Chapter 42
Dreadnought Deathwalker
Mitoc
The heavy door ground open and receded into the wall revealing two well equipped guards on the other side. The stepped into the cell and levelled their rifles at the sole occupant, former Squadron Leader Ari'shan who gathered himself, adjusted his uniform which now bore no rank or unit markings having being stripped of them, and stood to attention.
The officer had refused to fire on civilian ships at Krish, considering such an action dishonourable and had refused a direct order from Warmaster Sha'dur in the process. He had been arrested, thrown in prison and was probably going to be executed. When word came through that he was to be transferred to Warmaster Jha'dur's command it was greeted across the fleet with cold trepidation. Even new recruits knew what happened to prisoners who were on the receiving end of Deathwalker's personal attentions.
He was bundled onto a shuttle and made the single jump across to Mitoc, there he was thrown onto the flagships brig and waited there two full days without word and with just one meal. He had time to reflect on his decision, sacrificing his life to maintain his honour instead of sacrificing honour to save his life. He did not feel sorry for himself, and while he did consider he was a better asset to the war effort alive he had his convictions drilled into him by his Father and he would not betray them no matter the price.
The Warmaster strode into the room, her face completely neutral. Ari'shan stood to full attention which she regarded with clinical distaste, like he had no business pretending he was a soldier after his conduct. Her gaze had the ability to make Ari'shan feel an inch tall and totally insecure. He did suddenly feel like a young child who wore the uniform but had no idea what went with it. He had to force himself to remember he had his honour.
"Guards." She said. "Leave."
"With respect Ma'am, it is against regulations to allow a prisoner and…"
She didn't have to say a word, one glare was enough to shut up the guard, make him salute, and then get out of the room at double quick time. Quietly she returned her inscrutable expression back to Ari'shan.
"Warmaster, I apologise for this difficult situation."
Jha'dur did not answer. She stared at Ari'shan for a few seconds then with remarkable speed threw back her fist and struck the pilot with a surprisingly vicious punch. He stumbled back and hit the wall in utter surprise and could do nothing to stop the three follow up punches the female Warmaster hit him with. He was hunched over against the wall too surprised to actually register the hurt, and slowly brought himself up. Jha'dur had stepped back and wore the same impassive face she usually adopted on official business.
"Are you aware," she started completely matter of factly as if lecturing a group of recruits, "of how unbelievably stupid you are?"
"I am aware that my actions do not help my sense of self preservation Ma'am." Ari'shan said through his teeth. Jha'dur could really punch above her weight, he guessed it was pent up anger seeping through.
"And how do they help discipline across the fleet?" She asked. "You ar elucky that was a scrambled channel, only your squadron and my Brother's command staff know about this. And your Father of course."
That shook his resolve a little more. "What did he say?"
"You can ask him yourself, he'll be here in a few hours." She said. "But he is not coming for you, he is coming to see this world. You, prisoner, are my responsibility."
Ari'shan had managed to straighten himself up and could now face the Warmaster, staring straight ahead rather than look at her directly. She remained standing in a relaxed pose, but there was something in her eyes which betrayed how incredibly angry she was.
"This is war prisoner." She said. "One does not pick and choose the orders one is given. Do you understand the concept?"
"Yes Warmaster."
"You wear the uniform of a Dilgar officer, and are therefore bound to the rules and regulations of that post. Do you understand that concept?"
"Yes Warmaster."
"Infractions damage discipline and must be punished as an example to others. Do you understand the Concept?"
"Yes Warmaster." Ari'shan said again.
"Damn you to hell for putting me in this position." She snarled. "I promised your Father I would keep you alive, and now you disobey a direct order and put yourself on death row!"
"It was my choice to make Warmaster, you do not need to blame yourself."
"Yes I do, because it was my choice to approve you for frontline duty!" She snapped. "I gave you a squadron because I thought you were an outstanding officer, now look at yourself! In jail like a common coward!"
"I am no coward!" Ari'shan snapped back.
"You failed to execute an order to attack!"
"I refused to kill people who could not defend themselves!"
"They are enemies of the Dilgar Imperium!"
"They are frightened women and children who's deaths mean nothing to the military success of this war!"
to his surprise Jha'dur actually burst out in laughter. "Gods you're naïve!" she said through the inappropriate joviality. "You see our enemies as anyone who bears a weapon against us? What about the populations who arm the fighters and build the ships? What about the children who become soldiers in the future to counter attack us when we grow decadent and weak? Every single being who is not of Omelos is our enemy. All of them. It is the one true piece of knowledge you need to do the things a Warmaster has to do."
Ari'shan considered that idea. "Then I am glad I am not a Warmaster."
"Your Father the Supreme Warmaster understands this." Jha'dur said quietly. "He knows that for us to live the League has to die."
"My Father is a great man, but I am my own man." He replied firmly. "I stand by my own actions and take responsibility for them."
"You will have to realise that the only thing that matters is our people." Jha'dur spoke softly. "And if our survival means billions must pay in blood for it, then so be it. Do you think I enjoy wiping out entire worlds?"
"Yes, I actually think you do."
Much to his surprise Jha'dur seemed shocked by the answer, almost as if she had taken a crowbar to the head. "I do what I do for my people, not for myself!" she defended.
"That isn't what it looks like from outside." Ari'shan stated. "You know you're reputation in the fleet? That you take any opportunity to experiment on captives rather than just execute them."
"That is for my research." She stated. "Why waste a life when I can learn something from it? They are dead either way, so I simply give their deaths meaning."
"I don't want to argue." Ari'shan sighed. "I've known you ten years, but I don't ask for any special treatment. Let's just get this over with."
Jha'dur nodded. "As you wish. Extend your hand, palm up."
He held out his right hand and stiffened, braced for the incapacitating injection he expected. The Warmaster grabbed his hand and pressed something into it, breaking the skin with a needle like punch. Then she stepped away and Ari'shan risked a look down. He actually gasped in surprise. "I don't understand?"
In his hand were his pilot's wings. The pin badge had been pressed into his hand hard enough to draw blood but not do any real damage. The gold bars and triangles glinted back at him silently.
"I am reinstating you." The Warmaster replied. "Close your mouth, it is conduct unbecoming an officer. Something I will not tolerate from you."
"I…I don't understand?"
She smiled thinly. "You are many things Ari, but first of all you are a pilot. Specifically you are the best pilot in this navy, I have fought alongside the best and from what I have seen you have a natural ability that even veterans cannot match. That is an asset that is not easily thrown away, and that is why you are still alive."
"Jha'dur, I want to than…"
She cut him off with a hand wave. "Don't you dare thank me." She said curtly. "You are alive because you are useful, not because of our family friendship. You are on my watch now pilot, you will fly from this ship and answer directly to me. If you pull anything even slightly insubordinate you will not enjoy the consequences. Are we clear?"
"As crystal Warmaster."
"Refuse my order and die a thousand deaths. Simple as that." She said. Then without a word turned and walked out of the cell, leaving the door open behind her.
Ari'shan was surprised to say the least, but he was also aware of an opportunity when he saw it. This was a second chance, something rare in any aspect of life. Whatever she had said he knew at least part of her choice came down to the almost brother/sister relationship they had, and it had explained her burst of anger at the start of the talk. Any other pilot she would not have cared, even if she had given him a second chance based on skill alone it would have been with a simple written order and with no personal contact.
She cared for him, and that affection had driven her to an emotional response when he had put himself in this position. He guessed she must have taken steps to save him from further action in the military courts and to erase any evidence of wrongdoing, and thereby make her an accomplice to the act which could seriously damage her political career if it ever came out. She had made a sacrifice for him, and he felt a little humbled.
