happened,” pointed out General Pittman.

“The Alliance worlds will tell them once the Alliance fleet returns home,” replied General
Mitchell.

“It will be a
shock, particularly when they hear about Mars Central,” Kelly said. He wondered
if anyone in the small fleet had relatives on Mars.

“I spoke to
President Steward a short while ago,” Mitchell continued. “Mason is going to
take over running the cloning program with the goal of doubling the number of
clones being produced over the next several years. We can’t fight this war
without them.”

“There will be
problems over that with the civilians,” General Pittman warned. “We were
already having near riots before.”

“Cheryl
Robertson will shortly be starting a new campaign to help the clones become
more widely accepted,” Mitchell said. “A lot of clones died in the fleet and
here on Centerpoint. She will be pointing out how they died to protect regular
Humans.”

“People are
stubborn,” said Kelly, feeling dubious that any type of campaign would help
considering the deep rift in public sentiment toward the clones.

“We can try,”
Mitchell said, leaning forward. “We need to rebuild and after this battle we
can say one thing for sure. The Alliance is real and with some luck and good
negotiating on the part of Hyram and his people, about to get much larger.
We’re not in this alone.”

“To the Alliance,” spoke Fleet Admiral Kelly in agreement. Perhaps there was hope for the future
after all.

-

Wade and Beth
were standing in the training dome, gazing at Charring Mountain. They had gone
to the dome to talk and decide their future.

“It’s hard to
believe that Eugene and Brandon are gone,” spoke Beth with sadness in her
voice. Sergeant Russell and Captain Perry had saved her life more than once.

“Not only
that, but so many others,” replied Wade, reaching out and taking her hand. “A
lot of those we lost have been with us for a long time.”

“Even from the
days when we were Kleese captives,” answered Beth her eyes glistening with
tears. “Wade, I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

“You don’t
have to,” answered Wade, understanding her sorrow. He felt much the same way.

“I think I
want to return to Vesta to take care of my mom and raise a family,” she said
her eyes focusing intently on Wade.

“Do you want
out of the military completely?”

“Yes,”
answered Beth slowly nodding her head. “I think I’ve done my share and I’ve
seen enough dying.”

Wade looked up
at Charring Mountain thinking about all the changes made over the years. He
could still remember his first attempt on the mountain as a conscript of the
Kleese. “Would you be interested in helping with the cloning program? General
Mitchell mentioned to me that President Randle is going to be in overall charge
of it now.”

“I think I
would like that,” Beth answered. It would allow her to stay inside Vesta and
give her something productive to do. Vesta was also the safest place in the
solar system to raise a family. “Do you think General Pittman will be
aggravated when I turn in my resignation?”

“After what
we’ve been through, I don’t think he will be upset at all,” responded Wade,
turning his gaze away from Charring.

“What about you,
Wade?” asked Beth, looking deep into her husband’s eyes. “What are you going to
do?”

“I can’t
resign yet,” he sighed, giving Beth’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “There’s
still a lot more work to be done getting the Alliance established and ready to
fight the Kleese.”

Beth nodded,
wishing things could be different, but she strongly suspected that as long as
the Human race was threatened, Wade would be there defending it. After all,
that was the kind of man he was and why she loved him so much.

-

Ryan was
standing next to Casey in the small observation room on the Defender, watching
the passing stars. They would shortly be at Lanolth and their new mission would
begin. For once, they had the room to themselves.

Casey thought
over what Lauren had told her the previous day. She was encouraging her to be
more forthcoming in telling Ryan how she felt. Taking a deep fortifying breath,
she reached out and took Ryan’s hand. She was relieved when he didn’t pull his
away. That’s the first step, she thought. Now for the second.

“Ryan, what
kind of future do we have ahead of us?”

Ryan was
silent for a long moment surprised at Casey’s question. “Do you mean you and
me?” He turned and looked deeply into Casey’s beautiful hazel eyes. He felt his
heart beating faster. It was amazing the effect Casey had on him at times.

“Do you love
me, Ryan?” Casey asked in a soft voice.

