- CHAPTER 48 -
- The Octagon, Terra, Sol System -
The now sole ruling body of the Terran Empire sat deep beneath Terra's surface, luxuriating in a massage delivered by scantily clad alien slaves. They weren't his usual ones, for these were attached to the Octagon, drawn from the communal pool that all high ranking personnel in the Octagon used. Having a permanent stable of slaves on hand prevented any form of security breach, because the Terran Empire controlled all forms of communication and transportation into and out of the base. Jack had to admit that though they weren't up to his personal slaves' capabilities, they weren't half-bad either.
Everything was proceeding as planned. Many high-ranking Starfleet personnel in Sector One had been executed. Jack had particularly enjoyed seeing the look on Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's face when he had been accused of treason to the Empire. While an excellent combat commander, Jean-Luc had been far too showy in his desire to join the Council. That kind of ambition was just the kind of thing Jack was trying to weed out of Starfleet's upper echelons. Killing off such individuals had the added bonus of clearing the way for officers that owed their position to Jack Chambers. People like newly minted Admiral Thomas Riker. While Riker may not be near as good of a combat officer as Picard was, he was malleable and followed orders. That made him an asset to the new regime instead of a liability. He took command of the Enterprise's Flag Bridge from Picard while the now Captain Lore took command of the Enterprise's Main Bridge. While the Android's thoughts and motivations were a bit of an unknown entity, he had served the Empire with distinction. As long as he continued to do so and followed Jack's orders, things would be fine for him. Fleet Admiral Nechayev, sadistic CO that she was, had also been executed, and over 100 other Flag officers joined her over the last few weeks since the terrorist attack on Terra. The few original ones that remained were to terrified to try anything to remove him from power. The younger officers were to confused to organize any resistance of their own. Starfleet had always been firmly loyal to the Terran Empire. To have so many of their CO's executed for treason was as shock they wouldn't soon forget. Glancing at the clock, Jack rolled over and swung his feet off of the massage table and onto the floor. It was time to make a little call.
"Leave, I am finished with you for now." The slaves gathered up their oils and backed bowing out of the room. Once they were gone, leaving Jack alone except for the Fury pair in the adjacent room and his new security detail in the hall, he turned towards a briefcase sized com unit. Plugging it into the appropriate jack in the wall, the outgoing communication channels were open to him. The unit used the latest Section 31 scrambling devices, and was only able to talk to another such device as itself. Section itself didn't have any current device to crack through the scramble, so Jack felt secure in using it, even here where all com traffic was intently monitored. He punched in his access code, and the computer read his DNA profile and retina print, ensuring that the code and user matched. It then sent out a priority signal, usurping all other signals that might be ahead of it in subspace com access. The signal was steered to a specific volume of space. It was the prearranged spot where Jack could contact Peter at that time if he needed to. After a few minutes, the terminal went from the standby logo to show the smiling face of Peter O'tole.
"Well, well. Mr. Chambers, what an unexpected surprise. Everything is going as planned on your end. At least that's what my spy's have been telling me. Very well done. So what do I owe the privilege of your call?"
"You damn well know why. My fool daughter is still in your pawns' custody. I am here to demand her immediate release like we agreed to when you first said that she had been captured."
"Fine, as a gesture of good will, I shall have her released immediately. She will be on a Orion destroyer within minutes and back on her way to you."
"See that she is." And with that, Jack terminated the call.
- Orion Dreadnought Godfather, Under cloak in deep space near the former Mirak/Lyran border -
"What should we do Don O'tole?" One of Peter's underlings asked. He was on the other side of the briefcase sized com terminal and thus wasn't in the camera's view when the call came in. Peter, thought about it for a few moments.
"I am sorely tempted to have her executed, or even to keep her alive as an asset in any negotiations that are going to take place after this is done. But her father has served our purpose well, and I just can't bring myself to break my word to him. Take her back to her father. He is about to have a few merchant vessels worth of unexpected bad news dropped in his lap. His reaction to it is going to be bad enough, there is no sense bringing family into the mix. This is business, nothing personal. I don't want that to change for the time being. Understood?"