But he also saw something else in her orders, Jha'dur's fleet lead the way in battle and was lined up to engage the heaviest concentrations of future enemies. He would never have to worry again about being ordred to fire on defenceless ships, there was going to be an almost ever lasting supply of well armed and increasingly well trained enemies for him to fight in honourable combat.
The more he looked at it the more he realised Jha'dur had not just saved his life, but put him in the position he dreamed about. He was going to be at the front of the Dilgar advance, and if rumour was to be believed their next target was the Cascor Commonwealth. The Cascor were the best pilots in the League with well trained and well equipped star fighter units, who also tended to share Ari'shan's view that the best form of combat was to sit alone in a fighter and challenge opponents to combat. He had a feeling he was going to be eternally grateful to Jha'dur for more than one reason. Circles turning within circles, plans within plans. He should have expected that from her, she never did anything unless she knew exactly what the results would be for her and the Dilgar at large.
Mitoc
Later that day
Jha'dur was buffeted in the chair, banging her head for the hundredth time on the headrest as the restraints dig a little deeper into her shoulder with each bump. It was not the most comfortable shuttle journey she had been on but her personal pilot had argued very convincingly that while Mitoc had surrendered they still had a standing security force with ground to air weapons. The sight of the most hated figure in the galaxy coasting down in just a shuttle might prove too tempting to them to resist, so instead they were plummeting through the atmosphere at high speed to present as fleeting a target as possible.
She held her temper and watched the clouds rush past outside the window, four other shuttles were coming down with her filled with Storm troopers to provide a cordon when she landed, and until then to provide physical cover for her ship by offering themselves as a target if the Mitoc decided to take a shot at her. They would have to destroy all five shuttles to be sure of killing her, and by the time the first was hit Captain An'jash had orders to turn the nearest continent into a radioactive wasteland.
The rocking stopped as the shuttle entered the lower atmosphere and began to slow down, forcing Jha'dur tighter against the seat belts as the craft fired breaking thrusters and dropped its landing gear, then dropped the last few feet and planted itself onto the landing zone, an open green field just outside the Mitoc capital city.
"Good landing officer." Jha'dur said sincerely, a few seconds error and they would have hit the ground at supersonic speeds. "Keep the engines warm incase we need to make a rapid exit."
The pilot nodded and brought the shuttle to standby mode, making sure all it's systems including weapons were active. She missed her old shuttle, one that had been stolen by Humans escaping from Tirrith. She had been furious at first, but now considered it wryly amusing.
The meeting place was chosen carefully, it was far from any military facilities and the danger they represented but close enough to the city to make sure any attempt to kill the Warmaster could result in collateral damage to the civilian refugees who had gathered in and around the Capital. The wide open space also meant ambush was unlikely and gave the hundred soldiers of Jha'dur's escort ample space to deploy and offered a nice wide field of fire with no cover for an enemy attack.
But the main reason, the one Jha'dur had not mentioned, was that the landing zone was on grass not metal or manufactured concrete or asphalt. She wanted her first step onto this world, the first step any Dilgar took, to be touching the planet itself, not a Mitoc structure. It was illogical, and it didn't really make a difference to the political situation but it did make a difference to Jha'dur. She wanted this world to remain a paradise, an untouched ecological Eden that would not be polluted by industries of war or ravaged by internal Dilgar fighting. They had secured plenty of worlds which could become factories and forges once their native inhabitants were relocated, preferably to the afterlife, and this planet could be kept untouched.
The simple fact was they were going to be lucky to save a quarter of the Dilgar population, a third at most, which while tragic did mean that this world wasn't going to suffer from over population like Omelos did. The best and brightest of the race would come here, a brave new world at the heart of a safe and secure Empire created by the Warmasters. Well, the three or four of them who actually knew how to fight a war anyway. Beside herself, her brother and the Supreme Warmaster the only other leader Jha'dur trusted was Warmaster Dar'sen who was currently commanding the only decent fleet on the Drazi front. He was twice Jha'dur's age but an old friend of Gar'shan and had embraced the young woman's radical shake up of the Dilgar Navy, something a lot of people still opposed. He was an ally in an increasingly polarized council.
The boarding tamp dropped open, digging into the soft ground below and letting pure sunshine into the shuttle. She paused at the threshold and rejoiced in the gentle warmth of that light as it fell upon her and took a breath of the clean air. After so long on a ship any planet fall tended to be special, but this more than others. She already felt like this was home. She noticed a delegation of leaders stood a respectful distance away waiting for her, but did not rush to join them. She wasn't going to cut short this moment for anything.
Slowly she stepped off the ramp and onto the grass, feeling the ground shift a little beneath her weight. She had actually considered doing this bare foot before the military leader inside told her to remember her place. She took a few steps forward, pleased that her boots made nothing more than muffled thuds as she moved as opposed to the more familiar clank made on the metal deck plates of her ship. She took the full experience in, gathered herself, and then waved her guards out.
Jha'dur had been very specific about being the first Dilgar on the planet, and while her body guards did not like the idea they did not push the issue and simply waited in the shuttle. With the signal given the four Spectres marched out in plain view wearing simple black uniforms and cradling their long rifles in their arms. At the same moment four other Spectres hidden beneath their black light stealth suits also filed out and moved quickly to dispersed positions and activated their sniper rifles, watching for threats. The remaining shuttles then dropped their ramps and disembarked twentyfive officers and soldiers each all in ceremonial uniforms. Despite the rich green cloth and highly polished belts and boots these were well trained and well armed soldiers and they kept a cautious watch on the perimeter and the Mitoc delegation.
Jha'dur went to meet them, again rather pleased by the feel of the grass under her boots. The delegation included the Mitoc Regent and senior government and Military officers, about a dozen in all who started walking forward to meet her half way. They were dressed in restrictive clothing which amused Jha'dur somewhat, it was some strange cosmic joke that all races tended to make their formal wear as uncomfortable as it was ostentatious.
Of course she couldn't make any comment, she was also wrapped in a uniform which cost as much as a small house. It had the familiar dark blue colour of the fleet division with red facings, along with the pale blue fronting used on officers dress uniforms. In addition to the gold braid and heavily gilded epaulettes she also carried her ceremonial sword and side arm, gold plated, jewel encrusted but still fully functional. She had left her last sword on Rohric as a mark of respect for one of the planets savages, a chieftain of his people. She had considered the term savage to be inappropriate, and paid her respects to his attempt to eject the Dilgar from his homelands, doomed as it was.
She rather enjoyed wearing dress uniform, and as a Warmaster often found herself having to do so. The standard duty uniform for a fleet officer was a simple dark blue tunic with fabric badges of rank and division for most personnel, with metal badges only worn on special occasions or for special reasons. Jha'dur on the other hand tended to wear full regalia whenever she could, she found it worked to announce her authority far better than words could, which then meant she didn't have to waste effort imposing herself on subordinates and could concentrate on winning wars. It also naturally enough had the effect of intimidating opponents, which she was working on right now.
"Warmaster Jha'dur." The leading Mitoc bowed. He was a normal looking humanoid about six inches shorter than the Warmaster. As a rule the Mitoc were a fairly small race and stood below the average height of most other sentient species, shorter even than Drazi. He wore a Brown coat of glimmering material which certainly seemed to fit his station, it must have cost a fortune. "I am Regent Kerra."
"Regent." Jha'dur nodded. "Your world is unanimous in support of your decision?"
"It is." He stated. "Mitoc hereby surrenders unconditionally to the Dilgar Imperium."
She grinned widely. "And I accept."
