Imperiam Monarch – Forward Base Zulu
The envoy of government and military personnel had finally cleared the area. Cade lingered behind to inspect the new aircraft. It was scheduled to recon the last known area where the forward elements were before contact was lost. He'd sent his executive officer back to coordinate with the relay stations and Air Defense units. The man was efficient and trustworthy, so sending him out to organize the particulars gave Cade the ability to shift his attention to other matters. The General could hang back here and prepare while his subordinate satisfied the immediate requests of the Cabinet. The ape had been mildly deceptive. Yes, the new prototype was to fly reconnaissance over the old central United States and get some eyes on what was going on, but Cade had something much more vital on his mind.
He'd known of the nuclear devices long before he'd taken the tour. His initial proposal of their deployment and use had met with stern resistance. He'd only shared that information with a few trusted Senators but they all reacted in the same fashion. Refurbishing and then launching them was out of the question. The Emperor made it clear that using such devastation was contrary to his purpose and ultimate will. And no one was going to challenge the will of His Eminence. Cade had no desire to radiate any of the enemy territories but these missiles could be used to cripple their advantage. If his plan worked it would take the teeth out of the eastern alliance. But all of his arguments had fallen on deaf ears. The Emperor said 'no' and that was that.
His Excellencies ideas were always seen though his juvenile tunnel vision, Cade mused; He was a spoiled brat who'd taken the throne at the age of nineteen. Lord Hilliard had not survived the transition between universes. Despite his genetic enhancements, the strain was too much for his ninety seven year old heart. Emperor Marcus was now middle aged and just as much, the brainless adolescent, as he'd been on the day he was crowned. It was no small task for the Senate and military leadership to keep him at bay. Despite the ODN, he was pushing harder and harder for all out war. He was determined to rebuild the Empire with all of its glory and establish his magnificent legacy among the nobility of history; Hence, the premature deployment of troops in the east. Cade was a loyal soldier and a devoted citizen but he wasn't about to die for a fool and his fool's errand; even if that fool happened to be the Emperor.
One positive note was that a fool was easily manipulated. Cade had put a spotlight on the forward troops. While everyone's attention was there he could maneuver back here discreetly and unnoticed. To the Emperor and the lapdogs in the Senate, all was as it should bel.
"You did well Doctor Chapman." Cade said tilting his head towards the man. "Better than I would have anyway. Believe me; the State Senate can be just as condescending and lofty to the military as they were to you. You kept a cool head through it all."
Chapman hadn't been thrilled when his supervisor first approached him regarding Cade's orders. Intentionally misleading the Cabinet was a no-brainer as far as consequences went. He'd be shot or beheaded immediately. No trial, no explaining, no nothing. They'd shoot first and gather facts later. His only comfort was Cade's assurance that he'd be immune from any type of penalty. And that promise meant very little from where he sat. Assurances were like elbows, he'd thought; everybody has one. But saying 'no' to General Cade would have also brought a swift and sure death, so he'd chosen the lesser of two evils. The doctor had taken a mild neuro-tranquilizer just before the meeting. It had helped to still his anxiety and stabilize his emotions, but its effects were beginning to fade.
"Thank you General. I appreciate that but I don't understand." Chapman stated uncomfortably. "Why ask me to lie to the Cabinet like that? I'm as good as dead if the truth surfaces. I mean, that story I told about building energy modules from the uranium …and uh the aircraft Sir… yes we salvaged some old fighters and a few bombers but it's no secret that the reason this thing is operational is because of what we recovered from that pod the two fugitive's crash landed in. Its gravity dampening tech and bio-fuel is what allows flight, not cannibalized scraps recovered on some excursion. Everyone involved knows that."
The man paused and wiped his sweaty brow with the sleeve of his coat. He then scratched his head nervously and babbled on for another minute. "That pod's technology almost equals our own but to be honest some of it is vastly more advanced. Take the fuel it uses for example. It's a highly unique chemical compound that doesn't degrade. It will ignite but can also self cool. …Self cool General, that's astounding. And for lack of a better word it rejuvenates at the atomic level. If used under the right conditions it could essentially power a machine or device …well…forever. The rate of exhaustion is too small to measure…Why didn't we just state that to the Senate? Why all of the elaborate talk of nuclear bombs and salvaged junk?"