"Perfectly Don O'tole. I shall make the necessary arrangements to have the young Dorothy Chambers released immediately." Then Peter's underling bowed deeply, turned and left the relatively Spartan quarters of the Orion Cartel's most powerful criminal. Once he was gone, a small smile played at the corner of his lips. The game he was playing with Jack Chambers might be business, but it was fun to turn the tigers tail and get away with it. The Terran Empire, the most powerful force in the universe, the fountain head of the force that had gone on to dominate close to three quarters of the galaxy, was about to be brought down by a crime family. It was a classic David vs. Goliath story, and like all the others, Goliath felt that it would win easily. News should be reaching Terra shortly about the attacks the Grand Alliance was making, and what Peter wouldn't give to see Jack's face when the news hit home. Peter smile turned to a hearty laugh.
Jack had been swayed to help Peter O'tole, like Greg Betare had been, by the lure of absolute power over the galaxy's most powerful force. Yet neither knew that they were BOTH being used for the Cartel's gain. Once the Terran Empire was wiped out, the Orion Cartel would be there to pick up the shattered pieces. The Ferengi were right, war IS good for business. And this war had been orchestrated from the outset to benefit the Orion Cartel above all others. The other pawns, like Jack and Greg and the Grand Alliance only saw what Peter wanted them to see. As a result, all sides had jumped at the dangled bait, rarely searching for the whys of the Cartel's aid, their greed and revenge acting as blinders. All exactly like Peter O'tole had predicted they would. The other, nearly extinct crime families had balked at first, but approaching them was merely a courtesy. They lacked the power to do anything anyway, and once they to saw how much they stood to gain, they jumped on board nearly as fast as the Grand Alliance members did. Peter looked over the reports on his desk. The initial attacks were nearly completed, with each planet recovered intact. Even now, some of the fleets were striking out to nearby systems, expanding the borders of their newly acquired space. There had been some losses, but they were more than made up for by the "acquisition" of Imperial warships and stations. After a few hours had passed, more than enough time to subdue their crews, the effects of the Breen Energy Dampening weapon ceased, and all systems on the now Grand Alliance stations and vessels went back up to full readiness. It was a truly ingenious weapon, and nothing would stop the Grand Alliance's fleets short of Terra.
- The Octagon, Terra, Sol System, That same time -
The com terminal went dead as Jack killed the channel. After the few light attacks by the conquered races were dealt with, Mr. Peter O'tole would have to be dealt with. He needed to be taught the proper respect for the most powerful man in the known galaxy, even if he had been partially responsible for allowing Jack to become that man. His desk terminal beeped for his attention.
"Council Member Chambers here."
"Councilman, this is Ops. We have a report here that I think you need to see immediately." The Commodore seated in Ops looked terrified. So it begins Jack thought. A few attacks by minor fleets, easily crushed by Starfleet counterattacks. Just enough to cause light panic in the populace and cement in my position as leader of the Empire.
"Put it up." The com screen switched to a recording. The ship's bridge looked like an Akira classes, but it was hard to tell with all of the smoke billowing around. Engineering teams were making frantic repairs to battle damage in the shot's background.
"This is the ISS Agamemnon, Commodore Gilles Leblanc commanding, to any Imperial vessel! We have been attacked by a massive enemy fleet in Sector 10. They appeared to be made up of mostly Klingon units but there were Gorn, Mirak, Lyran, Romulan, Breen and Cardassian signatures present as well. There were even a handful of Ferengi Marauders there. Be advised that there were many new ship designs present for all factions. Fleet size as of our withdrawal is as follows: 1 Monitor. 50 Super Dreadnoughts, 600 Battleships, 1,000 Battlecruisers, 3,000 Heavy Cruisers and 10,000 Destroyers and Frigates."
Peter blinked in astonishment. That was no light fleet. They had enough ships there to take and hold all of the Klingon Empire's former territory for a long time. This was all wrong. It had to be a mistake. IT HAD TO!
"Current estimates," the harried Commodore in the soot streaked white and gold uniform continued, "are that close to ¼ of 10th Fleet and 1/5 the orbital defenses of Qo'noS were captured intact."
