Warpath (Rise of the Empire Book 4) (16 page)

***

Bella watched as two missiles hit and exploded in the alien perimeter. Immediately both her and Garth left their covers and ran across the street towards the enemy positions. The aliens were all startled, and looking in the direction from which the missiles came. That let Garth and her get close range. As soon as they were close enough to ensure maximum accuracy, both of them opened fire on unsuspecting aliens.

***

As soon as he heard two explosions, Sahib exited cover, Loca running by his side. As they crossed halfway across the street Loca slowed readied her weapon and opened fire. A soft buzzing sound came out of it, and then thunderous rifle fire as bullets started flying out of it. The weapon fire hit the unsuspecting targets and cut right through their armor. A few of the aliens turned towards her and started raising their weapons to fire, but they had no chance. Before they could fire, Sahib had already pressed the trigger of his own weapon. The magnetic fields superheated the gas and sent the plasma forward, the plastic wrapped around the plasma, and gave it a teardrop shape. It crossed the distance to the target in an instant, it hit the alien armor and the containment shattered. Plasma now free, punched a hole through it and entered the alien’s body. The alien fell down, its organs liquefied, a yellowish mist of blood vapor rose from the hole in its chest.

Before its body hit the ground Sahib fired two more shots at the other aliens, each to the same effect. A few more aliens who had tried to respond had their heads blown off by Eagle eye’s sniper fire. Within thirty seconds, twenty three aliens lay dead.

The group approached the dead aliens and then stopped to inspect their bodies. On the first look the battle suits of the aliens appeared to have been under power. And the aliens did look like they were a bit taller than an average human or Nel. Sahib noticed Bella kneeling close to one of the aliens trying to get his helmet off.

“Definitely could have taken them all by myself.” Loca said.

“No challenge…” He heard Lucky add over the comms, and then Red respond with his usual grunt.

Then Bella finally managed to get the alien’s helmet off.

“Ahh! They’re not faeries Garthy! More like birdies!” Bella exclaimed. Sahib was just about to ask her what she meant when he noticed Garth turning around and walking to the other side of the courtyard, as far away from Bella as he could. He realized then, that he probably didn’t want to know.

***

Tofor and his people were startled by two explosions that shook the building, fearing that the aliens had finally managed to get inside they prepared to fight for their lives. But the explosions were followed by weapons fire, and they quickly realized that they weren’t coming from the inside of the building. Tofor rushed to the monitors and accessed cameras looking at the building’s entrance, they were all too scared to look before, but now he needed to know what was happening.

The feed appeared on the monitor and Tofor watched stunned at the sight before him. The aliens lay dead on the ground, and around them seven armed figures stood. Immediately Tofor took in their shape, and realized who they must be. Then one of his people shouted. “Director we are getting a radio transmission on our emergency frequency!”

Tofor walked over and the woman played it. “
Attention, this is Platoon Leader Adin of the Empire. The enemy had been eliminated, you are clear. I repeat you are clear.
”

Tofor felt his legs give out and he dropped into a nearby chair. He covered his eyes with his upper hands. The help had arrived.

***

Eight hours later – Monarch

Johanna watched on the holo as her people brought the five of the captured alien ships to her fleet. The ships that she had sent to Rofvax, had also dispatched the ships there, and captured most of the people that the aliens had on the ground. Sadly the colonists were all killed, apparently the aliens tortured them for information and then killed them all. Johanna didn’t know what to think about these aliens, there didn’t seem to be any reason for what they had done. But she will learn soon enough, once they start interrogating the prisoners. And they had plenty.

The Trivaxian’s on the other hand had been hit hard. Before Johanna arrived the invaders had bombed most of their cities. Fortunately, most of the people had evacuated out of the cities. But not everyone wanted or was able to leave. The death count was still uncertain, but according to their preliminary numbers the aliens had killed more than a fifth of their total population, along with most of their leaders. Johanna knew that if she hadn’t arrived that number would have been total. The actions prior to her arrival told her that their plan was to kill the entire population slowly at their leisure.

Now when the fighting was finally over, her people were involved in the rescue operations across the planet. And soon she would need to meet with the Trivaxian leaders. She had sent word back to Sanctuary, asking for guidance. But for now there was nothing else she could do. Slowly she stood from her chair, feeling her legs shake from an extended period of sitting. She turned to Andros, the commander of the Monarch. He too had been in his chair from the moment they came into the system, but she knew that he would remain in the CC for a while more.

“You have the command of the fleet Andros.” Johanna said weakly, then not waiting for his response left the CC and headed straight for her quarters. Every step sending pain running through her body. Once she finally entered her quarters, she sped straight to the bathroom where she immediately dropped by the toilet and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach. After there was nothing else to puke out, she retched on empty while tears leaked freely from her eyes. It took her at least twenty minutes to calm down enough to take her clothes off and enter the shower. She let the water flow over her as she shook and cried.

She was able to keep herself together while the fleet was in action, but the moment she knew that there was nothing else for her to do, she fell apart. Memories stabbed through her mind, of a Ra’a’zani ship and the ships she lost. The cries of people from Earth, as they called her ship to help them while their own planet turned against them. The memory of her ignoring their pleas, but listening to every one of them, each plea carved into her soul. She hugged herself and dropped to the floor, as the water ran over her.

She knew that there was nothing that she could have done differently, she was not responsible for the people that died today. But knowing something and believing it was two different things. Eventually she managed to gather herself enough to wipe herself off and get to her bed. She grabbed a bottle of pills by it and the promise of dreamless sleep they offered.