Jha'dur had managed to stage a clever political game, by putting herself on Mitoc and taking the surrender she had put herself at the head of the Imperium, at least that is how she expected the Media to see it. The Mitoc had surrender to her in person and singularly, there were no other Dilgar leaders with her and she stood alone on this alien world and had them bowing to her. Legally it meant nothing, but politically it would help strengthen her position in the council and give her a lot of authority. Already the Media loved her, she won battles and gave her people glory which kept the public happy and distracted them from the crippling taxes and massive pollution gripping Omelos necessary to feed the war effort. People associated her with victory and now they saw beaten leaders bowing to her alone. With public support like that it would make her ascension to Supreme Warmaster that much easier despite Warmaster Len'char's own vain ambitions. The head of Intelligence also coveted leadership of the Imperium and had made subtle efforts to sabotage Jha'dur's success to help him, but she was too wily to fall for his rather clumsy political moves and counter moves.
The delegation bowed to her again, she could sense they were scared of her and uncertain what would happen next. Her plans for Mitoc were naturally top secret and no one outside the Council knew of them.
"You may rise." She commanded. "You may also continue to serve in your current roles. You know this world and people better than my staff, therefore you will lead them, keep them in line and carry out the wishes of the Imperium. I will appoint a Planetary governor to oversee the development of this world into something that services the Dilgar and you will do all in your power to help. In return you may live and continue with your existence under our leadership."
Regent Kerra nodded in agreement.
"Also I understand you have a palace in this city?"
"Yes Warmaster."
"I will be requiring it, I have guests arriving and need an appropriate venue for them. Arrange for a meeting hall to be prepared with tables and chairs then vacate all staff from the building. That will be all."
He bowed. "It will be so."
"Good." She dismissed him. "This is concluded, make the arrangements. In future you will liase with the Governor."
She turned and headed back to the shuttle, turning to one of her Spectres.
"What did we bring to eat?"
Regent's Palace
Dilgar occupied Mitoc.
Jha'dur's guests were more eminent than the Mitoc leadership had expected. The task force arrived in orbit the following day, a group of Dreadnoughts backed up by a large number of powerful escorts and fighter squadrons fresh from Omelos. On board those ships were four of the nine members of the Warmaster Council, coming up to five when Jha'dur was included, and lead in person by the Supreme Warmaster Gar'shan. It had been a while since he had travelled this far and while still only in his sixties he had the frailty of a man in extreme old age. The stresses of the office often killed Supreme Warmasters early and a disturbing number died in office, and usually not of natural causes. Gar'shan's mind however remained sharp and he was a skilled political mover. He was also a former head of Intelligence with a much better record than his successor and the old leader was still more than capable of keeping his people on their path.
The series of armed shuttles landed in the courtyard under heavy fighter escort and were met by hundreds of pristinely uniformed soldiers lining the way into the Palace itself. The grounds were heavily fortified with anti infantry, anti tank and anti aircraft weaponry while Jha'dur's fleet was holding station in the system in case of a general attack by some disaffected League power. It was as safe as she could make it, and while she wouldn't care if most of the council did die she wouldn't want it to happen on her watch.
Mars
Earth Alliance territory.
Considering space was so vast,
so infinite and so empty Captain Paul Calendar found it hard to
imagine how it could ever be considered cramped. It had no end and no
limits so that should mean there was plenty of room in all three
dimensions for uncounted billions of starships. While this seemed
logical to him the concept had apparently escaped the flight
controllers at Mars and something which looked a lot like a traffic
jam had sprung up over Mars.
When Paul looked at it from another
point of view it did make sense. While space was unlimited the number
of docking berths orbiting Mars were not. The problem was compounded
by the fact that most of the main routes into Mars were currently
closed to civilian traffic thanks to several hundred military vessels
deciding this was the perfect opportunity to hold the biggest war
game event to date. That had naturally forced all the traffic into
just a handful of routes and left a lot of cargo stations within the
exclusion zone kept busy transferring troops and tanks from the army
bases on planet to the ships in orbit, which were then sent back down
to the planet in a mock invasion.
The games were almost over, but
a little bit of poor planning had meant the Space Race had
finished it's latest job a few days early and instead of arriving
when everything had returned to normal they had left the gate and
immediately found themselves in a holding pattern waiting for entry
to Mars Station Prime. That had been fourteen hours ago.
"They
were playing this exercise when we left." Toby complained. "That
was two weeks ago! How long does a war take?"
"Makes sense
they'd get some shipside training." Jors replied. "Dangerous
galaxy we live in."
"But two weeks?" Toby shook his head in
exasperation. "I mean can you imagine how much that
costs?"
"Cheaper than letting a Dilgar fleet cross the
border." Paul cut in. "How far back are we now?"
"You've
been asking that every four minutes for the last six hours chief."
Toby grunted.
"I'm the Captain, humour me."
Toby sat up
with a sigh and checked the sensor logs, reading the Belt Alliance
cargo drop of point hundreds of miles away and the ships ahead.
"There are two hundred and eight ships ahead of us." He offered
in a bored tone. "At least another ten hours even if every dock is
at full capacity."
"At least we don't have to worry about
raiders." Jor's said brightly. "Not with two full Earth Force
fleets in spitting distance."
"Oh, that makes me feel so much
better!" Toby said through his teeth, the statement was bathed in
sarcasm. "Think it would help if we told them we have friends in
high places?"
"No." Paul said firmly. "It really
wouldn't."
The little freighter and her crew did have some
powerful patrons in the Earth Alliance establishment, their
activities in the past had saved lives and gathered some important
information on the Dilgar Navy though it had come at a high cost.
After losing a crew member killed and another revealed as an
undercover agent for the EIA Paul was understandably bitter at the
whole experience and had developed a loathing for the Dilgar as a
race. That had been further compounded when he had found himself
caught up on the frontlines a fourth time at Brakir while acting as
an advisor to the Belt Alliance organisation delivering weapons to
the Brakiri at exactly the wrong moment.
He hadn't expected
quite so many near death experiences in his chosen career, he was
surprised to learn he had lead a more dangerous life than his EIA
crew mate Jenny Sakai. She had remarked her life had been easy until
she had joined the Space Race crew and now she was fending off
almost certain death on a weekly basis. Still Paul had survived and
had become a very wealthy and somewhat famous man in the process. His
ship had been repaired by the Belt Alliance and the EIA in a mark of
gratitude and they had turned his little freighter into a well armed,
well protected and very fast little vessel that was almost completely
illegal under Earth law. His contacts had made sure nobody paid much
attention to the little ship.
Since then he'd gone back to his
day job delivering perishable cargo quickly across Earth and near
alien space, and while he was once again turning a profit he did
think there was something missing, he just couldn't put his finger
on it.
"Are you awake Captain?" Toby's voice snapped his
attention back to the present.
"Huh?" Paul grunted.
"I
said for the third time, we're being hailed."
"By
who?"
"It's an Earth Force channel, military ship." Toby
said. "A cruiser from inside the exclusion zone."
Jors and
Paul exchanged glances, even if their ship was authorised by the EIA
there was no way every ship in Earth Force had simply been told by
the Director to just ignore the little plain looking freighter. If
they impounded the ship Paul was confident he'd get it back with
some help from above, but for every day the ship was out of action he
risked losing thousands of credits.
"What do the want from us?"
Jors asked.
Toby frowned. "They want to escort us to one of the
stations in the exclusion zone. They say a friend has offered us
passage and cleared us to use one of the docks." The young man
smiled. "Guess it beats waiting hours."
"Maybe." Paul
said. "Depends what they expect in return."
"Do you think
they want us to do something?" Jors asked. "Probably something
dangerous?"
Paul shrugged. "We don't have to say yes. Toby,
answer the signal, tell them they have our thanks and we accept the
berth. Jors, let's go deliver our shipment and see what happens
next."
The pilot flicked a few switches, powered the engines up,
and then turned the nose to follow the course the military ship had
designated.
"I'll bet you this," Jors wagged his finger.
"Fifty credits say's it involves the Dilgar and nearly getting
our butts shot off."