Jack gasped. How in the HELL did that HAPPEN?!? With their mobile units alone this enemy fleet was dangerous enough. With that much deep space infrastructure and captured vessels, getting Qo'noS back under Imperial control was going to prove very costly. It might even prove necessary to Cleanse Qo'noS to prevent grievously unnecessary casualties that Starfleet couldn't afford right now. Fleet strengths were still being built back up to pre Imperial/Borg War levels. Jack's eyes narrowed. Just what was that back stabbing bastard O'tole up to? He had promised to deliver a credible threat, not a FUCKING invasion fleet! The message continued as Jack's thoughts whirled a mile a minute.
"The enemy fleet also employed a new weapon that disables all ship and station systems upon contact regardless of intact shielding and armor."
"Oh my God." Things went from bad to worse when Jack thought they couldn't go any lower.
"I am forwarding all data currently gathered on the weapons system along with my report. The remnants of 10th Fleet under my command are proceeding to Starbase 138 at maximum warp, but there are already signs that we are being pursued by most of the enemy fleet. As it stands, we are of insufficient number to hold them at Starbase 138. Unless we are strongly reinforced, we shall fall back again to Starbase 125. We require as many vessels as possible to meet us at either Starbase 138 or 125. All available units need to proceed there immediately for rendezvous. Agamemnon out."
"That's the extent of it sir. Shortly thereafter, the signal was jammed again."
"I'm on my way to Ops. I shall be there directly." Jack said in a curt voice.
"Understood sir." The Commodore gulped as Jack closed the connection.
Jack dressed quickly, the cowled robe slipping over him without much bother. He strode towards the suite's exit, with Frank and Victoria entering from the other room of the suite to walk a step behind and on either side of him. You didn't have to have a Furies' empathic and telepathic abilities to tell Jack was furious. That was strange in and of itself, because Jack only showed what he wanted others to see. The Fury pair wondered what could get the supreme overlord of the Terran Empire so flustered as to show what he was truly feeling. By the time the short trip to Ops was done though, he had regained his composure and his customary mask was back in place. Ops was in sheer bedlam, with officers and enlisted personnel scurrying about, and orders being shouted from across the room.
"Sir!" The Commodore shouted to Jack in order to be heard over the din, and there was a note of panic in it. "We have just received communiqués similar to the one you saw from Sectors 4 through 9 and 11 through 25. All major sectors were hit with overwhelming superiority in numbers and all encountered the same new weapons system. Qo'noS, Cardassia Prime, Romulus, Lyra, Mir, Gornus, Breen Prime. hell even Ferenginar has been overrun. Losses in occupied systems containing fleet units and defensive installations are estimated at close to ¼ captured, 1/5 destroyed. I have already dispatched a galaxy wide alert, bringing all operational units and installations to full battle readiness. Many of the enemy fleet's are already expanding their defensive perimeters, taking out nearby system pickets and lightly defended secondary and tertiary bases. All leaves have been canceled and all repairs that can be done in space are being rotated out of the shipyards so that we can thicken our lines.
"Just the same, with the forces we can field immediately, we are only slightly above parity numbers wise with the combined enemy fleets. We can bring in some fleets from the frontiers, but they will take a few days to get here. By then it could be a moot point. At their current rate of advance, we estimate that they will be in striking range of Sol in two days. With their new weapons system, they can take out any ship or station in their path with one shot." The Commodore braced himself for the worst that was yet to come. But Jack Chambers needed to know the cold hard truth, despite what it might mean for his life expectancy. "Unless we can find a counter to it sir, the Empire WILL fall in three days."
Jack had known that intellectually, but the Commodore spelling it out for him caused the rest of his body to actually believe it. Terror coursed through his body.
"Is there nothing to be done?!" He pleaded, and a small part of him was relieved that he hadn't grabbed the front of the Commodore's uniform and shaken him as he demanded an answer.
"I don't know sir. R&D is working with all available data as we speak, but there just isn't enough to come up with anything more than a basic rudimentary idea of how the weapon works, let alone how to counter it. We may get lucky, but it's a long shot right now."
