Homeworld: A Military Science Fiction Novel (21 page)

Technical Support

“Are you sure this necessary?” First Warlord Sattar hissed, showing his razor sharp fangs and extending his claws. Admiral Casa found himself wishing he was armed as he stood between the First Warlord of the Darian fleet and Dalen, the Gener technician, who was busy upgrading Casa’s flag ship the Athena’s sensor and fire control capabilities. The Gener’s services had come with a heavy price and if the Darian gave into his disgust and attacked the Gener technician, Earth could have a whole new war on its hands.

First Warlord Sattar had come aboard to discuss the battle plan for their joint attack on the Coalition forces occupying Earth. Casa hadn’t thought anything of the Gener’s presence, as he had gotten used to having him on board months ago but when Sattar arrived on his bridge he had nearly gone berserk with rage at the sight of Dalen. Dalen, for his part, had just kept working, which almost surprised Admiral Casa more than the First Warlord’s reaction.

Two armed security officers came quickly and stood behind their admiral. Casa thanked God they had been on the bridge at that exact moment or things may have gotten out of hand, as he had blocked the Darian’s path and tried to explain why the Gener was there.

“First Warlord Sattar, I ask that you understand I meant no disrespect by not telling you of Dalen’s presence aboard my craft. I am well aware of the history between your two people and I should have told you he was here assisting us upgrade our tactical capability.” Admiral Casa said in his calmest tone as he continued, “The truth of the matter is that our armada needs fresh intel reports on what has and is occurring in the Sol system we are about to jump into.” Admiral Casa paused as the imposing Darian closed his outer lids and inhaled and exhaled deeply all the while extending and retracting his claws.

“It is you who has my apologies Admiral Casa,” Sattar began when he opened his eyes. “The atrocities committed by the Gener race upon my people have not been forgotten. However, your assessment is correct. Their technology is superior to every other sentient race in known space. If you feel that you need such services, I will only warn you what you must already know if the Gener is on board your ship. Their assistance comes at a terribly high cost. My reaction was instinctual not rational and I assure you I will control myself while on your vessel. Please continue with what you were explaining to me.”

Admiral Casa was reassured that the Darian seemed in control of himself. With a wave of his hand, his security officers returned to their post as Casa resumed, “The only way that our combined fleets can get the intel they need is by sending scouting drones into the system but of course they would be destroyed as soon as they entered the Mars Null Point by Coalition forces. Dalen is here to upgrade our drone technology so that in the brief period of time before the drones are destroyed they can gather the necessary intelligence as our drones are not capable of retrieving the information and relaying it back through Null Space to us.” Admiral Casa finished.

First Warlord Sattar nodded and hissed, “Then has the Earth Republic formed an alliance with the Geners?”

“By no means,” answered Admiral Casa. “As you must know, they have remained neutral in all wars that they did not start. Dalen’s services come at an exorbitant price, I assure you. While their code of conduct unfortunately prevents them from selling their offensive and defensive technology, Dalen’s people are pretty much willing to sell anything else. Due to his services we are preparing to launch thousands of highly sophisticated artificially intelligent drones through the Null Point into Mars orbit.”

Casa paused to see if Sattar had any questions but when the Darian simply nodded, he continued, “After our combined might destroys the Coalition forces there, our own fleet will dispatch ground troops in support of the civilian resistance that has formed on the surface.” The admiral paused as the Darian grinned. “Even the civilians of your species are born to combat. That is admirable and it is admirable that you are willing to send precious ground forces to support them when they will no doubt be needed on your home world. I see I was informed correctly that your people do know the meaning of honor.”

Admiral Casa inclined his head at the compliment and Sattar uttered, “Please, Admiral Casa, continue.” Casa did so. “Well, from that point, we can contact the remnants of the Earth Republic on earth and have them disable the technology that prevents a Null Point from forming and engage the main Coalition Armada directly.”

“Admiral Casa, I inform you that my work here is complete. Further, I inform you that the drones are prepared and you will have the information you have need of once you make use of them,” Dalen interrupted as he glanced up from where he had been working.

“Thank you, Dalen, that is excellent news,” said Admiral Casa glancing from the Gener and back to the Darian who seemed to be trying to control himself again.

Dalen blinked once, as he looked at the First Warlord Sattar. “I also inform you that I will be returning to the temporary quarters you issued me, because I observe I am causing a distraction here,” Dalen said as he collected his tools of strange design and unknown purpose.

