Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) (25 page)

Shifting his
gaze toward the screens, Wade was just in time to see popup stunners take out
the last three members of the platoon currently assailing the mountain.

“Looks as if
they have a lot to learn,” commented Wade, recalling the trying times he'd
experienced going up the mountain when they were captives of the Kleese. Marken
had been in charge of their training during that tumultuous time and more than
one marine had died on the treacherous slopes.

“They’ll
learn,” Dylan replied.

He had spoken
to Sergeant Morris earlier and she'd been very forthcoming in her evaluation of
how Major Steven’s marines had done on Ryerson. After a long discussion, Dylan
had decided to change the training slightly to take into account what the
marines had encountered in their attack on the Zaltule positions.

“We’re going
to need them,” stated Wade, nodding his head. “These Zaltule are tough to bring
down.”

“Where are the
two Zaltule captives?” Dylan asked.

“At Vesta,”
answered Wade, shifting his gaze back to the major. “We didn’t want them on
Centerpoint and Vesta has the best security system. General Bailey has
constructed some special holding cells for the two.”’

“Are they
talking yet?”

“No,” answered
Wade, shaking his head. “Not a word.”

“They’ll
talk,” Marken said with a long frown on his face. “I’m going to personally
speak to them when we get to Vesta. I think they’ll talk to a Kivean.”

“So, you’re
going back to Vesta?”

“Yes,” Wade
answered. “Beth has already gone and Ryan is visiting our parents.”

Dylan nodded;
he had no surviving family members other than the marines in his Special Forces
unit who had been with him at the survival camp in the UK. He was like so many others who'd been left with no surviving kin. Many people were still dealing
with depression and the suicide rate amongst the survivors was still high.

“When you see
Lieutenant Nelson, tell him no one has beaten his record on Charring yet.”

“I will,”
promised Wade, smiling. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear that.”

-

Casey sat
uneasily in Ryan’s parent’s home on one of the soft couches. Ryan was beside
her busily talking to his mom and dad about the training they had gone through
at Centerpoint and only briefly describing the fighting on Ryerson.

“I just wish
you weren’t in the marines,” his mom said in a worried voice. “I would've felt
better if you had gone into the fleet.”

“Ryan is an
excellent marine,” Casey said defensively, then wished she'd stayed quiet.
Ryan’s mom had said very little to her since they arrived. Casey wondered if it
was because she was a clone.

“I’m sure he
is,” Jonathan answered with a gentle smile. “From what I’ve heard from Wade,
you both are pretty good.”

“I just don’t
know if we should be provoking these aliens like this,” Ryan’s mom said,
shaking her head. “They’ve left us alone for over six years, why go and try to
stir up a hornet’s nest?”

“They were coming
back eventually,” Ryan explained in a softer voice. He knew his mother didn’t
care for the war and only wanted them to be left alone. “We did it to keep them
away.”

“Maybe,” his
mother replied with doubt in her voice.

“You’re
mother’s just worried about you and Wade,” Jonathan explained. “She’s always
been.”

“I’m going to
start supper,” Ryan’s mother said, standing up and smoothing down her long
skirt. “We’re having fried chicken and mashed potatoes.”

Ryan watched
his mother go into the kitchen and noticed she hadn’t even glanced at Casey.
“I’ll be back shortly,” he said as he stood up and headed to the kitchen.

“I understand
you and Ryan met at the Academy,” Jonathan said in a pleasant voice.

“Yes,”
answered Casey, feeling more relaxed in Jonathan’s company. He certainly seemed
to be trying to act friendly. “We had many classes together and were even at
the fleet training faculty on the Moon for two years before we joined the
marines.”

“You like
Ryan, don’t you?”

Casey felt her
face flush and then nodded. “I think the world of him; he’s my best friend.”

Jonathan
nodded; he'd seen the looks she cast at Ryan on occasion. There was no doubt in
his mind that he might very well be looking at his future daughter-in-law. “I
hope everything works out well for you. “I’m sure you’ve noticed my wife hasn’t
spoken much.”

Casey let out
a sigh and nodded. “I assume it’s because I’m a clone.”