Cade laughed inside. The man's rant sounded like one long run-on sentence. "Relax Doctor" The ape replied with a cynical shake of his head, "You're dancing around like my granddaughter. Let me state it like this; the military brass and the political nobility don't always see eye to eye. I wanted you to tell them exactly what they expected to hear; Glory for the Empire, air superiority, endless power cubes to launch our magnificent might forward; Blah, blah, blah."
The ape paused and took a swig of liquor from the tin flask he carried. He handed it to Chapman who immediately took in a long gulp. …and then another.
Cade laughed again. This time out loud.
"Trust me Chapman," The General continued. "You mean little to them. No offense. They're an arrogant, self absorbed lot. You and this tour will soon be long forgotten. As long as that plane files you're good to go. Truth means little to those bureaucrats. You see while they live in fantasy land, I live in realville. I have a war to fight. A war I plan on winning. They wanted good news and that's what they got. Instructing Tods to read you the riot act about the nukes gave the ruse credibility. The use of nuclear arms is neither sanctioned nor legal. It's paramount to treason. You become exposed and so will I as well as the entire military leadership. And that will not happen. I'm a soldier, not a judicial advocate. I will always take advantage of what's at my disposal. I have to defend this great nation of ours with every and any means possible. To me anything less would be treason."
Chapman wasn't about to argue with the gorilla. What was done was done. The man wasn't going to be his next victim. Besides he actually agreed with what the General was doing on a certain level. Politics had often gotten between him and his research too. It was refreshing to hear someone talk in practical, no nonsense terms. And it was very rare to hear anyone openly criticize the government. People thought it but never bluntly spoke of it.
"I couldn't agree more, Sir" The man replied, handing the flask back to Cade. "I'll help in any way I can."…Besides, what choice do I have? The man thought.
"Good Doctor. It's imperative that we continue using the spacecraft as part of the story but only in part. Make sure that the official report attributes a strong majority of the success to the salvaged missiles. You can sprinkle in talk of technology from that crashed pod, but emphasize the nuclear components. And make sure you state they were dismantled and dispersed to create other needed assets."
Cade paused and swallowed the last bit of alcohol in the flask. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and said. "Alright, I need to head out shortly. I have a senior staff briefing in twenty minutes, but before I go; can you get these birds functional?"
On that point Chapman was certain. "Yes, General, I've already done the research. I can get you, one, possibly two, functional missiles by cannibalizing the others. With the remaining fuel I salvaged from the tiny craft, you could launch the warheads at any target on this planet. And that raises a serious point of its own, Sir. Our ADA stations are going to pick up any launch we make as soon as it happens. And you can't cover up a nuclear strike. The level of radiation and the massive seismic repercussions will set off every sensor relay we have."
"I'll handle things within the military leadership, Chapman." Cade answered in a semi-irritated tone. He was tired of this man's constant crying. "I am a General after all! Besides, I don't want to target anything on the planet. I want them space worthy. Your new boss, Colonel Parks thinks he's identified the location of the ODN satellites. I'm going to win this war before it even begins."
000 - Later
Cade walked into the room and greeted the other officers. They returned the formal salutation and the gorilla began the meeting.
"Are we secure, General Tods?" The ape asked his executive officer.
"Yes Sir." The man replied. "I cleared the area myself and just to be sure I placed dampening cubes in the room. No one is going hear this conversation, except for us."
Tods was as efficient as they came. Cade had hand picked the man over a dozen others who were in line for the promotion. He had no political aspirations and saw things in very distinct black and white terms. He also wasn't afraid to express his disagreement or apprehension to his superiors. The ape appreciated that. His only downside was his integrity. Cade would butcher a dozen to see his plans come to fruition and he had. Tods, on the other hand, may bend the rules or even break them for a just cause, but killing …no murdering… was not his way. However in this situation, both Tods and everyone else in the room saw things through the lens of patriotism.
Cade gave a full report on what he'd discussed with Doctor Chapman. He entertained questions and posed scenarios. He explained and explained again. Things had to be precise or they could all end up dead.
