A King's Ship (Empire Rising Book 2) (25 page)

“Just over three hundred years ago an omen came, a great fireball that passed through our sky and impacted in the mountainous region of Kal’dar near our capital Amack.  Our people have always been a superstitious people and it was thought the fireball from the sky was a warning against the gifts the Kulreans had been giving us.

“A year after the fireball, the leader of the military forces of our unified government announced that he had found the place where the fireball had struck our planet and that he had been given a vision. He said the Kulreans were really our enemies and were trying to enslave us. His forces quickly overtook our capital Amack and he proclaimed himself the Supreme Overlord of our people. When some of the older nations tried to rise up against his rule his armies swooped in against them. They were armed with weapons and air vehicles that were far more advanced than anything the other nations possessed and they quickly defeated the uprising.

“Since then a succession of Supreme Overlords has ruled our planet through fear and military force. Anyone who opposes their rule is imprisoned or executed and if any group tries to stand against them, the military bombs them and their towns or cities out of existence.”

“That is awful,” Bell said, “in our history we too have faced men and women who have tried to rule through fear and death. Often it came at great cost but we have always managed to defeat them and restore freedom to our people. We can certainly understand why you fight this enemy.

“May I ask,” she went on. “How did the Kulreans respond to this military coup?”

“Not well,” Mul’li’la interjected. “They demanded that the Overlord immediately relinquish his rule or they would withhold any further technologies from us. The Overlord simply ignored them and continued to cement his power base.

“Since then we have had five Overlords. Each one has further entrenched themselves in Amack so that now the entire city is a fortress. As far as we were able to tell, they have been too scared to attack the Kulrean satellite directly. At least, that is what we have always thought. Information Jil’lal recently acquired has brought many of our assumptions into question.”

“What kind of information?” Bell asked.

“Information that implicates the Overlord in the attack on your planet and details about the Overlord’s remaining battle fleet. Jil’lal managed to infiltrate the Ministry of Cohesion in Amack and steal a lot of data off one of their central computers,” Tak’ar said with obvious pride.

“But before we divulge this data we need to know more about you and your history,” Tak’ar continued.

Bell and Scott had anticipated this so Scott proceeded to inform the Vestarians about Earth’s history and the recent colonial race between the major space faring powers. She left out details of any of the actual wars but implied that there had been fighting on a number of occasions.

“So your people are a people of war,” Tak’ar said.

“I wouldn’t say we are a people of war,” Bell replied. “At least not all of us. But like your Overlord, there has always been some humans who have sought to use power to force their will on others. Throughout our history there have also been those willing to risk their lives to resist such evil.”

“Nevertheless, your people know how to fight. That is good. We can use friends like you,” Tak’ar said. “May I ask, is your ship a warship? I presume it has some weapons if it was involved in defeating the Overlord’s fleet that attacked your planet.”

“Our ship is an exploration ship,” Scott said. “I am a science officer, my job is to look for new discoveries in the galaxy. However,
Endeavour
was designed to be able to protect herself and hide if need be.”

“That is good,” Tak’ar said, “I already know the Overlord is very angry because he cannot locate your ship. If your weapons technologies are as good as your stealth technologies then you will prove to be a useful ally for the Resistance.”

“If your information proves that your Overlord attacked our planet then we would be willing to discuss your situation,” Bell said carefully. “However, we would need to verify the accuracy of your information and even then you need to know that we will be limited in what we can give you. My Captain only has so much authority. We cannot give you new weapon technologies without permission from our government back on Earth.”

“We understand,” Tak’ar said. “But there are many things you can do for us without giving us access to your technology and I believe that when you see our information you will be highly motivated to help us. If you can help us restore democracy to our people then in the future humans and Vestarians may become close friends and allies.”

“We would like that very much,” Bell replied.

“Good,” Tak’ar said with a smile. “Then we will share our information with you. We believe your ship will be able to confirm its accuracy. After you have done that then we hope you will lend us what aid you can in our fight against the Overlord. Jil’lal, can you show them what you found please.”

As Jil’lal stood she pushed a button on the table they were sitting around and a section of the table parted to reveal a holo projector. Scott studied it closely to compare it to human designed ones and decided they were very similar.