The Race took a leisurely course
through Mars orbit passing by scores of ships without any trouble or
a second glance from the military units choking space. The games were
more or less over in orbit with the final stages now taking place on
the planet below as troops and tanks skirted around the red sands far
below. The ships above were now mostly refuelling and rearming before
they dispersed and returned to their stations scattered across
Alliance space. Starfuries seemed to be darting back and forth
between the monolithic slabs Earth Force insisted in making its ships
look like and seemed to be maintaining their readiness by sparring
with each other. Paul noticed one squadron had adopted the now
infamous inverted 'V' the Dilgar used as their main deployment
and was being engaged by a looser formation of brightly coloured
fighters.
"Clearance confirmed." Toby said. "We have space
in bay Nine."
Jors altered course without prompting, taking the
ship towards a large ring type station surrounded on it's outer
surface with mesh cages large enough for most freighters to dock
within. Most were currently occupied by dull looking Earth Force
ships and light freighters while bigger fleet tenders that were
almost the size of the station itself hung in space close by ferrying
cargo back and forth in shuttles.
"Docking clamps ready." Jors
said as he let the flight computer make the final course
adjustments.
"Get ready for the gravity." Paul said. When they
clamped to the outer edge of the station they would benefit from it's
centripedal effects giving them simulated gravity slightly over one
G. "And this time make sure you didn't leave the coffee floating
around!"
The Race entered the cage and grabbed onto the
docking rails on the spinward side, the ship rocked a little as it
was caught in the motion and Jors shut down the engines, leaving the
ship secure. Almost as soon as they shut down engines the bay's
cranes were silently unfurling like mandibles to separate the ship
from it's cargo. The station also had to adjust itself slightly to
compensate for the extra mass now on its hull, moving the axis of its
spin slightly in the opposite direction to the Race.
"Pop
the seals on the cargo pods." Paul said and hoisted himself from
his chair, getting used to the feeling of weight on his joints again.
"Then we better get some food and see who we have to thank for
this."
He stretched and then left for the ladder that would lead
up to the docking tubes and access to the station itself.
Inside
the place was filled with Naval supply officers and crewmembers
busily shifting boxes too and fro between the loading bays and the
storage rooms. The civilian crew picked their way through the
organised chaos avoiding the main promenades and looked for a quiet
corner, sure enough someone had cleared a space for them at one of
the food stations which seemed to do so well on these orbital
facilities, often giving crews their first taste of real cooked food
in months.
The person who had cleared the table was waiting for
them, three plates full of warm food set up in preparation. None of
them were actually surprised to see the face that greeted
them.
"Morning Jenny." Paul smiled as she stood to welcome
them.
"Hi Paul, good to see you." She nodded with genuine
warmth. "Jors, Toby, good to see you all healthy. Take a seat, I
ordered you some dinner."
They sat at the table and eagerly
began to eat, Jenny joining them with an amused smile. "How's
Markab?"
"Quiet." Toby said. "The Markab don't talk to
off worlders much. Keep to themselves."
"Very Religious
people." Paul commented. "They're suspicious of outsiders, they
don't know where we fit into their beliefs."
"Seem friendly
enough to me." Jors added. "Paid well for those, what were they?
Holy stones?"
Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Holy stones?"
"Don't
even start with that." Paul shook his head. "I got no idea, each
to their own."
Toby paused between mouthfuls long enough to
talk. "Been keeping busy?"
Jenny took a moment to respond, and
Paul could see a little flicker behind her eyes before she spoke.
"It's been a long month."
"Secret agent stuff huh?" Toby
grinned. "If you told us you'd have to kill us?"
"Something
like that." It was very subtle but Paul could sense some unease in
the woman, he'd been around her enough to spot these tiny little
changes in posture and expression which she hardly ever let slip
through. He guessed her guard was down among friends.
"We were
wondering." Paul moved on. "Did you perhaps ask us here because
you had a job for us?"
She chuckled softly. "My oh so simple
ruse didn't confuse you then?"
"And does it involve the
Dilgar?"
Jenny nodded quietly. "Sort of. But don't dismiss
it before you hear me out."
At the other end of the table Toby
handed over some money to a grinning Jors.
"I'm listening."
Paul said and put his knife and fork down giving Jenny his full
attention.
"Well the bottom line is we want you to do a little
spying for us." Jenny said. "On the Dilgar."
"I don't
see how." Paul considered. "We aren't undercover agents, and
I'd guess you have plenty of your own people for that sort of
thing."
"That's right, you wouldn't have to leave your
ship." Jenny nodded. "We want you to take a couple of flyby's
in Dilgar space and gather some sensor readings on how things are in
Dilgar occupied space."
"I see." Paul nodded.
"Your
ship is a small freighter, it won't stand out and we know from long
range scans that those systems are full of civilian ships, Dilgar
ones anyway, shifting cargo for their war effort."
"I'm all
for helping mess up the Dilgar's little war." Paul answered. "But
we can't do this. The moment we went through the gate we'd be
scanned, locked and toasted by the guard ships."
"We
thought about that." Jenny continued. "And you won't be using
the gate."
"The Race is too small for it's own jump
engine." Jor's spoke up. "Even with it's upgrades it's
about a fifth the size it'd need to be."
"The Race is
yeah." Jenny said. "But you wouldn't be going in alone, you'd
have back up."
"Back up?" Paul perked up.
"A jump
capable ship." Jenny smiled. "An Earth Force cruiser run by my
people at the EIA, all professionals, all very well trained and under
the authority of a good friend of mine called Vic Chapel."
"A
cruiser!" Toby brightened up. "Now you're talking!"
"So
you're going to let us in and out of the system." Paul thought
out loud. "We check out the area because you're ship would draw
too much attention, and if we hit trouble you come in all guns
blazing?"
"That's right." Jenny nodded. "Well, there is
a catch."
"A catch?" Toby paused.
"Yeah, well the EIA
has been trying to get a Jump capable ship for it's own operations
for years. Naval intelligence has a few but we've always been
bottom of the priority list." Jenny explained. "But last month we
caught a good deal and managed to get a ship." Jenny took a breath,
working out how best to proceed. "But even with the military budget
increasing and new ships rolling out from the ship yards all the new
build ships are going to the front line fleets."
Toby and Jors
looked a little disappointed, so Paul stepped in.
"Well that
makes sense, I mean we weren't expecting you to have a Nova
we're we?"
"We weren't?" Toby seemed disappointed.
"No,
we weren't." Paul confirmed. "Or even those new Hecate's.
a Hyperion is just fine."
"Well the thing is, we didn't
get one." Jenny shrugged apologetically.
"So they gave you a
Carrier then?" Jors suggested. "That would make sense as a base
ship."
"Not a carrier." She grimaced. "In fact it should
be visible out of these windows." She pointed to the wide viewports
beside them slowly showing the starfields and Mars rotating
outside.
As one the three civilian crewers pushed up against
the glass and took a moment to orientate themselves, the spinning
motion of the station was barely noticeable inside, but for many
people looking out at the stars and planets looping around and around
could prove very queasy. Mars was visible in the near distance and a
hint of Phobos just beyond, otherwise the area was quite empty with
most of the naval vessels from the exercise deployed toward deep
space on the far side of the station. All except for one ship.
The
vessel hove silently into view, marked in the traditional blue and
pale grey, of the original Earth fleets. The paint scheme was
somewhat anachronistic, a throw back to a more optimistic time when
Earth vessels were painty and lit with dozens of running lights
gaudily exploring the space lanes. The more recent human ships had
taken a turn for the drab, with most new built ships wearing dark
grey, even the Hyperions that still carried blue colours
tended to be toned down and darker than their first generation
sisters. This ship looked dark, but the main reason for that was
apparently wear and surface pitting to the hull that hadn't been
repaired or covered over.
"You're kidding." Toby gasped.