"Admiral Shunt". He said. "As chief military advisor to Lord Marcus you'll need to keep him focused on the infantry and mechanized units. I'll ensure the V.V.L. sends frontline updates regularly. That should keep him both content and preoccupied"
"With no Imperiam Navy in existence, what else would I be doing?" The man answered disdainfully. "But no worries, General, I'll handle our overzealous boss. Besides, with the execution of the Queen he's been more interested in his harem lately. Since Lady Ghana was obviously barren and her medical enhancements failed, he's been in search of a new consort who can produce a strong heir. I've added a few select females to keep him preoccupied. Trust me; he'll have plenty of 'content' to focus on"
Cade spun around to the commander of the Imperiam ADA. "Kenswick, I read your report. I can't stress enough how vital your piece of this project is. It isn't going to be easy once we launch. However, I'm pleased to see you're ahead of schedule."
"Yes, Sir," The chimpanzee replied. "We have several hundred short …and I mean very short range rockets. We've scraped together some of the salvaged aircraft and have a half dozen or so functional, yet primitive, mid to long ranges missiles. Once launched, we won't have a lot of control over where they hit. But it will blur peering eyes from our true objective. All of our ADA sensors will pick up the projectiles but that's just what we want. They'll be overwhelmed."
The chimp paused and slid an e-pad towards the ape. "The mobile platform for the nukes will be completed in about three weeks. If we integrate things carefully their launch will go unnoticed. They'll just be one projectile among the many. I'll handle the Air Defense radar tracking, once they're fired too. No one will see the birds exit the atmosphere. They'll blend right in with everything else being fired"
Cade addressed several more of his staff as they finalized their plans.
"Ok, one week, people" Cade said somberly. "I want this all finalized seven days from now. We have to get working on Operation Eagle. Once the ODN is out of the equation, we're going to hit the enemy concurrently on multiple fronts. We'll reconvene after the Solace holiday celebration. You all know what I expect …dismissed".
Argos – Sigma Twelve – Six days later
Hank Brewster felt more like a POW than a military asset since his arrival in Argos. The doctor was immediately brought before the alliance. Most of his time was spend being questioned, interrogated, cross-examined, re-questioned, and interrogated all the more. A majority of his scientific equipment and a few of his medical paraphernalia had been confiscated for study and there were even whispers, behind closed doors, of torturing the information out of him. It hadn't helped that Brewster fired on the initial patrol they'd encountered once the three entered the region. His, shoot first and ask questions later, philosophy almost ended his mission before it even started. He'd been trigger happy and jittery ever since the attack on the Imperiam Communications Element.
He was lucky no one had been seriously injured. However the small outpost was nothing but sawdust and splinters. Once Sullen's apes heard the roaring sounds of the RS7's jackhammer mini-guns, they'd scattered screaming 'Invasion, Invasion'. The whole thing had been a little humorous to Brewster. Alarms went off, apes scrambled, shots began blazing…It was quite an amusing, knee-jerk reaction. He'd concluded that the Imperiam was going to swat these primitives as easily as he'd swat a fly. Of course, now that he was here, things were going to be different.
It had taken days to reach the recently formed alliance. Their arrival, as well as, the information and equipment they brought should have beamed a small ray of hope where the clouds of gloom had assassinated morale. But like any conglomeration of diverse cultures, there were diverse opinions. Those differences were overshadowing progress. Tensions, supported by a violent history, were surfacing. That history was not only violent but very personal. The alliance was holding but parts of it were starting to unravel.
At the five thousand foot level things were absolutely clear. An excursion to the island March and Hayes described was already in the works. As were plans to move west again and strike where they could. Or to recover the hidden technology that Sullen's forefathers had concealed. But on the ground level, old habits and mistrusts had taken root. One of the Rip Saws was to be stripped and reverse engineered. Its weapons would be dismantled and duplicated, if possible. The computerized components and its basic material were also uniquely advanced and offered the chance for a great leap forward. But initial ownership and dissemination of the technology had spurred a heated argument over tipping the balance of power. Both the apes and humans wanted first crack at the technology. In reality, what they wanted was an exclusive crack at it while locking the other parties completely out. Polk and his apes openly stated that they didn't trust St James and the humans. In response, St. James and his ilk voiced similar opinions regarding the apes.