“The data I recovered contained some technical details on a secret construction yard the Overlord has been building for the last fifty years. It is located within a large asteroid in our outer system,” Jil’lal said as the holo display showed an image of the Vestar system with a red flashing dot in one of the outer asteroid fields. “The data also indicated that the Overlord has secretly been building a fleet of warships using technology neither the Kulreans nor the resistance knew he had. We believe that the main objective of this fleet is an attack on the Kulrean homeworld. However, our information also included details about a human world called Haven. Supposedly our Overlord made contact with your planet a number of months ago and sought to acquire more weapons technology to ensure his attack on the Kulreans would be successful. When your people would not agree he sent a fifth of his fleet to subdue your world and acquire its technology. The information we have suggests that the Overlord and his analysts believed Haven to be the only world humans lived on. They did not factor in other warships coming to Haven’s aid.”

“A fifth of his fleet?” Bell asked in concern. “You mean the Overlord still has over two hundred warships under his command?”

“Yes, the data suggests that there are two hundred and twelve ships in the Overlord’s fleet apart from those that survived the attack on Haven.”

“They must be well hidden,” Scott said, “our sensors would eventually be able to detect any other ships in a system unless they were completely powered down. We have been here for over a week and haven’t caught a whiff of any other warships.”

“Our data indicates that after construction the warships were transferred to other hollowed out asteroids so as to conceal them from the Kulrean satellite. The Overlord wants his attack to come as a surprise,” Jil’lal informed her.

“And does your data tell us how the Overlord got the technologies needed to construct and equip such a powerful war fleet?” Bell asked. “I don’t mean to be rude but our scans of your planet do not suggest your people have the capabilities to produce so many ships.”

“We are not sure,” Tak’ar answered for Jil’lal. “To be honest this has been a mystery since the first Overlord took power. As I said before, as if from nowhere his forces were able to seize power using weapons that were far more advanced than anything his opponents had seen before. Most of the military units you see around our world are equipped with state of the art Vestarian tech, but they aren’t much more advanced than the weapons we used before the Kulreans contacted us. Yet we know from historical reports and a few brief skirmishes we have had with the Overlord’s personal guard that the Overlord has access to a level of technology far beyond that which he equips his usual troops with. It may be possible that the Overlords have had access to these kinds of technologies ever since they took power and have just been limiting their use so that their opponents don’t get access to it.”

“That’s possible,” Bell said as she began to wonder exactly what the omen was that had crashed into the plant’s surface.
A Kulrean ship maybe
, she thought,
with technology the Overlords have managed to reverse engineer?

“It does mean that toppling a ruler with the ability to secretly produce his own fleet of warships is going to be much harder,” she continued. “There is no way
Endeavour
could take on so many ships.”

“That may not be an immediate problem,” Jil’lal said. Our data included messages that have been sent to the construction yard ordering the fleet to prepare to leave the Vestar System. They were sent just over two weeks ago and we believe that the fleet has already left for its next target, likely the Kulrean homeworld.”

“Well if the Kulreans are as advanced as their satellite in orbit suggests they are, the Overlord’s fleet are going to get a nasty surprise,” Bell said.

“Yes,” Tak’ar said. “But our dealings with them suggests that they are very strong pacifists. It is only a guess but we do not believe that they have a military nor a fleet of their own. There may be nothing to stop the Overlord’s ships from attacking their homeworld.”

“Oh,” Scott said shocked that any species would leave their homeworld undefended. “This could end very badly. The Overlord has already shown that he is willing to bombard alien planets to get his way.”

“Yes,” Bell agreed. “But that fleet could also be on its way back to Haven. The Overlord may feel like his chances of defeating the Kulreans would be stronger if he could add human technology to his warships.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Scott said. “The defenses on Haven couldn’t hope to hold off over two hundred of their warships.

“No,” Bell said in a serious tone. “Tak’ar, we need to contact our Captain with this information right away.”

“I understand,” Tak’ar said. “No COMs will be able to penetrate this base though. I will have to take you back up to the surface.”

“Then lead on,” Bell said as she stood and made her way to the door hoping Tak’ar would pick up on her concern.

In the first Expansion Era it was unheard of for one of the space nations to secretly build up their military forces. Explored space was just too small to hide the mining and construction yards needed to build a large fleet. Now the Empire is so vast that the entire Human Sphere from the First Expansion Era could be lost without even being noticed.

-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD

1
st
July, 2466 AD, HMS
Endeavour
, in orbit around Vestar

James was on the bridge, sitting in his command chair listening to Bell relay the information she and Scott had obtained from the Resistance.

“Good work Agent, this is vital information,” James said once she had finished. “I will send a shuttle down to collect you and then we will go straight to this construction yard.”