“I’m afraid
you’re right,” Jonathan replied with a slight frown. “Wade and I have spoken a
lot about the cloning program, and I understand you’re just as Human as I am.
It’s something that might take my wife a while to get used to.”

“I
understand,” Casey replied. “I think I’ll go and see if she needs help with
supper. I do know a little about cooking.”

Casey stood up
and walked to the kitchen door, as she neared it she could hear Ryan and his
mother arguing.

“She’s a
clone!” Ryan’s mother said dismissively. “She’s not real!”

“Casey is just
as real as you or I,” Ryan answered in an aggravated voice.

“She was grown
in a tank! How can she be real?”

“Mom, Casey is
a wonderful person once you get to know her.”

“I can’t
believe you brought one of those things into our house.”

Ryan just
shook his head, not sure what to say.

Casey backed
away from the kitchen door and turned to find Jonathan standing behind her.

“I’m sorry you
had to hear that,” he said in an embarrassed voice.

“I think it’s
best if I leave,” Casey said, feeling crushed. “Tell Ryan I’ll call him later.”

Casey turned
and quickly left the house as the tears began to flow from her eyes. How could
she and Ryan ever have a future if his mom felt the way she did? Of course,
Ryan and she had never discussed a future; it was something she'd started
thinking seriously about after speaking with Lauren and Mary. Casey knew that
Lauren was somewhere on Vesta visiting her parents. She really needed someone
to talk to and Lauren was the only one she could think of.

Ryan stepped
out of the kitchen feeling flustered. How could his mother feel that way
considering all the conversations with Wade about the clones? It was beyond his
understanding. Looking around the living room, he noticed Casey was missing. He
looked at his father, who was standing at the front door with a pensive look on
his face.

“Where’s
Casey?” Ryan asked. He'd really wanted her to meet his parents.

“She left,”
answered Jonathan, dropping his shoulders. “She overheard your mother and you
talking. I’m pretty sure she was crying when she went out the door.”

“Did she say
where she was going?” asked Ryan, growing concerned and feeling intensely
aggravated at his mother.

“She said she
would call later,” Jonathan answered. “Ryan, she’s a really sweet girl. When
you see her, please tell her I said that.”

Ryan nodded;
all he could do now was wait for Casey to call. Vesta was too large a place to
go off on a search for one person.

-

President
Mason Randle stood in the Vesta Spacedock with General Bailey, Ralph Steward,
Commander Pasha, Sean Miller, Ethan Hall, and Skagern. In one more month, the
general elections would be held and Mason fully expected Steward to take over
as president of the solar system. Mason would continue to serve in a secondary
role of advisor, but much of the day-to-day work and decisions would then be
Steward’s responsibility. In many ways, Mason was ready to relinquish his
authority. He had a new daughter at home, and he was looking forward to
watching her grow up.

Around them,
the spacedock was humming with activity as dockworkers unloaded cargo vessels
and reloaded others. A number of the small, fifty-meter long prospector ships
were being worked on as well as a slew of other vessels. The main hub of
activity was around the four new heavy battlecruisers being constructed.

“Impressive,”
Commander Pasha commented. Commander Pasha was of the same size and build as a
regular Human though he was of dark complexion with large, yellow eyes about
double the normal size.

“All four of
the new cruisers will have a plasma cannon on them,” spoke Ethan. “In addition,
there will be two heavy particle beam cannons on the bow as well as two
enlarged KEW cannons. There will be an additional eight particle beam turrets
on the main hull plus our standard weapons. The armor is twenty percent thicker
and the energy screens will be the most powerful we’ve every built.”

“What abut the
new multi warhead sublight missiles?” asked General Bailey.

“The ships
will have twenty-four expanded missile tubes all capable of handling the new
missile,” replied Ethan.

“I understand
the Tureens joined the Alliance and have a forty-megaton antimatter warhead on
their missiles,” spoke Pasha. “Are they willing to share the technology which
makes antimatter in that quantity stable?”

“We’re
currently in negotiations with them about that,” answered Steward. “We’re
hoping by the time the heavy battlecruisers are finished we’ll have the design
specifications.”