For years Polk's simians held a distinct tactical advantage over the humans. They also outnumbered man, greatly. Under the leadership of General Voss, human settlements were often raided and slaughtered without mercy. They'd found their borders forced back at least twice in St. James' lifetime. The only time they were civil was during a trade for food or water and that too was usually slanted in the ape's favor, as well. General St. James had risked everything to secure the ODN. Human blood had paved a way to a new future.
The ODN along with the nuclear cells, Hayes had discovered, made him the new Superpower in the area. New Washington and the surrounding settlements finally had the energy and materials to produce mechanized vehicles. Factories were going 24/7. Every scrap of material in the area was being gobbled up. Old technology was everywhere and that too was being exploited. He'd be damned if those four footed savages were ever going to take another inch from him or any human ever again. In his pride, he was willing to let the full might of the Imperiam fall on him and everyone else on the planet.
Oddly enough it had been Brewster who'd quelled the dispute before it escalated too high. It wasn't through any eloquence of speech or charismatic flair, it happened by default. Brewster had failsafe codes on everything he'd brought. The ATVs, his e-pads, medial scanners…all of it was encrypted and locked down. Nothing they tried worked. Without the access codes his paraphernalia were nothing more than fancy paperweights.
Even if they possessed the necessary decryption software and expertise, it would have taken weeks to decipher. That had turned the rivalry from a stalemate to frustrated anger. The last thing they needed was some insane Imperiam spy running around with rouge mechanical …who knows what … at his disposal.
Brewster was a solid pessimist. A lifetime in a dictatorship could do that to a person. He'd realized he'd gotten off on the wrong foot. In order to survive one needed an advantage. One also needed connections and the upper hand. So he cut a deal with the Prefect. The ape Council had warned against it but Sullen was in favor of the agreement he'd struck. He'd cooperate fully and once the Imperiam was brought to its knees, he would be compensated with land, freedom, and position. Oh, and if Cade were ever captured, he was to be handed over to his custody, without question. It always came down to the same basic things, Sullen concluded; wealth, revenge, or power.
"Consider it a sign of good faith, Excellency". Brewster respectfully stated as the hydro-injection shot its medications into Sullen's thigh. "You'll feel the relief within an hour or so. With continued treatments, over the next few months, that knee of yours will fully heal."
Sullen thanked the man and for about the tenth time he corrected his use of the unique political title. The Colonel seemed more comfortable with the term Excellency than with Prefect. His mannerisms around people he perceived as his superiors were strangely different. He'd also noticed that the doctor was never ill at ease when dealing with simians. Odd, Sullen surmised. The man made him feel mildly uncomfortable. From everything he'd learned the Imperiam were butchers, but their society was completely integrated. And not just by species. They'd taken scientific know-how and elevated to new heights. Yes, it was very odd indeed. Each species was fully accepted by the other and they all worked together as one unique culture.
"One more thing, Excellency" Brewster stated, acting as if Sullen had said nothing about how he wished to be addressed.
The man held up a pad and waved it over the body of the ape. "You're in relatively good heath; taking your age into effect. However you're developing arthritis in that arm there. Your Radius is strained and cartilage is building up… Hmm, from the looks of it, you recently injured it."
"Yes" Sullen said. "About a year or so ago. I, um, injured it in the Banned Territories while dealing with some political fugitives I was chasing."
"Well Sire, I can certainly help with that as well." Brewster replied in confidence. "Please remove your cloak and fully extend your arm."
"Colonel Brewster," Sullen shot back sharply "will you please stop using those ridiculous titles when speaking to me? I'd rather have you address me casually, as Sullen, than by that annoying designation. Years ago we fought an enemy. Their leader was a vicious gorilla named Lord Atilious. He used the title, Excellency, like it automatically made him King of the World."
"Very well, Sir." Brewster said, adding a slight bow. "I meant no disrespect. Please understand that where I come from, one could lose his head for showing the Emperor even the slightest bit of insolence."
"Well, I'm not emperor. At least not how you understand it anyway" Sullen replied. "Respecting authority is essential, but killing someone because you may have a difference in opinion is foolhardy. The only thing it will get you are a bunch of yes-apes."