Chapter Fourteen

Four days later – Dreadnought Monarch – Trivax orbit

Johanna sat in the meeting room aboard the Monarch. Three representatives of the Trivaxians, Director Tofor of SEI, Leader Riven – the only female of the three, and Commander Quvor sat across from Johanna’s diplomatic leads, Envoy Park Chung-Ah and Envoy Esama.

“
We appreciate all the help you have given to our people.
” The Trivaxian group’s leader, Director Tofor said in his language, and the translating device built into the table translated the words to standard.

“It is the least we could do.” Johanna said, and waited as the translator relayed her words in the Trivaxian language.

“No. You don’t owe us anything.”
Tofor said, his ears flapping around.
“Have you found out the reason why the aliens attacked us?”
The Empire’s people transformed the former colony on Rofvax into a kind of a prison facility for the some three hundred alien invaders.

“We are still questioning them, as soon as we know for sure you will know.” Johanna answered.

“You warned us. Thirty years ago, you warned us that the galaxy was a dangerous place, and we should have listened.”
Tofor said.

“I couldn’t have imagined that this would have happened. If I had suspected I would have done things differently…” Johanna said. The Trivaxian’s listened the translation, and then kept silent. A few moments later Leader Riven turned her slender head towards Johanna and spoke.

“
There are some among us that blame you for what has happened.
” She said.

“We didn’t even know that these aliens existed. It is not our fault that they found you.” Envoy Park Chung-Ah interceded.

“Of course, we understand that. The ones that blame you, believe that your fault lies in not giving us more of your technology instead of riddles and concepts.”
 Leader Riven said.

Johanna immediately responded. “Even the small amount of data that I gave you had turned your society on its head, who knows what would have happened if I gave you more. And more to the point, at the time I knew very little about you. For I know you could have turned out to be no better than the aliens that attacked you. If I had given you more, it could have been you who attacked another race.” She said angrily.

Stunned the three Trivaxians looked at each other for a moment before responding. “
We would have never attacked another living being without cause!
” Commander Quvor said.

“Perhaps, but you are still a young race. I have seen your history, it is a peaceful one. You don’t know the true horrors of war, and temptations that come from knowing that you have the ability to take something from those weaker.” Johanna shook her head. “My people might not have been in space for a long time. But our history is filled with grief, war, and examples of people succumbing to those temptations. We have learned our lessons well. You are ignorant, still innocent.”

“We are not innocent any longer.”
Director Tofor added.

Johanna smiled sadly, “If only you knew how wrong you are. What has happened to you was terrible, unforgivable. But you escaped a far worse fate.” She said, her eyes losing focus.

“Have you come to a decision?”
Leader Riven asked, bringing Johanna back from her recollections.

“The Emperor had spoken with the leaders of the Empire. It has been decided that we will offer you a place in the Empire. If you accept, we will give you our technology and you will be given a status of a clan and all the protections and responsibilities that entails, but the price will be your way of life. Your children will be taught the ways of the Empire, and you will be required to abandon your ways. If you refuse we will still give our protection, but your path to the stars will be your own. We will not meddle in your civilization nor will we give you any advanced technologies, we would still be open to trade, but that will be only for materials and other non-technological products.” Johanna said.

After listening to the translation, the three Trivaxians looked at each other and conferred silently.
“We will need to think about this.”
Leader Riven said.

“Of course, you can have as much time to decide as you wish. For now my ships will stay here until reinforcements from the Empire arrive, by then we should have the locations of the invaders worlds, and we will pay them a visit.” Johanna said, and with that stood and left the room, leaving the three aliens with her two diplomatic envoys to answer any other questions they might have.

***

A few hours later the three Trivaxians were back on their planet, brought back by the Empire’s shuttle. They were sitting in the temporary government building. The three of them were for all intense and purposes in charge. The Trivaxian government never was big, and the aliens managed to kill most of them in their bombardment.

“What do you think about their offer Tofor?” Riven asked.

Tofor reached with his upper left arm and scratched his ear. “I don’t know Riven, it is not something that we should decide on quickly. I haven’t even read through all the requirements and obligations that we will be bound to if we decide to join them. And frankly what I have read seems very harsh.” He answered.

“How so?” Quvor asked.

“If we join them, the Trivaxian civilization will cease to be, we will become the Empire. Our young will be raised in the Empire’s ways, taught their history. Sure they would teach the history of Trivax too, but it will be only a chapter in the grander history of the Empire. Our way of life will change, some of our culture might be adopted into the Empire, but they will not allow dissidents. We will need to change in order to fit in.” Tofor answered.

“And is that such a bad thing?” Riven asked.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. I don’t know, and that is the problem.” Tofor said.

“The Trivaxian history won’t disappear Tofor. We would only be trading the future of Trivaxians, for a life under the Empire. Would we not advance far more quickly as a part of them? Would we not colonize and spread to the stars?” Riven added.

Tofor remained quiet.

“I for one am for us joining them.” Quvor said.

“Why?” Tofor asked.

“Because I don’t want this situation to repeat itself ever again. We were so inferior Tofor, if it weren’t for the Empire we would be dead now. If we didn’t meet them thirty years ago, we would have only fallen faster. They were right the universe is a dangerous place, and I don’t wish to see any more of our people die.” Quvor answered.

Riven crossed her lower arms across her chest and spoke. “We need to think this true thoroughly. To speak with the people, and decide what the best course of action is.”

***

Five days later – Empire’s prison camp – Rofvax

High Prime Nicolet Francis sat in the small interrogation room, across from her sat one of the alien prisoners. The aliens were all more than two meters tall, spindly, they walked hunched forward. They had dark brown skin, with feather like coverings on their heads and around their faces, and along the sides of their arms and legs. They wore clothing provided by the Empire that was more like a long sheet which they wrapped around their bodies.