Ryan took his
hand out of Casey’s, seeing the panicked look in her eyes when he did. He
smiled, put his arms around her and pulled her close. Tilting his head
downward, he kissed her long and passionately. Then he drew back and replied.
“Of course I do; I have for a long time.”

In the back of
the room, Lauren smiled. The two hadn’t heard her come in and she was pleased
she had witnessed this moment. Being quiet, she turned and left not, wanting
them to know she'd overheard. Some things were meant to be private.

-

Mason Randle
left the Control Center still feeling shaken about what had occurred at Mars
Central. A massive rescue operation was still in progress with Kivean, Delton,
and Talt technicians trying to repair the surviving habitats as quickly as
possible. Dozens of assault ships had been sent down to the surface to help
provide power and a place for emergency personnel to stay. Even marines in
battlesuits had been deployed to help shift the rubble in the search for
survivors.

President
Steward had just finished speaking to General Sanchez, who was coordinating the
rescue efforts, and the civilian and military casualties on Mars were estimated
at between six hundred to seven hundred thousand people. Considering the entire
surviving Human population was only around nineteen million people, which was
almost five percent of the overall population.

Taking a short
transit tube, Mason stepped back out into the Smithfield habitat and took a
deep breath of the fresh air. The people were out of the deep shelters and
everything seemed normal. However, the Kleese attack had been devastating. The
population loss, the damage to the fleet, and even Centerpoint had been eye
opening. There was also the loss of Governor Scott, who was going to be very
difficult to replace. Some major changes must be made. The cloning program
would have to be greatly stepped up and a new campaign launched to encourage
normal Humans to accept the clones. It was now obvious the Human race could not
survive without them. President Steward had asked if Mason would be willing to
oversee the cloning program and the new ad campaign. Knowing how important the
program was to the survival of the Human race, he had agreed.

Mason spent
some time walking through Smithfield, thinking about everything that had
changed since the mining operations center came into being. Smithfield was no
longer the city his grandfather and father had envisioned. It had grown until
it now represented much more. The brightest people in the system now lived
inside Vesta in the large habitats. Kiveans could be seen everyday working with
their Human counterparts. As long as Vesta survived, the Human race would also.

After a while,
Mason reached his home. It was on the outskirts of Smithfield and the long walk
had done him some good. Going inside, he saw Adrienne sitting on the couch with
Lara.

“Mason,” said
Adrienne, standing up and walking over to him. “Is it over?”

“For now,”
replied Mason, taking Lara and holding her protectively in his arms. He looked
down at the innocent face, wondering what type of world his daughter would grow
up in.

He'd thought
his duties were over, but holding his daughter, he knew there was much more
ahead of him. Walking over to the couch, he sat down and began rocking back and
forth, seeing the happy and contented look upon Lara’s face. There were some
things that would always be worth fighting for.

The End

If you enjoyed
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion and would like to see the series continue,
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Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance

After the
defeat of the Zaltule fleet, the Alliance has become a reality. Twenty worlds
now stand opposed to the Kleese and their desire for a Galactic Empire. In the
solar system, new and more powerful ships are being built in preparation for
the next attack.

The Kleese
have other ideas. In a daring raid on the Alliance, they kidnap part of a Space
Marine platoon in order to better understand Humans. These Humans will be taken
back to the Kleese home worlds for study and interrogation.

Ryan, Casey,
and others find themselves captives on a Zaltule battlecruiser. Can they find a
way to escape the dreaded Kleese and return home?

Find out in Galactic
Empire Wars: The Alliance, coming in the summer of 2015.

For updates on
current writing projects and future publications go to my author website. Sign
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Website:
http://raymondlweil.com/

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available at Amazon

Moon Wreck (The
Slaver Wars Book 1)

The Slaver Wars:
Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)

The Slaver Wars:
First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)

The Slaver Wars:
Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)

The Slaver Wars:
Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)

The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars
Book 7)

-

Dragon Dreams

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

-

Star One: Tycho City: Survival