Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) (26 page)

“Does
Alexander like you that well?” Casey asked as she picked up her phone to call
Ryan. To her the two always seemed to be arguing.

“Maybe,”
Lauren replied with an impish look in her eyes. “I’m sure all he wants is to
get inside my pants, but that’s a long ways from happening.”

“I don’t
understand,” Casey said as she pressed the send button to call Ryan.

Lauren
giggled. “Don’t worry, Casey. I’m sure someday you will.”

-

The next day,
Ryan made his way to the Italian restaurant the girls had chosen to eat at. He
suspected Casey was once more exploring different foods and he knew she liked
Italian. That was a good sign as it indicated she had gotten over her shock
from what his mother had said the previous evening.

Stepping
inside, he found the others already there waiting for him at a side booth,
which provided more privacy. He noticed Alexander was sitting next to Lauren so
he sat down next to Casey.

“Hi,” he said
with friendly smile. He saw with surprise that Casey was wearing a short skirt
and a very tight blouse, which dipped just low enough to show a hint of
cleavage. Glancing at Lauren, he noticed a satisfied smirk on her face and knew
she'd helped Casey pick out the clothes she was wearing. Casey normally dressed
very conservative.

“We were just
discussing what we would be doing once our leave is up,” commented Alexander,
looking curiously at Ryan, hoping for an answer.

“Don’t know,”
answered Ryan, as he picked up the menu and began looking over it. “Major
Stevens hinted we might be assigned to some of the new Alliance worlds on a
temporary basis. He said he would know more when we returned to Centerpoint.”

“I wouldn’t
mind staying here in the solar system for a while,” commented Lauren her light
green eyes focusing on Ryan.

“We might,”
Ryan responded. “At least until more marines are trained in the Type Four
battlesuits.”

“Ryan, I’m
sorry about leaving so abruptly last night,” Casey said in a soft voice.

“It’s okay,”
Ryan said. “I wasn’t expecting my mother to react that way, particularly since
my brother has been so heavily involved with the cloning project. My mother
said to tell you she’s sorry and if you want to come back to the house she fine
with it. You can stay in the spare bedroom.”

“Your father
must have spoken to her,” Casey said. She'd really liked Jonathan.

“Yeah,” Ryan
answered with a nod of his head. “I believe they had a very long talk last
night, and my dad can be very persuasive when he wants to be.”

“I think it
will be better if I stay with Lauren for now,” Casey said. “I don’t want to
make your mother feel uncomfortable.”

“There’s a lot
I can teach Casey if she stays with me,” Lauren said with an enigmatic smile.
“We’re going shopping tomorrow to pick out some new clothes for her; she
dresses way too conservatively most of the time when she’s out on leave. She
has a very nice figure, and I told her she should be showing it off.”

Ryan was
silent; he felt a little pique of jealousy at the thought of other men looking
at Casey that way. The thought startled him; he'd always liked Casey, but now
he was beginning to wonder if those feelings ran much deeper than he had
believed.

The four ate
their meal and continued to talk as they ordered dessert. Ryan’s eyes kept
moving unconsciously toward Casey anytime she spoke. He was highly aware of
their legs touching beneath the table and how much he liked it. He also noticed
she didn’t move her leg away. He knew that Wade and Beth had served together,
their closeness had eventually developed into love, and they were now happily
married. Was it possible he and Casey were destined to go down the same route?
He kept his thoughts to himself; he wasn’t sure how Casey felt. He did know
that this was a relationship he wanted to explore and see where it led.

Casey was well
aware of the attention Ryan was paying her and his occasional glances at the
tight blouse she was wearing. Lauren had threatened to tell Ryan how Casey felt
about him if she didn’t dress as Lauren wanted. She was acutely away of Ryan’s
leg touching hers and the silent thrill that simple touch caused. She saw
Lauren watching her from across the table with a knowing smile. Yes, there was
definitely a lot that Lauren could teach her. Ryan didn’t know it yet, but his
future was suddenly about to become much more interesting.