Pasha nodded.
These Humans were becoming worthy allies. While overall their technology was
far behind the Tarn’s, it was obvious the Kiveans had succeeded in introducing
a number of their more advanced technologies. That was very evident here in the
spacedock where some very advanced construction methods were being used.

“Is your new
habitat acceptable?” Mason asked. He fully intended to visit the Tarn’s habitat before the elections.

“More than
satisfactory,” Pasha answered with a pleased smile. “The Kiveans have worked
wonders building a new world for us inside our asteroid. In many ways it
reminds us of home, which is good.”

“We spent some
time studying the history of your world you provided us,” Skagern explained.
“We tried to make your new home as esthetically pleasing as possible.”

“You have
succeeded,” Pasha replied. “My people are most pleased with what you have done
for us.”

“General
Mitchell wants two more Defender class troop assault ships built once the
battlecruisers are finished,” General Bailey said, looking over at Sean and
Ethan. “Can we do that?”

“I heard,”
replied Sean, looking thoughtful. “We’re already requisitioning the material
we’ll need. As soon as the battlecruisers are finished and out of the dock,
we’ll begin.”

Mason looked
around the dock and let out a heavy sigh. Years ago, the spacedock had been
much smaller and his pet project, the exploration cruiser Phoenix, had resided
here. He'd planned to take the ship on the solar system’s first interstellar
flight. The Kleese attack changed all of that, and now the Phoenix was a
battlecruiser and the flagship of Second Fleet under the command of Admiral
Sanders. The Kleese attack had wrecked the dreams of countless millions.

Later tonight,
his sister Susan and her two teenage daughters were coming over to the house.
Harnett would be there and he strongly suspected Karen would be asking the
Kivean when she could begin her studies. Harnett had promised to teach Karen
Kivean medical practices and technologies. There was no doubt in Mason’s mind
that someday his niece would be a fine doctor.

He turned his
attention back to the group around him. Ralph Steward was asking some detailed
questions about the cost of building the two new Defender type ships. It would
be necessary to discuss this with the Federated Assembly, but he didn’t see any
problems with getting the approval for the two ships. Currently, defense
spending was taking up nearly sixty percent of the solar system’s budget, but
everyone understood the necessity of protecting it from another Kleese attack.
Mason allowed himself to smile as he listened to Steward. The man would make a
good president and Mason was looking forward to semi-retirement. He knew
Adrienne was also looking forward to Mason spending more time at home with her
and their new daughter.

-

Casey was at
Lauren’s parents' home explaining to her what had happened. She'd walked around
for nearly an hour crying before finally making her way to the New Eden habitat
where Lauren’s parents lived.

“I’m sorry,
Casey,” Lauren said, feeling dreadful about what Ryan’s mom had said. Lauren
knew that, unfortunately, many people felt that way. “Have you told Ryan how
you feel about him?” They were sitting on Lauren’s bed in her room.

“No!” stammered
Casey her face flushing. “How can I?”

“Men need to
be told sometimes,” Lauren said, taking Casey’s hand and gently squeezing it.
“Sometimes they don’t see the obvious. That’s also why a man never asks for
directions; the woman always has to.”

“I’m not sure
he feels the same way I do,” Casey said, feeling unsure of herself.

“He does,”
Lauren assured her with a knowing smile. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Lauren,”
Casey began not quite sure how to say what she wanted. “There’s still a lot about
being Human I don’t fully understand.”

Lauren laughed
and nodded. “I get that,” she said. “Sex and men have always been a problem for
women, and I can see how it would be even more confusing to a clone.”

“So what do I
do?” Casey asked with her hazel eyes looking intently at Lauren.

“I’ll help
you,” Lauren promised. “This could be a lot of fun. First thing, go ahead and
call Ryan; I’m sure he’s worried about you. Tell him you’re staying with me and
we’ll meet him for lunch tomorrow. It'll be you, Ryan, me, and Alexander.”

“Alexander?”
asked Casey with a confused look in her eyes.

“Yeah,
Alexander,” responded Lauren, shaking her head. “I made the mistake of telling
him I would go out with him if he actually succeeded in stunning a Kleese with
that giant stun gun he was carrying. I never really expected him to succeed.”