Chapter 9
"There is something you must understand, Pleb," Deslock walked with long strides down the carpeted hallway from his throne room to the briefing room where his Generals were waiting.
Pleb did his best to keep up with his leader. His youthful idealism obvious, as he had made suggestion after suggestion to Deslock about making peace offers, or suggesting targets for swift retribution to bring the conflict to a close. They were all ideas that Deslock had to dismiss out of hand as impractical, or simply impossible. Pleb simply did not yet understand the realities of war or international politics.
"War does not allow us to be our better selves. You must be sure to remember that. Out of necessity I—we must become hard." Turning his head slightly, Deslock tried to watch Pleb's reaction, and was pleased that Pleb did his best to remain impassive. "No matter what happens in the meeting, do not question or contradict me. The time for me to be forgiving has past."
Pleb swallowed. "Any suggestions I make will be made in private, Leader Deslock."
Deslock nodded, his approval, and slowed his step just long enough for the door before him to have time to open. His cape dramatically fluttered on a draft as he entered the conference room.
The focal point of the room was a long table inset with video panels currently displaying the map of the Gamilon Empire. There was one seat for each General along the sides, and Deslock's larger chair at the head of the table, for each seat there was a goblet filled with a burgundy liquid. Deslock's goblet was the glass one with the spikes, which he preferred.
The Generals each stood by their chairs as they waited for Deslock to take his seat. They were Generals Auctor, Carcer, Hoven, Kapo, Koffin, and General Peck. Talon would assume his normal place by Deslock's side. Pleb would be expected to take a seat just behind Deslock, now was no time for a civilian advisor.
Maintaining a commanding, yet leisurely presence, Deslock assumed his seat, and then waited for his generals to do the same. "Well, Gentlemen. Where do we stand?"
General Auctor stood first. "We still have not heard from our Home Fleet, but I have filled General Peck's request for ships from my fleets to protect our home world." Pointing to several planets on the map table he continued, "Several of our outer colonies and protectorates have been attacked, their defending fleets wiped out. The enemy has been building fortifications on the planets they have taken from us, and instigated policies of total Genocide towards our people."
"These attacks are intolerable!" shouted a frustrated General Kapo, "We loose planet after planet, and we sit here doing nothing!" He turned to face Deslock directly, "If we were still the Great Empire we pretend to be we would be out there now expanding our Empire, the other nations would be too afraid of us to mount a strike like this! You have abandoned our manifest destiny, instead you cater to fools like that Pleb and the other bleeding hearted—"
Calmly and impassively, Deslock opened a panel in the arm of his chair. They were controls he had not used in a very long time, there had been no need to use them, but it was time for an example. He selected the button that represented General Kapo's chair, and with the slightest of pressures activated it.
In the middle of his sentence, Kapo was gone. He had dropped through a hole in the floor, out of sight and service just as quickly as he had fallen out of favor.
"Gentlemen," Deslock spoke softly. It was not necessary to shout to make his point, "I will not tolerate animals in the service of the Gamilon Empire. This is a time of emergency, we have been attacked, and our people kidnapped. I will not tolerate accusations or infighting that does not aid us in our goal of returning our people, and teaching this new enemy the folly of challenging the Gamilon Empire! Prey continue, General Auctor."
Auctor swallowed, "Yes Leader Deslock. I must report that most of the fleet guarding the planet Uther survived their attack… apparently by retreating. I suggest that punitive acts be taken against Captain Hawk for ordering the retreat."
General Peck stood, "I disagree, Hawk withdrew to reform his forces, he only retreated at my explicit order."
Deslock fixed Peck with a cold stare, then turned back to Auctor. "We will discuss that, and any punitive actions later. Do you have anything else, General Auctor?"
"Only that we have yet to hear back from Captain Noble or his ship. We may need to reconsider the possibility that the humans are behind the attacks."
"Very well." Deslock waited for Auctor to return to his seat, then turned his full attention to General Peck. "What is your report General Peck?"
"Deslock Mines have been deployed around our home world, and every colony that has them. We have also deployed Ecto-Gas to block some of the forbidden travel routes through our space. I have also ordered the Planet Killer Missiles taken out of mothballs in case they are needed. In addition our anti-ship batteries have been upgraded. Our defense ships have been given new orbit paths to give our anti-ship batteries a clearer range of fire." Peck hesitated, not quite willing to make his next point, and slightly afraid it would anger Deslock. "We may need to consider the hostages as expendable."
Deslock nodded, "Very well, General. You have made several good points. We will make every effort to rescue our people, but not at the expense of protecting the rest of the Empire.
"What we need, Gentlemen, is a more specific, and effective defense strategy."
General Carcer stood next. "Looking over the history of Gamilon, we have never done well in a defensive campaign. We should try and find away to fight this war offensively, or maybe find some way to defend ourselves offensively until we can attack the enemy directly."
"That is an excellent idea, General." Deslock said. "What did you have in mind?"
Carcer thought quickly. He had spoken with only the barest minimum of an idea, and now had to rush to find some way to implement it. "I think that Captain Hawk had the start of a good idea. We could combine the defensive fleets of worlds that are located near each other, and keep them moving. When one of the planets is attacked, the combined defense fleet can then counter attack the enemy fleet."
"That wont work for all of our protectorates," Auctor interjected.
"That may be true, General Auctor," Deslock said, "But it is the first good idea to come out of this meeting. Get to work, and make this plan workable."
There was always something unsettling about looking up and seeing the stars. It just didn't seem natural. The wide metal web that covered the capital city did help ease the effect a little, but it was still unnerving, which was odd, since he really didn't remember that much about his original home world.
What he did remember was living happily at home, when the volcanoes erupted… all of the volcanoes erupted. There was smoke, fire, and rubble. The rubble buried him and his entire family. He had survived, and been evacuated. Like thousands of others, he had spent the next several years in the state orphanage, not knowing who he once was. They had given him a new name, Gladn. It was not a Gamilon name, but a name that had come from the teachings of Queen Guardiana.
The old ones often talked about the original Gamilon, they talked about the planet's dual crust, so that instead of stars overhead, one could look up and see the reassuring upper crust the planet that kept out the harmful rays of the sun better than the metal artificial crust that covered the city now.
They also talked about how the Earth ship Yamato had laid waste to the planet, and caused the eruptions that had taken his family. Gladn hated humans.
Sometimes he would ask the old ones why the central palace did not have the same organic curves that the rest of the buildings in the city did. They would answer that it was designed to look like the palace on the now destroyed planet of Iscandar, but that answer was meaningless to the youth who would soon be old enough to join the military.
It was expected that he join the military that employed 90 of the population, but he wasn't sure that was what he wanted. He was sure that he did not want to join the Guardiana followers.
He was almost done with his state sponsored education, in a few more weeks he would have to make a decision, and it would be hard. After the attacks, the push was really on to join the military. Some of his friends had been taken, and he wanted to help, but still...
He would have to decide soon. If worse came to worse, he could take on work helping out at some of the local shops.
He continued to look up at the sky, hoping the answers to his life would be spelled out there. Wondering what destiny he could possibly have.