"That's our back up?"
The ship's structure was classic
Earth Force, long, slender, blocky and with a hefty but inefficient
engine block dominating the back of the ship. It had support braces
near the bow and a modest hangar bay at the front. Paul and his
people recognized it as an Oracle class cruiser, certainly not
what they would have called a front line warship or feel particularly
happy trusting their lives to.
"Well, looks a little,"
Jors searched for the word. "Crappy."
"That thing's gotta
be fifty years old!" Toby added incredulously.
"Just over
Seventy actually." Jenny commented calmly as if it would help. "The
Delphi, one of humanity's first jump capable ships."
"Did
you raid the Earth Force Museum?" Toby snapped.
"No need, she
was still in service." The agent answered. "Earth Force has been
using these old girls as ELINT ships, taking care of ECM and combat
communications for the smaller ships that don't have the latest
sensor systems and jamming systems. One of these outfitted right can
jam an entire fleet, which is a pretty handy trick, for our purposes
far better than a stack of cannons."
"I vote guns." Toby
remained steadfast. "Solves a lot of problems."
"The Delphi
is well armed for her role." Jenny assured. "She's packing a
few surprises, or at least she will when the techs are finished with
her. For now they're upgrading her sensor package to the best
standard we can."
"No way is that thing going to make it to
League space." Toby stated with certainty. "I'm shocked it got
to Mars!"
"She's a spy ship." Paul cut in. "I'm
guessing it's a disguise, just like the modifications to my
ship?"
Jenny smiled. "Bingo. We didn't clean her up but
we've already changed her jump engines and main drives. Over the
next few months she'll be brand new inside but still look like no
threat on the outside. Just the way we like it."
"And with
your sensors you can stand off outside a system, intercept
communications, get sensor readings and the Dilgar are none the
wiser." Paul nodded. "But there must be a limit otherwise we
wouldn't be talking."
"Active sensors." Jenny confirmed.
"The only way to get accurate data from long range is to go active,
but that gives us away to any ship in the area. No spy likes having
their cover blown."
"So you use us to go in, blend in with the
other faceless freighters, the report back to your ship and scoot?"
Paul figured.
"That would be the plan." Jenny said. "And the
place would be Krish. The Dilgar hit it just recently."
"At
least we don't have to travel as far, the Dilgar are coming to us."
Paul grimaced.
"Wait," Toby looked to his Captain. "You
aren't seriously considering this!"
"Five million." Jenny
said. "My employers feel this is an important mission."
"And
I feel like I want to keep breathing!" Toby retorted. "Come on
chief, you know this never ends well!"
"You're going to back
us all the way?" Paul asked.
"To the hilt." Answered
Jenny.
"Captain!"
"You got guns on that thing?" Paul
continued.
"Some." She said. "Our best weapon will be the
jammers, and the best squadron of Fury pilots in the Force."
"And
this mission, it'll hurt the Dilgar?"
"Yes." She answered.
"Anything we learn we can use to help us prepare for the day they
show up on our border. We all know what will happen then."
"Then
you have a deal." Captain Calendar nodded. "We can be fuelled up
in four hours."
"Excellent." She smiled widely. "I'll be
ready too."
"You're coming with us?" Toby asked.
"Sure."
Jenny nodded. "I was going to travel on the Delphi, but I
was also kind of hoping my old seat on the Race was
available?"
The last time she had joined them on the bridge
of the Space Race she had been lying to them, acting like a
simple crew member rather than the EIA agent she truly was, and she
had manipulated the crew into heading towards danger shortly before
the Dilgar attacked. Her mission was to gain intelligence on the
Dilgar, and while she meant no harm to the crew the Dilgar advance
was so totally devastating they had barely survived. One of them
hadn't.
Paul would be lying if he said he didn't blame her for
that. But he blamed the Dilgar more, and after seeing first hand what
they did to people he would be happy to take the opportunity to give
T'Koth a little justice and get back at the people who killed
him.
"You familiar with our new weapon systems?" Paul
asked.
"Course I am." She smiled. "I arranged them for
you."
"Then I don't see a problem. We'll need to pick up
our special cargo pods, you know the ones."
"I remember."
She winked. "Okay, I guess I'll see in four hours, then we can
set off together. Just like old times."
"Does that include
those times when we were running for our life?" Toby chirped
in.
Jenny answered with a wide smile and a flick of her dark hair.
"See you soon guys." Then she headed through the pack of Earth
Force personnel who gave her plenty of space and more than a view
admiring glances as she made for the docking ring.
"You can
only push our luck so far Chief." Jors commented when Jenny had
vanished.
"We don't need luck with the weapons we're
packing." Paul answered flatly. "You worry too much. We can
outrun anything we can't kill."
"We can't take on the
Dilgar Navy single handed, and that rust heap out there won't help
much even if it is packed with surprises!" Toby added.
"You
don't have to come." Paul turned to them. "Stay here, I can fly
the Race alone and Jenny can cover weapons. Take a seat and
order some more food, get a room, maybe take in a game or
two!"
"Captain…" Jors began.
"I'm doing this!"
Paul hissed. "Not for the money, but because I have to do it,
somebody has to stand up to the Dilgar and if nobody else wants the
job I'll do it. Jenny too."
"Plenty of people stand up to
the Dilgar." Jors added. "They just don't stay standing for
long."
"You coming or not?" Paul demanded. "Because we're
just wasting time now!"
"Course we're coming Chief." Toby
answered a little hurt. "You just need to stop taking anything with
the Dilgar so personally."
"It is personal." Paul huffed.
"They made it personal."
"You know Captain," Jors spoke
quietly. "One day you might not come back from a mission like
this."
"Maybe, but if it hurts the Dilgar that's fine by
me."
"Pretty harsh words Chief." Toby pointed out.
"Harsh
times." Paul sighed. "But come on, with our new toys we've got
this in the bag, easy money."
Jors did smile faintly. "He's
right, even if we do get spotted we're in a great little
ship."
"The best." Toby acknowledged. "Fine, I'm in, but
if you get us all killed I'm going to haunt you forever."
"Sounds
fair." Paul chuckled. "Eat up, we've got a little job to do and
a bank account to fill."
Mitoc
Later
that day
Jha'dur was buffeted in the chair, banging her head
for the hundredth time on the headrest as the restraints dig a little
deeper into her shoulder with each bump. It was not the most
comfortable shuttle journey she had been on but her personal pilot
had argued very convincingly that while Mitoc had surrendered they
still had a standing security force with ground to air weapons. The
sight of the most hated figure in the galaxy coasting down in just a
shuttle might prove too tempting to them to resist, so instead they
were plummeting through the atmosphere at high speed to present as
fleeting a target as possible.
She held her temper and watched the
clouds rush past outside the window, four other shuttles were coming
down with her filled with Storm troopers to provide a cordon when she
landed, and until then to provide physical cover for her ship by
offering themselves as a target if the Mitoc decided to take a shot
at her. They would have to destroy all five shuttles to be sure of
killing her, and by the time the first was hit Captain An'jash had
orders to turn the nearest continent into a radioactive
wasteland.
The rocking stopped as the shuttle entered the lower
atmosphere and began to slow down, forcing Jha'dur tighter against
the seat belts as the craft fired breaking thrusters and dropped its
landing gear, then dropped the last few feet and planted itself onto
the landing zone, an open green field just outside the Mitoc capital
city.
"Good landing officer." Jha'dur said sincerely, a few
seconds error and they would have hit the ground at supersonic
speeds. "Keep the engines warm incase we need to make a rapid
exit."
The pilot nodded and brought the shuttle to standby mode,
making sure all it's systems including weapons were active. She
missed her old shuttle, one that had been stolen by Humans escaping
from Tirrith. She had been furious at first, but now considered it
wryly amusing.