-

Marken stood
outside the special detention center, which held the two Kleese. With him were
four Space Marines in Type Three battlesuits who would provide security.

“Are you sure
this is wise?” asked Sergeant Reynolds, looking over at Marken. The red-skinned
Kivean looked small next to the ten foot tall metal encased Humans.

“It’s a
necessity,” answered Marken, taking a deep breath. “These two Kleese are
Zaltule, members of the warrior caste. If I can get them to speak, their
attitude will tell us much.”

“They haven’t
spoken since they were brought here,” Reynolds said. “Their cells are monitored
continuously and they won’t even recognize our presence when we take them food
and water.”

“Open the
door,” ordered Marken, preparing himself for this confrontation. For most of
his life, the Kleese had been his masters and they were the destroyers of his
planet. Thanks to the Kleese, he and Harnett would never have any children.
Marken felt no sympathy for the two Kleese captives and the plight they now
found themselves in.

Sergeant
Reynolds gave a signal and the heavy metal door slid open. Stepping inside,
Marken gazed at the large Kleese manacled to the steel column in the center of
the room. The four marines followed Marken inside and the door slid shut behind
then. All four took up positions against the wall with their armored hands
resting on their Energy Lances, the only weapons they carried.

“I am Marken
of the Kivean race.”

The Zaltule
shifted his gaze away from the armored Humans to the Kivean standing in front
of him. For the vermin Humans he had no use, but the Kivean was from a race of
great scientists who had served the Kleese for generations. The Kiveans were
not vermin, but they were still inferior.

“I am Minor
War Overlord Braton of the Zaltule,” he spoke in a cold and hard voice.
“Release me and I will make sure your death is swift and painless.”

“You will not
be released,” Marken said in an even voice, feeling a chill run down his back.
It had been over seven years since he'd last spoken to a Kleese. “Your
continued well being depends upon your willingness to answer my questions.”

“Your threat
is meaningless,” Braton responded. “I am a Zaltule, a member of the warrior
caste. Soon my brethren will descend upon this world and free me. When that
happens, all of you will die. Why do you associate yourself with these vermin?
You are from a world that long served the Empire. You could serve the Empire
again if you agree to leave these Humans.”

“The Humans
are my friends,” responded Marken, stepping closer to the bound Zaltule. “When
will the Zaltule attack and with how many ships?”

“Soon,”
answered Braton his multifaceted eyes focusing on Marken. “Our fleet will come
in such numbers as to crush your pitiful Alliance. It is the destiny of the
Kleese and the Zaltule to rule the galaxy and all inferior races will be
subservient to our will.”

“We will
resist,” spoke Marken.

“Then you will
die,” stated Braton. “This conversation is over. I will not speak to you
again.”

Marken nodded,
the conversation had gone about as he had expected. The Zaltule would not
reveal any detailed military information. However, the Zaltule had been very
adamant about his race attacking the Alliance with overwhelming force. He
doubted if it had been exaggerating.

Turning, he
motioned for the marines to open the door.

“Damn
tarantula,” spoke Sergeant Reynolds as they stepped outside and he resealed the
door. Later, he would take the Zaltule back to its cell. “Do you want to speak
to the other one?”

“No,” Marken
answered. “I doubt if the other will speak at all.”

He would let
General Mitchell know the results of his interrogation. He would tell the
general to expect a Kleese attack with a major fleet, probably much larger than
the one faced at Pradel. As Marken made his way to the Control Center to contact the general, he wondered if he had done the right thing all those years ago.
He and his fellow conspirators had set the Humans upon this path. The known
galaxy was about to be consumed in a deadly war for survival. He just wished he
knew how all of this would end.

Harmock gazed
in anger at the tactical screen on the front wall of the Command Center of his flagship. He stood upon the Command Pedestal gazing at the one hundred and ten
large red threat icons orbiting the distant planet. However, what was more
disturbing were the three thousand small red threat icons also in orbit.