Jack stumbled over to the vacant command chair, falling down into it before his legs gave out completely and he dropped to the floor in an unceremonious heap. "Dear God. what have I unleashed on the galaxy?!?" He whispered hoarsely, his words lost in the cacophony of Ops
- The Octagon, Terra, Sol System -
The now sole ruling body of the Terran Empire sat deep beneath Terra's surface, luxuriating in a massage delivered by scantily clad alien slaves. They weren't his usual ones, for these were attached to the Octagon, drawn from the communal pool that all high ranking personnel in the Octagon used. Having a permanent stable of slaves on hand prevented any form of security breach, because the Terran Empire controlled all forms of communication and transportation into and out of the base. Jack had to admit that though they weren't up to his personal slaves' capabilities, they weren't half-bad either.
Everything was proceeding as planned. Many high-ranking Starfleet personnel in Sector One had been executed. Jack had particularly enjoyed seeing the look on Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's face when he had been accused of treason to the Empire. While an excellent combat commander, Jean-Luc had been far too showy in his desire to join the Council. That kind of ambition was just the kind of thing Jack was trying to weed out of Starfleet's upper echelons. Killing off such individuals had the added bonus of clearing the way for officers that owed their position to Jack Chambers. People like newly minted Admiral Thomas Riker. While Riker may not be near as good of a combat officer as Picard was, he was malleable and followed orders. That made him an asset to the new regime instead of a liability. He took command of the Enterprise's Flag Bridge from Picard while the now Captain Lore took command of the Enterprise's Main Bridge. While the Android's thoughts and motivations were a bit of an unknown entity, he had served the Empire with distinction. As long as he continued to do so and followed Jack's orders, things would be fine for him. Fleet Admiral Nechayev, sadistic CO that she was, had also been executed, and over 100 other Flag officers joined her over the last few weeks since the terrorist attack on Terra. The few original ones that remained were to terrified to try anything to remove him from power. The younger officers were to confused to organize any resistance of their own. Starfleet had always been firmly loyal to the Terran Empire. To have so many of their CO's executed for treason was as shock they wouldn't soon forget. Glancing at the clock, Jack rolled over and swung his feet off of the massage table and onto the floor. It was time to make a little call.
"Leave, I am finished with you for now." The slaves gathered up their oils and backed bowing out of the room. Once they were gone, leaving Jack alone except for the Fury pair in the adjacent room and his new security detail in the hall, he turned towards a briefcase sized com unit. Plugging it into the appropriate jack in the wall, the outgoing communication channels were open to him. The unit used the latest Section 31 scrambling devices, and was only able to talk to another such device as itself. Section itself didn't have any current device to crack through the scramble, so Jack felt secure in using it, even here where all com traffic was intently monitored. He punched in his access code, and the computer read his DNA profile and retina print, ensuring that the code and user matched. It then sent out a priority signal, usurping all other signals that might be ahead of it in subspace com access. The signal was steered to a specific volume of space. It was the prearranged spot where Jack could contact Peter at that time if he needed to. After a few minutes, the terminal went from the standby logo to show the smiling face of Peter O'tole.
"Well, well. Mr. Chambers, what an unexpected surprise. Everything is going as planned on your end. At least that's what my spy's have been telling me. Very well done. So what do I owe the privilege of your call?"
"You damn well know why. My fool daughter is still in your pawns' custody. I am here to demand her immediate release like we agreed to when you first said that she had been captured."
"Fine, as a gesture of good will, I shall have her released immediately. She will be on a Orion destroyer within minutes and back on her way to you."
"See that she is." And with that, Jack terminated the call.
- Orion Dreadnought Godfather, Under cloak in deep space near the former Mirak/Lyran border -
"What should we do Don O'tole?" One of Peter's underlings asked. He was on the other side of the briefcase sized com terminal and thus wasn't in the camera's view when the call came in. Peter, thought about it for a few moments.
"I am sorely tempted to have her executed, or even to keep her alive as an asset in any negotiations that are going to take place after this is done. But her father has served our purpose well, and I just can't bring myself to break my word to him. Take her back to her father. He is about to have a few merchant vessels worth of unexpected bad news dropped in his lap. His reaction to it is going to be bad enough, there is no sense bringing family into the mix. This is business, nothing personal. I don't want that to change for the time being. Understood?"