The meeting place was chosen carefully, it was
far from any military facilities and the danger they represented but
close enough to the city to make sure any attempt to kill the
Warmaster could result in collateral damage to the civilian refugees
who had gathered in and around the Capital. The wide open space also
meant ambush was unlikely and gave the hundred soldiers of Jha'dur's
escort ample space to deploy and offered a nice wide field of fire
with no cover for an enemy attack.
But the main reason, the one
Jha'dur had not mentioned, was that the landing zone was on grass
not metal or manufactured concrete or asphalt. She wanted her first
step onto this world, the first step any Dilgar took, to be touching
the planet itself, not a Mitoc structure. It was illogical, and it
didn't really make a difference to the political situation but it
did make a difference to Jha'dur. She wanted this world to remain a
paradise, an untouched ecological Eden that would not be polluted by
industries of war or ravaged by internal Dilgar fighting. They had
secured plenty of worlds which could become factories and forges once
their native inhabitants were relocated, preferably to the afterlife,
and this planet could be kept untouched.
The simple fact was they
were going to be lucky to save a quarter of the Dilgar population, a
third at most, which while tragic did mean that this world wasn't
going to suffer from over population like Omelos did. The best and
brightest of the race would come here, a brave new world at the heart
of a safe and secure Empire created by the Warmasters. Well, the
three or four of them who actually knew how to fight a war anyway.
Beside herself, her brother and the Supreme Warmaster the only other
leader Jha'dur trusted was Warmaster Dar'sen who was currently
commanding the only decent fleet on the Drazi front. He was twice
Jha'dur's age but an old friend of Gar'shan and had embraced
the young woman's radical shake up of the Dilgar Navy, something a
lot of people still opposed. He was an ally in an increasingly
polarized council.
The boarding tamp dropped open, digging
into the soft ground below and letting pure sunshine into the
shuttle. She paused at the threshold and rejoiced in the gentle
warmth of that light as it fell upon her and took a breath of the
clean air. After so long on a ship any planet fall tended to be
special, but this more than others. She already felt like this was
home. She noticed a delegation of leaders stood a respectful distance
away waiting for her, but did not rush to join them. She wasn't
going to cut short this moment for anything.
Slowly she stepped
off the ramp and onto the grass, feeling the ground shift a little
beneath her weight. She had actually considered doing this bare foot
before the military leader inside told her to remember her place. She
took a few steps forward, pleased that her boots made nothing more
than muffled thuds as she moved as opposed to the more familiar clank
made on the metal deck plates of her ship. She took the full
experience in, gathered herself, and then waved her guards
out.
Jha'dur had been very specific about being the first Dilgar
on the planet, and while her body guards did not like the idea they
did not push the issue and simply waited in the shuttle. With the
signal given the four Spectres marched out in plain view wearing
simple black uniforms and cradling their long rifles in their arms.
At the same moment four other Spectres hidden beneath their black
light stealth suits also filed out and moved quickly to dispersed
positions and activated their sniper rifles, watching for threats.
The remaining shuttles then dropped their ramps and disembarked
twentyfive officers and soldiers each all in ceremonial uniforms.
Despite the rich green cloth and highly polished belts and boots
these were well trained and well armed soldiers and they kept a
cautious watch on the perimeter and the Mitoc delegation.
Jha'dur
went to meet them, again rather pleased by the feel of the grass
under her boots. The delegation included the Mitoc Regent and senior
government and Military officers, about a dozen in all who started
walking forward to meet her half way. They were dressed in
restrictive clothing which amused Jha'dur somewhat, it was some
strange cosmic joke that all races tended to make their formal wear
as uncomfortable as it was ostentatious.
Of course she couldn't
make any comment, she was also wrapped in a uniform which cost as
much as a small house. It had the familiar dark blue colour of the
fleet division with red facings, along with the pale blue fronting
used on officers dress uniforms. In addition to the gold braid and
heavily gilded epaulettes she also carried her ceremonial sword and
side arm, gold plated, jewel encrusted but still fully functional.
She had left her last sword on Rohric as a mark of respect for one of
the planets savages, a chieftain of his people. She had considered
the term savage to be inappropriate, and paid her respects to his
attempt to eject the Dilgar from his homelands, doomed as it was.
She
rather enjoyed wearing dress uniform, and as a Warmaster often found
herself having to do so. The standard duty uniform for a fleet
officer was a simple dark blue tunic with fabric badges of rank and
division for most personnel, with metal badges only worn on special
occasions or for special reasons. Jha'dur on the other hand tended
to wear full regalia whenever she could, she found it worked to
announce her authority far better than words could, which then meant
she didn't have to waste effort imposing herself on subordinates
and could concentrate on winning wars. It also naturally enough had
the effect of intimidating opponents, which she was working on right
now.
"Warmaster Jha'dur." The leading Mitoc bowed. He
was a normal looking humanoid about six inches shorter than the
Warmaster. As a rule the Mitoc were a fairly small race and stood
below the average height of most other sentient species, shorter even
than Drazi. He wore a Brown coat of glimmering material which
certainly seemed to fit his station, it must have cost a fortune. "I
am Regent Kerra."
"Regent." Jha'dur nodded. "Your world
is unanimous in support of your decision?"
"It is." He
stated. "Mitoc hereby surrenders unconditionally to the Dilgar
Imperium."
She grinned widely. "And I accept."
Jha'dur
had managed to stage a clever political game, by putting herself on
Mitoc and taking the surrender she had put herself at the head of the
Imperium, at least that is how she expected the Media to see it. The
Mitoc had surrender to her in person and singularly, there were no
other Dilgar leaders with her and she stood alone on this alien world
and had them bowing to her. Legally it meant nothing, but politically
it would help strengthen her position in the council and give her a
lot of authority. Already the Media loved her, she won battles and
gave her people glory which kept the public happy and distracted them
from the crippling taxes and massive pollution gripping Omelos
necessary to feed the war effort. People associated her with victory
and now they saw beaten leaders bowing to her alone. With public
support like that it would make her ascension to Supreme Warmaster
that much easier despite Warmaster Len'char's own vain ambitions.
The head of Intelligence also coveted leadership of the Imperium and
had made subtle efforts to sabotage Jha'dur's success to help
him, but she was too wily to fall for his rather clumsy political
moves and counter moves.
The delegation bowed to her again,
she could sense they were scared of her and uncertain what would
happen next. Her plans for Mitoc were naturally top secret and no one
outside the Council knew of them.
"You may rise." She
commanded. "You may also continue to serve in your current roles.
You know this world and people better than my staff, therefore you
will lead them, keep them in line and carry out the wishes of the
Imperium. I will appoint a Planetary governor to oversee the
development of this world into something that services the Dilgar and
you will do all in your power to help. In return you may live and
continue with your existence under our leadership."
Regent Kerra
nodded in agreement.
"Also I understand you have a palace in
this city?"
"Yes Warmaster."
"I will be requiring it, I
have guests arriving and need an appropriate venue for them. Arrange
for a meeting hall to be prepared with tables and chairs then vacate
all staff from the building. That will be all."
He bowed. "It
will be so."
"Good." She dismissed him. "This is
concluded, make the arrangements. In future you will liase with the
Governor."
She turned and headed back to the shuttle, turning to
one of her Spectres.
"What did we bring to eat?"
Regent's
Palace
Dilgar occupied Mitoc.
Jha'dur's guests were
more eminent than the Mitoc leadership had expected. The task force
arrived in orbit the following day, a group of Dreadnoughts backed up
by a large number of powerful escorts and fighter squadrons fresh
from Omelos. On board those ships were four of the nine members of
the Warmaster Council, coming up to five when Jha'dur was included,
and led in person by the Supreme Warmaster Gar'shan. It had been a
while since he had travelled this far and while still only in his
sixties he had the frailty of a man in extreme old age. The stresses
of the office often killed Supreme Warmasters early and a disturbing
number died in office, and usually not of natural causes. Gar'shan's
mind however remained sharp and he was a skilled political mover. He
was also a former head of Intelligence with a much better record than
his successor and the old leader was still more than capable of
keeping his people on their path.