“It seems our
Supreme Overlord was not bluffing,” spoke Harmock, his triangular shaped head
turning to face Gareth.

“Will they
actually fire on us?” asked Gareth, dubiously. “We are the Zaltule, surely they
will back down.”

“They are
Kleese and desire to hold onto their positions of power,” Harmock responded in
a hard voice. “Xatul has done the same thing I would have done if our roles
were reversed. In many ways, he has reaffirmed my faith in the Kleese race.”

“We’re
supposed to send three more Zaltule to the council chambers to represent us,”
added Gareth. “Darthu was very specific in his instructions as to that point.”

“I have chosen
three warriors,” responded Harmock, folding his large black arms over his
powerful chest. “I will also send a personal message to Xatul assuring him the
warrior caste accepts him as the Supreme Overlord of the Kleese.”

“The Zaltule
should rule,” spoke Gareth, harshly. “It is our right!”

“In time,”
responded Harmock. “When our numbers are large enough and the fleet has been
greatly expanded, our time will come.”

Harmock also
wanted to speak to Xatul about these Humans. He wasn’t foolish enough to go
down to the surface and enter the council chambers, not after what Darthu had
told him had occurred there. He would stay aboard the Warrior’s Fire and use
the communications equipment. While it was distasteful to speak to another Overlord
in that manner, it was the expedient and safe thing to do.

-

Two weeks
later, Harmock looked at the many viewscreens in the Command Center. They were in orbit around the largest of the new shipyards that had been built to
provide new Zaltule warships. His flagship had just completed some necessary
repairs and updates in one of the numerous repair and construction bays, which
covered the massive structure. Kaluse had personally overseen the work being
done to the Warrior’s Fire and assured the War Overlord the ship was more
powerful than before.

“The fleet is
gathering,” reported Minor Overlord Gareth. “It will shortly be time for us to
begin our journey to the Human system.”

“One thousand
ships,” Harmock responded as he looked at the numerous three kilometer disk
ships that were showing on the viewscreens. “All of these ships have been
updated and have the newest weapons and reinforced energy screens. We will
crush these Human vermin, and once that has been done this pitiful Alliance of theirs will crumble.”

“We will
eliminate every member of this upstart race,” Gareth spoke his multifaceted
eyes growing wider. “Humans will be a thing of the past and an abject lesson to
others who might dare to oppose us.”

“With the
destruction of the Humans, the other nonaligned worlds will quickly fall into
line and become part of the Empire,” Harmock predicted. “We’ll solidify our
hold upon the Empire and then perhaps it will be time to return and deal with
the council.”

“The warriors
from the first hatchings should be ready by then,” added Gareth. “They will add
greatly to our numbers.”

Harmock
nodded. Xatul could rule for now, but someday that would change and Harmock
would take his place as the Supreme Overlord of the Kleese. His eyes returned
to the main viewscreen where a squadron of black warships was maneuvering into
position near the flagship. Soon the Humans would know the wrath of the
Zaltule.

-

Fleet Admiral
Kelly was aboard the Armageddon watching as the first of the four new heavy
battlecruisers exited the large airlock on Vesta that led to the spacedock.
After six long months, his four new warships were finally finished.

“They’re
huge!” spoke Commander Kevin Makita as he watched the Star Fury begin to climb
up into orbit.

“The most
powerful ships we’ve ever built,” Thomas replied as he gazed at the new
warship. “They will add a lot of firepower to our fleet.”

“Eighth
Fleet,” stated Makita. “There was a time when I never expected to see that.”

“Admiral
Madison Layton will be the commander of Eighth Fleet,” added Kelly as he
watched the next heavy battlecruiser exited the airlock. This one was the London and the two behind it were the New York and the Freedom.

“We’re
assigning twenty Delton battlecruisers, twenty-four light cruisers, and forty
assault ships to the fleet,” Kelly informed Makita. “This fleet will be our
heavy hitter.”