"Perfectly Don O'tole. I shall make the necessary arrangements to have the young Dorothy Chambers released immediately." Then Peter's underling bowed deeply, turned and left the relatively Spartan quarters of the Orion Cartel's most powerful criminal. Once he was gone, a small smile played at the corner of his lips. The game he was playing with Jack Chambers might be business, but it was fun to turn the tigers tail and get away with it. The Terran Empire, the most powerful force in the universe, the fountain head of the force that had gone on to dominate close to three quarters of the galaxy, was about to be brought down by a crime family. It was a classic David vs. Goliath story, and like all the others, Goliath felt that it would win easily. News should be reaching Terra shortly about the attacks the Grand Alliance was making, and what Peter wouldn't give to see Jack's face when the news hit home. Peter smile turned to a hearty laugh.
Jack had been swayed to help Peter O'tole, like Greg Betare had been, by the lure of absolute power over the galaxy's most powerful force. Yet neither knew that they were BOTH being used for the Cartel's gain. Once the Terran Empire was wiped out, the Orion Cartel would be there to pick up the shattered pieces. The Ferengi were right, war IS good for business. And this war had been orchestrated from the outset to benefit the Orion Cartel above all others. The other pawns, like Jack and Greg and the Grand Alliance only saw what Peter wanted them to see. As a result, all sides had jumped at the dangled bait, rarely searching for the whys of the Cartel's aid, their greed and revenge acting as blinders. All exactly like Peter O'tole had predicted they would. The other, nearly extinct crime families had balked at first, but approaching them was merely a courtesy. They lacked the power to do anything anyway, and once they to saw how much they stood to gain, they jumped on board nearly as fast as the Grand Alliance members did. Peter looked over the reports on his desk. The initial attacks were nearly completed, with each planet recovered intact. Even now, some of the fleets were striking out to nearby systems, expanding the borders of their newly acquired space. There had been some losses, but they were more than made up for by the "acquisition" of Imperial warships and stations. After a few hours had passed, more than enough time to subdue their crews, the effects of the Breen Energy Dampening weapon ceased, and all systems on the now Grand Alliance stations and vessels went back up to full readiness. It was a truly ingenious weapon, and nothing would stop the Grand Alliance's fleets short of Terra.
- The Octagon, Terra, Sol System, That same time -
The com terminal went dead as Jack killed the channel. After the few light attacks by the conquered races were dealt with, Mr. Peter O'tole would have to be dealt with. He needed to be taught the proper respect for the most powerful man in the known galaxy, even if he had been partially responsible for allowing Jack to become that man. His desk terminal beeped for his attention.
"Council Member Chambers here."
"Councilman, this is Ops. We have a report here that I think you need to see immediately." The Commodore seated in Ops looked terrified. So it begins Jack thought. A few attacks by minor fleets, easily crushed by Starfleet counterattacks. Just enough to cause light panic in the populace and cement in my position as leader of the Empire.
"Put it up." The com screen switched to a recording. The ship's bridge looked like an Akira classes, but it was hard to tell with all of the smoke billowing around. Engineering teams were making frantic repairs to battle damage in the shot's background.
"This is the ISS Agamemnon, Commodore Gilles Leblanc commanding, to any Imperial vessel! We have been attacked by a massive enemy fleet in Sector 10. They appeared to be made up of mostly Klingon units but there were Gorn, Mirak, Lyran, Romulan, Breen and Cardassian signatures present as well. There were even a handful of Ferengi Marauders there. Be advised that there were many new ship designs present for all factions. Fleet size as of our withdrawal is as follows: 1 Monitor. 50 Super Dreadnoughts, 600 Battleships, 1,000 Battlecruisers, 3,000 Heavy Cruisers and 10,000 Destroyers and Frigates."
Peter blinked in astonishment. That was no light fleet. They had enough ships there to take and hold all of the Klingon Empire's former territory for a long time. This was all wrong. It had to be a mistake. IT HAD TO!
"Current estimates," the harried Commodore in the soot streaked white and gold uniform continued, "are that close to ¼ of 10th Fleet and 1/5 the orbital defenses of Qo'noS were captured intact."