The series of armed shuttles
landed in the courtyard under heavy fighter escort and were met by
hundreds of pristinely uniformed soldiers lining the way into the
Palace itself. The grounds were heavily fortified with anti infantry,
anti tank and anti aircraft weaponry while Jha'dur's fleet was
holding station in the system in case of a general attack by some
disaffected League power. It was as safe as she could make it, and
while she wouldn't care if most of the council did die she wouldn't
want it to happen on her watch.
As the ramps to the shuttles
dropped down the local commander shouted at his troops to stand to
and present a general salute. The sound of boots stamping and energy
rifles being hoisted was like thunder ringing out across the
courtyard sending a shiver through Jha'dur's spine as she marched
down the central path between the serried ranks. Somewhere behind the
infantry formations a military band struck up the planetary anthem
and waited for the Supreme Warmaster to make his entrance.
It
took a few minutes longer than expected, but before long Gar'shan
came striding out of his shuttle with a huge grin on his face. The
old soldier moved with precise steps keeping his back as rigid as a
veteran should. His blue uniform was even more heavily decorated than
Jha'dur's and his ceremonial weapons shone in the light. As his
foot left the ramp and touched the ground properly a signal was given
and seconds later two wings of fighters roared past overhead paying
respect to the father of the Imperium.
He came to a stop before
Jha'dur and she offered him a crisp salute which he returned
perfectly.
"Supreme Warmaster." She smiled. "On behalf of
First Strike Fleet I present this planet to you."
He suppressed
a chuckle, Jha'dur had phrased that very carefully. She wasn't
giving the planet to the government and the council in general, put
to Gar'shan personally. It was a subtle reminder of where her true
loyalties lay and one the older Warmaster was grateful for.
"I
accept this gift and news of your victory." He bowed his head. From
behind him the other Warmasters approached having left their shuttles
after Gar'shan had made planetfall. They may be trying to weaken
him as Supreme Warmaster but they still had enough fear of him to
observe protocol and let him lead them in public at least.
"Welcome
to Mitoc." Jha'dur addressed them simply. "I have prepared a
room for us to convene in and spacious quarters for each of
you."
"Lead on Warmaster." Gar'shan spoke. "I trust you
have laid on some refreshments?"
"Of course." She bowed. "If
you would all care to follow me."
She turned on her heel and
marched them between the honour guards and into the palace itself,
all the time under the watchful guard of her elite Spectres. While
technically the Spectres were a part of the Dilgar military hierarchy
and would take orders from any senior officer, the truth was that
their loyalties lay first and foremost with Jha'dur. They were her
little pet project and the other Warmasters looked on them with
suspicion.
"I am pleased you secured this place intact."
Gar'shan looked around the vast hall. "It would have been a shame
to destroy it outright."
They left the courtyard behind and
entered the now deserted building, only a small security presence
stalked the edges of the room giving the leaders some privacy to
discuss matters of state.
"It is alien architecture." A snort
came from the group. Jha'dur suppressed her initial reaction to
draw her sidearm and simply stood silent as her rival Warmaster
Len'char regarded the room distastefully. "It deserves to be
levelled."
"I am glad it wasn't." Gar'shan continued
looking at the ornate carvings and reliefs of the wide walls. "You
can learn much by the study of others and the creations they chose to
represent their desires, thoughts and hopes." He looked to his
student. "Don't you agree Jha'dur?"
"Completely Supreme
Warmaster." She nodded, having learned that lesson from Gar'shan
long ago.
Len'char grunted as if that answer was inevitable.
"You would glorify the work of inferior races?"
"Not
glorify, simply understand." Jha'dur replied. "You should try
it sometime, knowing your enemy is the key to victory."
He
locked her with a hard stare. "I know exactly who my enemies are,
and where they stand."
She smiled in response to the underlying
implication in his words. "Well, there's a first time for
everything."
"Enough." Gar'shan demanded. "You are
officers of the Imperium and we are at war with the League, not each
other. Save your differences for when we are victorious."
They
both snapped salutes, Jha'dur's a world better than Len'char's
sullen attempt. The head of intelligence had been an officer much
longer than she had, but somewhere along the line he had recognized
that Jha'dur was simply better at it than he was, and he had never
forgiven her.
"Warmaster Jha'dur, you will escort me to my
chambers." Gar'shan ordered. "Everyone else can find their own
way. Perhaps you will learn something as you walk the halls of this
building." He laughed slightly. "Perhaps not. We convene in two
hours."
The small group watched them walk away, waiting until
they were sure they were out of ear shot.
"She already thinks
she is in charge of us." Len'char snarled.
"The public
loves her." One of the others mentioned. "It is hard to discredit
her when she keeps winning battles."
"There are ways and
means." Len'char answered. "Nobody is that lucky, she will make
a mistake." He smiled thinly. "I'll make sure of it."
Jha'dur
walked quietly with Gar'shan to his room, the former Regent's
quarters, and stepped inside closing the door behind. Almost as soon
as it clicked shut Gar'shan let out a huge sigh and visible
drooped, seeming to shrink before Jha'dur's eyes. He quickly took
off his belt and the heavy gilded jacket before slumping down into a
rich but small chair.
Jha'dur sat herself opposite him with a
look of concern on her face. "How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted."
He replied. "Every day is like this, it is an effort simply to
stand."
"You seemed fine outside."
"I cannot show
weakness before the other Warmasters." He said sternly. "And
certainly not before our people in general. The strong lead, and I
must remain strong at the outside."
Her brows knitted together
with worry as she observed her mentor. "Is your physician following
my instructions?"
"He is." Gar'shan nodded. "Every
morning I take that foul tasting cocktail you invented."
She
flickered a smile. "It is good for you, it should be building up
your fortitude." She frowned. "Perhaps he is mixing it
wrong."
"My doctor is doing all he can." The old man waved.
"But there are limits, and I feel I am approaching mine."
The
Warmaster shook her head. "Not while I live and breath. I promise
you that."
Gar'shan smiled, a rare moment of warmth from the
man who's words had sent billions to death. "You can try and hide
it, but you are still an idealist."
She blinked, actually
surprised. It was not a familiar feeling for her. "An Idealist?"
she grinned. "I thought I cautioned against too much alcohol?"
The
older man returned the smile. "You are an idealist Jha'dur, you
see the world as you think it should be. Not how it is. It has given
you the vision and the will to do the impossible, but some things
will always be beyond you." He closed his eyes slightly. "And the
death of those closest to you is one of them."
For a long time
she said nothing, the silence hanging there in the room like mist.
"What if that wasn't the case?"
Gar'shan frowned. "It
can't happen."
"You know about my work, my final
goal."
"Immortality in a drug?" Gar'shan offered. "It is
a great challenge, and if anyone could do it I am sure it would be
you. But it is impossible."
"Somebody once said winning a war
on two fronts was impossible." Jha'dur replied. "Your
predecessor. I remember you arranged for his early departure, and now
we are fighting ten separate Empires and winning." She smiled
intensely. "impossible is a word, an idea of the weak to console
themselves in their inferiority. To our race nothing is beyond our
grasp, and I will prove it."
"Perhaps you are right." He
nodded slowly. "But I wanted to talk about humans."
Jha'dur
had expected this. Her plan to gather intelligence on Earth was still
unknown to the council at large, only she, her brother and Gar'shan
were aware of the mission and what it had yielded.
"Spectre
Dar'ro has successfully infiltrated the highest level of Earth
government with the aide of his contact."