“I’ve also
given Fleet Commander Achlyn command of Ninth Fleet. It will consist of the
remaining fifty-five Delton battlecruisers as well as eighty assault ships.
Achlyn is used to commanding a large fleet and I believe he is fully capable of
handling Ninth Fleet.”

“It will be
interesting to see the Delton battlecruisers in combat,” Commander Makita said.
“With the new technology we’ve received from the Alliance we’ve greatly enhanced
their energy shields and they now have the new multi warhead antimatter
missiles.”

“With
forty-megaton warheads,” grinned Thomas. “I imagine that will be quite a shock
to the Kleese if they ever attack us here in the solar system again.”

Makita was
silent for a moment before turning and looking intently at the Fleet Admiral.
“What do you think the chances are of another attack?”

“One hundred
percent,” responded Thomas, arching his eyebrows in concern. “I’m surprised
they haven’t already. Our Kleese captive was very adamant that the Zaltule will
soon attack us after what happened at Pradel.”

On the main
viewscreen, the four heavy battlecruisers had now moved into a diamond
formation and were ready to commence their shakedown cruise. They would spend a
week in the solar system, checking out weapons systems before taking a short
trip to Alpha Centauri and back. If everything checked out then the Delton
battlecruisers, the light cruisers, and the assault ships would join them and
Eighth Fleet would officially come into being.

Fleet Admiral
Kelly leaned back in his command chair with a heavy sigh. “We’ve spent years
beefing up the defenses in the solar system,” he said, addressing Makita. “I’ve
seen the reports from the battle in the Pradel system. If the Zaltule had been
willing to risk losing most of their fleet, they could have seriously damaged
the Alliance fleet, possibly even destroyed it. It’s obvious from the battle
footage I’ve watched that they were taken my surprise by the forces committed
to defending the system. That won’t be the case next time.”

“Other than
the Strell, the Kleese have never fought a determined enemy,” said Makita.

“Well, they
have one now,” Thomas responded.

Makita gazed
at one of the viewscreens showing Vesta. “It’s strange knowing Mason Randle is
no longer president. If not for him, none of us would be here.”

“President
Steward will be an excellent leader,” replied Thomas. He also felt great
sadness at Randle stepping down. “I spoke to President Randle several times and
he indicated Steward is fully capable of filling his shoes.”

On the main
viewscreen, the four heavy battlecruisers began to move off and away from
Vesta. Thomas watched them, feeling a little jealous. He could've taken one of
the ships as his new flagship but felt keeping the four powerful vessels
together was the prudent thing to do. Those four ships were designed with one
purpose in mind, to be able to destroy Kleese warships.

“Take us back
to Centerpoint,” he ordered as the new battlecruisers dwindled on the viewscreen
until they finally disappeared. “I need to meet with General Mitchell about the
upcoming war games we have planned.” He watched another viewscreen as Vesta
slowly receded. His job as Fleet Admiral never ended. There was so much to do
to ensure the system stayed safe. He just prayed they were ready when the
Kleese did attack again.

-

Major Stevens
had just returned from the Moon where he'd been visiting with his old friend
Captain Samuel Griffith. Sam was in charge of a full marine company in Type Two
battlesuits assigned to defend one of the major domed habitats. It'd been a
pleasant visit getting to see Sam, his wife Margaret, and their three kids.
Being with them for a few days made the war seem so far away. It reminded him
that it was still possible to live a normal and productive life.

Reaching the
training dome, he entered and soon made his way to the Command Center where he knew he would find Major Winfrey. As he expected, the major was busy watching
another platoon work their way slowly up Charring Mountain.

“How many does
that make?” he asked, sitting down next to Dylan.

“Once this
group is finished training, we’ll have five full companies ready to deploy.”

Even as Mark
watched the multiple viewscreens, which showed every view imaginable of Charring Mountain, three of the metal encased marines were knocked down by popup stunners.

“Must be a new
group,” he commented.