“No,” Bell said. “Tak’ar says the Overlord’s army units in this area must have detected the shuttle the first time it landed because patrols have more than doubled since we got here. If you send down a shuttle for us now there may be a firefight and you would give away the location of the Resistance’s base. You may have to wait until things calm down here to collect us.”

“Very well,” James said. “We have no time to loose. We need to verify the construction yard’s existence and see if we can track this new fleet in case it has headed back to Haven.”

“Yes Sir, I understand. Scott and I are prepared to wait here on Vestar. With your permission we would like to provide what help we can to the Resistance while we wait.”

“You may give them advice and share tactics,” James said. “But don’t get involved in any operations yourself and do not trade any technology with them. If this information proves true then the Overlord has attacked and bombarded a human planet. If that is the case, then when we get back I will have no problem relieving the Overlord of as much of his military forces as we can. But until it is confirmed I don’t want you taking any direct action against him, understood?”

“Yes Sir,” Bell responded, “there is one more piece of information I am sending you. Jil’lal, one of the resistance’s technical experts has provided us with detailed information on how their computing systems work. Scott says that if some of her people can get their heads around it in time, they may be able to access the Vestarian computers in the construction yards and get some more data on their attack fleet. 

“Excellent,” James said. “Tell Scott she has done a good job. You both have. Now I better go.”

“Happy hunting Sir,” Bell said as she closed the COM channel.

“Julius,” James said to the Third Lieutenant who was on the bridge with him, “contact Ferguson, Mallory and Becket and tell them to meet us here.”

“Yes Sir,” Julius replied.

“Navigation, lay in a course to take us to the asteroid belt Bell’s information identified. Take us there under stealth. We don’t want to alert the Vestarians that we are coming.”

*

Ten hours later
Endeavour
had come to a complete stop beside the large asteroid that housed the Overlord’s construction yard. They were within plasma cannon range but hopefully out of range of any x-ray lasers the Vestarians might have hidden on the surface of the asteroid. Scans of the large rock hadn’t identified any weapon platforms but James was being extra careful.

“I think I have found it Sir,” Julius said.

“Show me,” James asked.

On the holo display the image of the large asteroid zoomed into a section and flicked to thermal imaging. Across one section of the asteroid a thin line of heat was clearly visible. “The computer estimates the line to be more than two hundred meters long. That’s just wide enough for them to fit their larger warship through. I think we’re looking at waste heat from the seal between their external doors.” Julius said.

“I agree,” James said after taking a few seconds to consider the image. “Send the coordinates to Major Johnston and tell him his mission is a go. Tactical, I want the plasma cannons at full charge, if you get even a hint that a weapons point is charging up take it out immediately.”

James turned to Ferguson who was sitting beside him. “You ready to lead the second wave?”

“Yes Sir, I have selected thirty of the crew with the best weapons skills. We’ll be ready to back the Major up,” Ferguson replied.

“Very well then, go and see to your team. Have them ready to embark as soon as the shuttles return,” James ordered.

“Shuttles away,” Sub Lieutenant Malik informed James from the sensor station.

*

As Johnston’s shuttle took off from
Endeavour’s
flight deck he turned to Lieutenant Becket and said, “Let’s try to keep you in one piece this time shall we?”

“That would be appreciated Sir,” she replied with a smile.

Technically Becket didn’t need to accompany him on the first shuttle. She would be Ferguson’s second in command once his half of the boarding party landed. Yet Johnston had become used to having her beside him on missions and he had argued that by accompanying him on the first shuttle she would be able to fill Ferguson in on the status of the construction yard when he arrived.

“Missile launch from
Endeavour
,” Becket announced as they approached the asteroid.

Everyone in the cockpit of the shuttle and those in the rear who could strain against their harnesses looked out the main forward window and watched as a single missile streaked passed the two shuttles.

When it was fifty meters away from the asteroid it detonated. In space the force from a thermonuclear explosion quickly dissipates but the missile was close enough to ensure a significant amount of its explosive force crashed into the external doors of the construction yard. Even if the doors were made of valstronium, it was hoped that the missile would still blow a hole big enough for the shuttles to fly through.

“We’re being hit by multiple target acquisition radars,” the pilot announced worriedly.

“I think they know we’re coming,” Becket said.

“Don’t worry,
Endeavour
will handle them,” Johnston said. Sure enough, a few seconds later green plasma bolts rained down on the giant asteroid, causing explosions to erupt all across its surface.