Brewster finished treating the Prefect's appendage. Sullen marveled at the fact that his knee no longer throbbed. In fact, there was no pain in it at all. The security elements assigned to the Prefect escorted him out of the room. A different detachment of soldiers took Brewster out as soon as Sullen was safely away. Moments later they were reunited in a large briefing area. The room was filled with various apes and humans. A table was in the center and Brewster's equipment was scattered about, on its face. The man was seated in the center of the area.
Quick formalities were given and the floor was handed over to Colonel Plateaus, the Argos commander. It seemed only fair that he cross examine the Colonel. It would have shown bias to give St James or Polk the opportunity.
"Colonel Brewster," the gorilla said. "My name is Plateaus, Colonel Plateaus. I'm the Contingent Defense Commander of Argos. I know the circumstances since your arrival haven't exactly been accommodating but if your claims that you're here to help are valid, we certainly welcome that. However, I want to be perfectly clear. If you're some kind of a spy or saboteur, you'll wish you never left that city of your. I can promise you that."
The only reply Brewster gave was a nod. The conglomeration reminded him of an Imperiam Sentencing board. He could tell that the armed guards spread around the room were just waiting for him to make the wrong move. So he decided not to make any move at all.
"Uh hmm" Plateaus continued clearing his throat. "Colonel, you're no fool, so I'm not going to treat you like one. And other than your, um, colorful arrival, you've been most cooperative. Time is short. We could be attacked at any time. Everyone is on edge. You claim to bring salvation but it's obvious you're not trusted. These devices, those machines, they seem to only obey you. You maintain that you have vital information so we're now giving you a chance to prove your value."
The man's intellectual prowess clicked into gear. These people neither trusted nor liked him. His choice was obvious. He'd need to produce a threat larger than himself. Brewster approached the Colonel. Two of the ape guards elevated their muskets. In return the man raised both hands, signaling that his intentions weren't hostile. "May I?" He asked, gesturing towards a small e-pad on the table.
"It's ok." Plateaus stated. "Lower your weapons." He then turned to Brewster and added "Please Doctor, proceed"
"Voice authorization; Tango, Seven, Seven, Alpha, Three, Niner, Six. Brewster, Commander, 578th Science Division"
The device didn't answer back but it did power up with a distinct hum. The national symbol of the Imperiam appeared on its radiant face. Brewster tapped a few buttons and spoke a few more commands. He paused slightly and gazed up at the room. He then fixed his eyes on Plateaus.
"Ok, I'm ready" He said in a calm tone.
The Argos commander was completely confused. He wanted to ask "Ready for what?" But not wishing to lose image with his peers he confidently lied with; "I understand, please go on."
"Where I come from our people are tagged at birth. It's used for both tracking and national security" Brewster continued. "This device can locate the frequency of the tags. What that means is, is that I can identify any and all Imperiam spies. Now, if I …"
It happened suddenly. The simian fired his flintlock pistol while leaping forward. Brewster was stepping towards Plateaus as the prehistoric slug ripped through the Doctor's shoulder. As Brewster fell backwards the gorilla wailed out while he was in mid air. His momentum and shift in weight sent him toppling past the man. He clipped the table and sent it along with the electronics all over the place. When he finally connected with the ground he was wobbling in total pain. Oddly enough, a human male and another ape were convulsing in their seats, as was one of the gorilla guards just to his left.
Some soldiers raised weapons while others grabbed the gorilla assassin and attempted to help the other quivering soldiers. The senior leadership of both species was doing what it could to calm everyone in the room. St James ordered a human medic to attend to Brewster.
Brewster slowly rose to his feet and said. "Spies, Colonel, those are your Imperiam spies".
Arum City
Jon Hayes paced back and forth at the wagon's side. He pulled the cloak a little tighter over his head. He carefully lowered the scarf that was covering most of his face and took a bite of the purplish, orange fruit they'd picked up in the last settlement they'd passed through. It had a tangy bitter taste but he was too hungry to care.
The city looked eerie. Damage from the Dreadnaught's crash landing was still prevalent in certain places. A huge mass of molten brick and mortar was staring him in the face, just paces away. Part of the City looked rebuilt but progress was halted when the civil war broke out. Not only that, the fighting had caused additional damage.