Jack gasped. How in the HELL did that HAPPEN?!? With their mobile units alone this enemy fleet was dangerous enough. With that much deep space infrastructure and captured vessels, getting Qo'noS back under Imperial control was going to prove very costly. It might even prove necessary to Cleanse Qo'noS to prevent grievously unnecessary casualties that Starfleet couldn't afford right now. Fleet strengths were still being built back up to pre Imperial/Borg War levels. Jack's eyes narrowed. Just what was that back stabbing bastard O'tole up to? He had promised to deliver a credible threat, not a FUCKING invasion fleet! The message continued as Jack's thoughts whirled a mile a minute.
"The enemy fleet also employed a new weapon that disables all ship and station systems upon contact regardless of intact shielding and armor."
"Oh my God." Things went from bad to worse when Jack thought they couldn't go any lower.
"I am forwarding all data currently gathered on the weapons system along with my report. The remnants of 10th Fleet under my command are proceeding to Starbase 138 at maximum warp, but there are already signs that we are being pursued by most of the enemy fleet. As it stands, we are of insufficient number to hold them at Starbase 138. Unless we are strongly reinforced, we shall fall back again to Starbase 125. We require as many vessels as possible to meet us at either Starbase 138 or 125. All available units need to proceed there immediately for rendezvous. Agamemnon out."
"That's the extent of it sir. Shortly thereafter, the signal was jammed again."
"I'm on my way to Ops. I shall be there directly." Jack said in a curt voice.
"Understood sir." The Commodore gulped as Jack closed the connection.
Jack dressed quickly, the cowled robe slipping over him without much bother. He strode towards the suite's exit, with Frank and Victoria entering from the other room of the suite to walk a step behind and on either side of him. You didn't have to have a Furies' empathic and telepathic abilities to tell Jack was furious. That was strange in and of itself, because Jack only showed what he wanted others to see. The Fury pair wondered what could get the supreme overlord of the Terran Empire so flustered as to show what he was truly feeling. By the time the short trip to Ops was done though, he had regained his composure and his customary mask was back in place. Ops was in sheer bedlam, with officers and enlisted personnel scurrying about, and orders being shouted from across the room.
"Sir!" The Commodore shouted to Jack in order to be heard over the din, and there was a note of panic in it. "We have just received communiqués similar to the one you saw from Sectors 4 through 9 and 11 through 25. All major sectors were hit with overwhelming superiority in numbers and all encountered the same new weapons system. Qo'noS, Cardassia Prime, Romulus, Lyra, Mir, Gornus, Breen Prime. hell even Ferenginar has been overrun. Losses in occupied systems containing fleet units and defensive installations are estimated at close to ¼ captured, 1/5 destroyed. I have already dispatched a galaxy wide alert, bringing all operational units and installations to full battle readiness. Many of the enemy fleet's are already expanding their defensive perimeters, taking out nearby system pickets and lightly defended secondary and tertiary bases. All leaves have been canceled and all repairs that can be done in space are being rotated out of the shipyards so that we can thicken our lines.
"Just the same, with the forces we can field immediately, we are only slightly above parity numbers wise with the combined enemy fleets. We can bring in some fleets from the frontiers, but they will take a few days to get here. By then it could be a moot point. At their current rate of advance, we estimate that they will be in striking range of Sol in two days. With their new weapons system, they can take out any ship or station in their path with one shot." The Commodore braced himself for the worst that was yet to come. But Jack Chambers needed to know the cold hard truth, despite what it might mean for his life expectancy. "Unless we can find a counter to it sir, the Empire WILL fall in three days."
Jack had known that intellectually, but the Commodore spelling it out for him caused the rest of his body to actually believe it. Terror coursed through his body.
"Is there nothing to be done?!" He pleaded, and a small part of him was relieved that he hadn't grabbed the front of the Commodore's uniform and shaken him as he demanded an answer.
"I don't know sir. R&D is working with all available data as we speak, but there just isn't enough to come up with anything more than a basic rudimentary idea of how the weapon works, let alone how to counter it. We may get lucky, but it's a long shot right now."
Jack stumbled over to the vacant command chair, falling down into it before his legs gave out completely and he dropped to the floor in an unceremonious heap. "Dear God. what have I unleashed on the galaxy?!?" He whispered hoarsely, his words lost in the cacophony of Ops