“Listen up lads,” Johnston said over the COM to his men to take their minds off the danger. “As soon as we enter the construction yard the shuttles are going to scan its interior with ground penetrating radar. One of the aliens in the Resistance provided us with a program that will analyze our scans and identify the likely locations of the construction yard’s central computer. Our job is to take those positions and hold them until the tech guys coming across in the second wave can get to them.

“We don’t know how good these aliens are in ground combat but we have the element of surprise. Let’s use it to our advantage. Don’t forget, these are the guys who attacked Haven, unless they surrender show them no mercy.”

“The hole that missile blew in the external doors isn’t big enough for us to fit through,” the shuttle pilot said, bringing Johnston’s mind back to the present.

Before he could say anything Becket opened a COM channel to
Endeavour
. “We’re going to need that hole widened for us Julius,” she said..

“On it,” she replied. Moments later four plasma bolts tore into the hole, melting its edges enough for the shuttle to fit through.

“That should do it,” the pilot said in relief.

“Here we go,” Becket said in excitement as the shuttle eased its way through the hole, closely followed by its sister ship.

As soon as they were through the hole, the pilot gunned the engines and whipped the shuttle into a series of tight evasive maneuvers. They hadn’t been sure if the interior docking area of the construction yard would have any weapons defending its entrance. When no weapons fire was detected the pilot slowed the shuttle and waited while its radar mapped out the interior of the asteroid.

“It’s vast,” Becket said as the first scans began to come in. “It looks like they have hollowed out almost all of the asteroid.”

“It sure does,” the pilot said. “Look over there, they still have two of their frigates under construction.”

Becket looked at where the pilot was pointing. All across the interior of the asteroid there were extremely powerful lights lighting up the whole area. It was easy to make out the two warships amongst all the construction scaffolding. It looked like there were at least six different construction births. Four of them were empty but two contained hulls that looked like they would eventually become alien frigates. Becket was impressed at the swarm of activity going on around both ships.

“Forget about them for now,” Johnston reminded them. “Find us a place to put down.”

“There,” the pilot said pointing to what looked like a landing area for some of the smaller construction ships that worked within the asteroid. “Your Resistance program has identified two areas that might house the central control computer. That landing area is right in between them.”

“Take us in,” Johnston ordered and opened a COM to the Marine Lieutenant commanding the marines on the other shuttle. “Jeffers, you take position alpha, I’ll take beta. No need for anything fancy, just hold the position until the technicians get there.”

“Acknowledged,” Jeffers said.

“Becket, when we land you find a place to hide and cover the landing site. We will want to land the second wave here once the shuttles return. We’ll need to know it is still secure. You can keep an ear on the COM channel and follow our progress so you can update Ferguson when he lands.

“Yes Sir,” Becket said a little disappointed she wasn’t going to go with the marines. She understood though. Despite all her training she still wasn’t as capable in marine combat armor as the marines themselves. The element of surprise was everything on this mission and they couldn’t allow her to slow them down. 

As the marines rushed out of the shuttle once it touched down, she hung back to stay out of their way. When she did step off, the shuttle lifted off and banked towards the exit. As she looked around she realized that she was already on her own. Both sets of marines had taken off towards their objectives. Behind her the roar of the shuttles’ engines let her know she was without backup if anything did happen. Carefully, she looked around and assessed her surroundings.

The shuttles had landed on a large metal structure built into one of the sides of the asteroid. With her magnetic boots holding her to the surface what seemed like the ground was actually one of the sidewalls of the asteroid, at least in relation to the hole they had blasted into the asteroid. Around her a number of small craft with different grappling arms and hooks were parked and beyond that the large flat landing zone was covered in metal crates of various sizes filled with all sorts of components. In the distance there were three hatches that led into the wall of the asteroid that presumably contained more rooms.

Becket carefully made her way into the midst of the crates and chose a spot where she could watch all three hatches. She settled down and listened in on the COM chatter between both groups of marines. It seemed as if they had both made contact with armed aliens but they were still making progress. She winced when she heard that one of the marines had been hit. She hoped whoever it was would be ok. She knew all of the marines through the training she had been receiving from Major Johnston. He regularly got her to spar with them and every one of them had beaten her black and blue at one time or another.

Movement at one of the hatches caught her eye and refocused her mind. A Vestarian head had poked out of the hatch for just a second.
There is it again
, she thought when the head appeared. Slowly, the head appeared for a third time and a full Vestarian slowly walked onto the landing zone. Five more followed it, all armed with a large, intimidating looking weapons that resembled the gauss cannons Becket knew some of Earth’s ground militaries used.