"What do you think is taking him so long?" Hayes whispered impatiently to his friend.
"Beats me" March replied. "He doesn't exactly carry the influence he once had. If he didn't have those parchments with Sullen's seal on them, we'd probably all be hanging from a tree somewhere."
Hayes gazed at the thick iron doors of what appeared to be some kind of medical or science structure. He paced a little more and added "It's been almost two hours. We have a convoy a mile long. I don't like the idea of some scared ape screaming "human, human" or the idea of being shot at."
"I thought you'd be used to that by now." March added trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, you'd think so wouldn't you?" the man replied sarcastically and with a mouth full food.
General Grazot finally exited the building along with two other gorillas. He had a look of frustration on his face. The foot-apes were carrying a large rectangular crate. "Put it there" he ordered pointing at one of the wagons in the convoy.
The soldiers mumbled something too quiet to hear in response. They loaded the crate and asked "Anything else …General". The overly stated inflection of the officer's title was obvious. Word had traveled and the ape's respect was almost nonexistence among his own kind. It had been the same in Argos, Kawaka, and now they were seeing it here. The problem was that the rumors had become embellished and changed so much no one knew what the truth was. The theme, of course, was that Grazot had caused the rebellion and attempted a coup d'état of the existing government. People needed someone to blame and he was now the default.
Grazot ignored the disrespect. Instead he turned to the convoy commander and instructed him to prepare to move. He then looked at Hayes and said "Get in, we're leaving".
Not wanting to draw any attention, Hayes tossed the fruit aside and walked towards the mechanized vehicle. Unfortunately, his actions put a spotlight right on the man. The fruit hit the ground and rolled past one of the apes.
"Hey" the simian yelled.
It was obvious he was looking at Hayes. The man froze as his eyes shifter towards Grazot. No words were spoken but Hayes's expression was asking; "What should I do now?"
"Hey buddy!" the solider reiterated. "I'm talking to you, you deaf or something? You can't toss your garbage into the street like that. Pick it up!"
He grabbed Hayes by the cloak and pulled him back with a jolt. The two hundred and something pound man stumbled backwards and awkwardly smacked into the dirt. The ape hadn't expected the offender to be a scrawny human. He'd simply grasped the clothing to get his attention. The average weight of a simian was over five hundred pounds.
Grazot tried to shift attention to himself, but it was too late. The hood had blown back from the fall and the scarf over his face unraveled. Both soldiers stood there, half stunned and half terrified.
"Ok, ok, I'll pick it up!" Hayes said as he reached down for the fruit.
"He…he spoke … the animal spoke. By the great ape, it's true". The ape exclaimed. He pulled away from the astronaut as if he were poison.
The rumors of Grazot's betrayal weren't the only ones floating around. There had also been talk of St. James and the human mutant soldiers. Stories of how they'd help patch the nation back together after the separatists arose. But he hadn't believed it. From what he knew, Grazot had taken weapons and orchestrated the entire rebellion. But there was proof looking him square in the face.
The soldiers became even more spooked as Hayes moved towards them. The second gorilla dropped his musket and tripped back. The weapon discharged and fired into the dirt. Now everyone within earshot was looking at them.
"Umm, sorry… I've, uh, picked it up" Hayes muttered uneasily.
A couple of soldiers spilled out of the Science building to investigate the gun shot they'd heard. One raised a musket when he saw Hayes.
"Stand down" Grazot shouted with rage and authority. The startled simians complied.
"Get a grip Corporal and you too." Grazot barked at the two apes. He reached down, picked up the musket and shoved it into the chest of the second gorilla. "You're not a couple of cubs so stop acting like it. The human doesn't bite. Get back to your post before I call the wet-nurse and have your wrappings changed?"
The General turned towards Hayes and said. "Get in, we're leaving …now".
Before the situation got too out of control Grazot turned to Corporal Price and said "Move out"
"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" March said with a laugh.
Grazot smiled and answered "Yeah, maybe a little. At least I felt like their commanding General again"
"Well I'm glad someone had fun," Hayes added "because, after that, I may just need the wet-nurse to change my wrappings!"
With that they let it drop. No real harm had been done and in a day or two they'd be at the Great Fish Pond.