"Who is this contact
by the way?" Gar'shan asked. "He came from the Narn did he
not?"
"Correct." Jha'dur nodded. "He has kept his
identity secret of course, but he reports in on time and uses the
proper protocols. His last message came a few hours ago, just a
standard report."
"I have been reviewing the data you sent
me." The old Warmaster seemed more energetic now he was talking
business. "These people have a violent history."
"Almost as
violent as ours." Jha'dur said. "A race forged in battle, they
are new to the stars but that counts for nothing."
"Len'char
dismisses them as primitive."
She scoffed. "Certain proof they
should be taken seriously!"
Gar'shan nodded. "What does your
agent say?"
"He has nearly been killed three times already,
against a Spectre of his skill that is remarkable." Jha'dur said
with no boastfulness, just plain fact. "They are smart, they plan
well and they are patient enough to set traps. An unhealthy
combination."
"And their military?"
"Better than
anything we've faced yet in terms of training. Based on the
performance of the cruiser at Tirrith I'd be concerned by
them."
"Concerned enough to try and make peace with
them?"
"Absolutely." Jha'dur said without hesitation.
"They are at least as dangerous as the Narn, in my estimation more
so."
"Good." He nodded. "I agree and have set in motion a
plan to handle them."
"Plan?"
"We will make a treaty
with Earth." Gar'shan said. "One designed to keep them quiet
while we tear apart the League and consolidate our
position."
Finally it seemed somebody had taken notice to
one of her political suggestions. "It is a great weight off my
mind." Jha'dur said honestly. "We should stay well away from
the humans."
"Two things swayed my mind." Gar'shan said.
"The first was the broadcast you sent me."
"ISN?"
"Yes,
their news channel." The Supreme Warmaster agreed producing a data
crystal. "Would you mind?"
She took the crystal while the man
remained seated and activated the nearest screen. It glowed to life
and began to play a news report showing a human female talking about
disruption caused by military exercises at Mars.
"Do you know
any race that trains in such a way?" Gar'shan asked rhetorically.
"Would the League spend so much money on just practice? Would the
Cetauri risk putting so many ships in one place in case house rivalry
sparked a civil war? These humans take the business of war
seriously."
His protégé nodded. "My thoughts exactly
sir."
The report showed footage of the fleets in action, moving
and deploying against each other in mock battle before switching to
images of landing ships hitting the surface of Mars and deploying
troops and armour.
"As you say, they are well trained."
Gar'shan continued. "And well equipped."
"I have argued
for years to get us a vehicle designed purely for vehicle to vehicle
combat." Jha'dur said as human tanks tore across the red desert.
"Our current combined transports and fighting vehicles are a waste
of potential."
"I agree, but getting the appropriations
committee to spend money on a new project is almost impossible with
the Advanced Cruiser programme taking a slice of the budget."
"The
what?" Jha'dur frowned.
"I'll tell you later, but I want
you first to tell me what is missing from this footage." Gar'shan
slipped into his teaching voice, something very familiar to Jha'dur.
"Watch closely my student."
She followed his gaze back to the
screen, watching as the footage showed the Earth warships practicing
their formation flying against each other. She smiled when she saw
the pattern, it was what had prompted her to bring it to Gar'shan's
attention in the first place.
"The fleet on the far side of the
screen are using Pentacan formations." She pointed. "Clearly
gleaned from analysis of our battles, probably from the Persephone
data recorder."
"Good." Gar'shan nodded.
"Implications?"
"They are training their navy to fight us."
Jha'dur answered.
"Very good, so what is missing?"
She
had to look a bit more closely this time. "There is no evidence of
how they intend to defeat us." She considered. "We can see the
force in Pentacan formation, but not the formations adopted by the
opposing human fleet."
"Excellent my young lady!" Gar'shan
chuckled. "So we cannot make a contingency plan ourselves to
counter whatever the humans are planning. Look deeper, what else is
missing?"
She smiled wide as she saw it. "No Dreadnoughts. Or
new model Starfuries for that matter."
"You do me proud
Jha'dur." Gar'shan complimented. "The Humans want to make
sure we don't see their best units during the exercise to keep
their true abilities hidden from us. I suspect this whole broadcast
was for our benefit, you and I in particular Jha'dur."
"A
warning." She said. "They know how we fight and are ready to meet
us, but they hide their capabilities to keep us guessing."
"I'm
beginning to like this race." Gar'shan allowed. "Of course
their response could be weak and ineffectual despite this practice,
or it could be crushingly effective."
"On evidence I'd say
the latter."
"I would agree." Gar'shan confirmed. "This
broadcast was put together by the military, at least the visual parts
of the report. I had imagined the Centauri would be the greatest test
of our people when we eventually move on them. Perhaps I was
wrong."
"I firmly belief we will triumph." Jha'dur said.
"But not until after the League is crushed and we have moved our
people to a new world, hopefully this one."
"I agree, and for
once so does the council. It will be at least ten years after our sun
is ruined that we can consider a new war."
That eased Jha'dur's
mind slightly. "You mentioned two reasons for the treaty?"
"Yes,
it occurred to me while reading some of the historical information
you acquired." Gar'shan began. "Humans fight for much the same
reasons we do, territory, resources, power struggles, the things that
make worlds spin. But sometimes they fight for other reasons. For
ideals, for religion, for moral reasons."
"With respect,
nobody goes to war for morals. Not even the Markab." Jha'dur
stated.
"Wars start for many reasons, most of them tangible."
Gar'shan agreed. "But while a government may fight for it's own
reasons, the actual warriors are motivated by more than greed. They
are idealist's Jha'dur, just like you. And if that idealism makes
you dangerous, what would a planet full of idealists do?"
"Normally
it would make them easier to kill, like the Abbai." She replied.
"But an idealist with the control and skill to fight to achieve
that perfect world? I wouldn't like to face them."
"Nor
would I, so we talk." Gar'shan nodded. "The delegation will
leave from here in a week."
Jha'dur nodded. "I stand ready
to serve."
"You will not be going."
She blinked once
and stared at her superior in total surprise. "What do you
mean?"
"I need you to lead the fleet into Cascor space,
victory there is crucial for our war effort."
"I know more
about humans than any other leader, with respect I am the best choice
for this mission."
"I need you in the battle." Gar'shan
said sternly. "Despite general opinion the Cascor will be a great
challenge, unlike the rest of the League they are both competent and
aggressive. I need my best commander there to react to changing
circumstances and guarantee victory. This is crucial Jha'dur, you
know it is."
He was right of course, and for the Dilgar as a
race they had to quickly win the war close to home before looking
towards the far flung Earth Alliance. "Who will you send?"
"The
council has made the decision for me." He sighed." Len'char
will lead."
"That is ridiculous!" Jha'dur snapped. "You
need someone who understands humans! Not the thick headed
corpse!"
"Which is why I appointed a second representative to
go with him, someone we can trust." Gar'shan said. "You're
brother."
Jha'dur found that raised a mix of emotions, while
she appreciated the wise choice and knew he would perform the task
well, she was concerned at sending him into the heart of a race she
had just named as the Dilgar's most worthy adversary.
"This
troubles you?" Gar'shan asked.
"No." she answered quickly.
"No, Sha'dur can take care of himself. He will fulfil the
mission."
"He will, and don't worry." The Supreme
Warmaster said calmly. "The humans won't fire on a diplomatic
mission, it would be inappropriate."
"Yes sir."
Gar'shan
leaned forward a little and his face lightened. "I hear my son has
been causing trouble."
Jha'dur smiled and looked down. "You
could say that."
"Why don't you tell me how he is doing, I
imagine he is eager to take on the Cascan defence fighters."
For
a while there was no war and no plans for devastation, just two
people discussing things that were dear to them.