“Only their
second week of training,” Dylan informed him as he reached forward and changed
the settings on some of the popups. Since Ryan had conquered Charring on his
second attempt, he'd made certain no one else could duplicate the stunt that
Ryan had pulled off.

“I’m taking
two companies with me to Lanolth next week,” Mark said. “The Defender and
Crimson Star are being deployed and we’re going to make a tour of the current Alliance worlds to demonstrate the capabilities of our Space Marines. Hyram Blake is going
along in the Distant Star with a large contingent of negotiators. They’re
hoping the show of force will help to encourage several other worlds to join
the Alliance. A number have been invited to attend the demonstrations.”

“I hope you’re
successful,” responded Dylan, looking away from the viewscreens. The platoon
was moving up the steep slope again and it would be another minute or two
before they reached the next set of popups. “Fourteen systems plus us isn’t a
lot to stand up against the entire Kleese Empire.

“It’s enough
to give them pause,” replied Mark, glancing over at Dylan. “If we can build up
the Alliance strong enough there is some hope the Kleese might come to a new
agreement, which would leave us in peace. At least Marken believes it’s
possible.”

“The Kiveans
always seem to have a positive attitude toward things,” Dylan stated as he
turned his gaze back to the viewscreens. Any moment now and the next set of
popups would fire on the advancing marines.

“Their
technology saved a lot of lives when they first came to the solar system,” Mark
stated as he saw the marines on the viewscreen leap for cover as the popups
opened fire.

Dylan nodded.
He wondered what future history would say about these times. He just hoped
there was a future history. Looking at the screens, he saw two more marines go
down. With a wicked smile, he leaned forward and changed the popup settings
once more.

-

Ryan was
watching the happy look on Casey’s face as she floated on twin wings in the
gentle warm air of Luna City. The group had gone astro gliding and had already
spent several hours experiencing the wondrous feeling of flying through the
air. Rios swooped by Ryan with a slight wave of his hand as he dove down and
then drifted back up on the artificial thermals, which the park generated. Rios
was by far the most talented at this sport and could stay in the air the
longest.

For the last
few months, Ryan had gone out with Casey a number of times but always with
Lauren and Alexander tagging along. Ryan strongly suspected Lauren was ensuring
Casey didn’t get lost in her new found femininity. The girls were always going
clothes shopping and Ryan couldn’t get over how gorgeous Casey looked in some
of the outfits Lauren picked out for her. He also suspected Lauren was being
careful to make sure Casey didn’t get carried away with her newly discovered
female charms. Today, Mary had come along and Ryan wasn’t too surprised to see
she was dressed a little more risqué than normal. No doubt the result of
Lauren’s influence on the female clones in his platoon.

Ryan caught a
thermal and floated back up. He was rapidly getting the hang of astro gliding
and was really enjoying the afternoon. Looking down, he saw both Casey and Mary
were going in for a landing. The girls were probably getting a little tired

“You need to
switch to the intermediate level of wings,” called out Rios as he flew by. He
did a quick dive and then shot nearly straight up before leveling out a few
dozen meters away.

Ryan knew Rios
was wearing a pro set of wings that one could only get after passing rigorous
tests by the instructors who operated the Astro Park. Each level of wings gave
the wearer more control and the ability to do more maneuvers. Looking down,
Ryan saw Casey and Mary had removed their wings and seemed to be arguing with
several men who had walked up to them. He didn’t like the look of things and
quickly adjusted his flight path to take him to the ground.

He had nearly
reached the ground when he saw one of the two men push Casey, knocking her
down. Ryan was unbuckling the harness to his wings as soon as his feet touched
the grass of the Astro Park. He heard a swishing noise behind him and saw both
Lauren and Alexander were also coming in for a landing.

Ryan dropped
his wings and rushed over to where Casey was lying on the thick grass. “What’s
going on here!” he demanded, reaching for Casey’s hand and helping her up.

“Well, what do
we have here?” sneered the larger of the two men. “Another cloney lover? Can’t
find yourself a real woman?”