“Thank you, Dalen,” Casa motioned at the two security officers. “Jason, Andrew. . . Please escort him there.”

Dalen wisely gave Sattar a wide berth as he headed for the bridge’s lift with the security officers trailing on his heels.

Sattar seemed to calm noticeably once the Gener was off the bridge. Admiral Casa gestured towards the large Virtual Array of his ship. “First Warlord, if you would care to watch?” He inquired. In response, the Darian inclined his head. “That is kind of you, admiral. I would be pleased to do so.”

“All right, people, let’s see what’s on the other side. Launch the drones,” he ordered.

The Calvary Arrives

Captain Nolan of the Coalition Cruiser Isaac le Maire stood on board his bridge looking at a vid that gave him the latest casualty reports from the ground forces. There were many names of both craft and soldiers. “Damn the Martians and their stubborn refusal to surrender,” he seethed internally, but Coalition protocol did not allow for such outbursts even from a captain aboard his own bridge. So he simply handed the vid back to the ensign that had brought it to him and said brusquely, “That will be all, ensign, you are dismissed.” The ensign had saluted and given the required reply, “Sir, thank you, sir!” Then he returned to his duty station.

They could have turned the surface of the planet to a seething lake of magma by now but his orders were clear that Mars was to be maintained undamaged as a prize for the Coalition. “Prize indeed, more like a pain in my backside,” Nolan thought.

Over the last few days, they had lost nearly half of their ground forces to the guerilla tactics of the civilian population of Mars. It would not be long before he had the dubious honor of contacting Admiral Watkins and requesting additional forces. Considering the Republics new technology that kept the Mars to Earth Null Point from opening, at least he would have two weeks before the Admiral sent the forces, along with someone to execute him no doubt.” The thought unsettled Captain Nolan and he thought that it was high time for his afternoon tea.

“Commander Graham, I will be in my ready room. You have the bridge,” he had told his second in command as he turned and started walking away. He heard the call, “Sir, I have the bridge,” from the commander just as the doors to his ready room slid closed behind him.

He had been left in charge of the small battle group charged with securing the planet. The size of the battle group was kept small as it was assumed that the Earth Republic Fleet from the outlying worlds would, no doubt, Null directly to Earth in order to relieve it. If there was such an occurrence, he had orders to begin transit to Earth though, again, unless someone could quickly learn how to deactivate the technology that kept the Null Point from opening it would take them two weeks to arrive.

Captain Nolan poured himself a steaming cup of tea, dropped a cube of sugar, his own particular vice, into it, and began stirring it distractedly as he stared out the viewport that showed him the red surface of Mars. “If only we could pull our ground forces out and reduce this accursed planet to slag,” the captain muttered as he took his first sip of tea.

At that moment, violet light flared into a blaze that could rival a second sun and filled his ready room with its intensity. Temporarily blinded, Nolan dropped his tea cup and stumbled towards the bridge yelling out as soon as the doors slid open, “Report!” He was still blinking repeatedly trying to make the after image of the glow go away when he heard a subordinate’s yelled reply “Sir, they are drones, sir, and there are thousands of them. They appear to be of Gener origin. Sir”

“Weapons Officer, alert the fleet to fire at will. I want those drones destroyed!” the captain barked as he wondered why in the world the Gener’s were sending so many drones into Coalition controlled space now?”

Captain Nolan felt the satisfying thrum of his Ceramics firing. He did not know why the Gener’s were so interested in Mars and he didn’t really care, but he was not going to allow their offensive gesture of spying on Coalition affairs go unanswered.

“Sir, more Null Point are beginning to open, sir,” came the call from down the bridge.

“More probes? How many do they need to send?” Captain Nolan muttered aloud just before he heard a panic call from his Weapons Officer.

“Sir, I am detecting almost two hundred hostile craft. They are both Earth Republic and Darian ships. Sir, they are opening fire!” Those were the last words anyone on board the Isaac le Maire ever utter as the ship was turned into shrapnel by the thousands upon thousands of Ceramics filling the orbit around Mars.

Within two minutes, the only ships in orbit belonged to either the Darian Empire or the Earth Republic Fleet.

On board the Athena Admiral Casa ordered “Helmsman alert the ground forces designated for deployment that they are clear to depart and wish them Godspeed. Then recall the drones.

Com Officer,” Casa said turning to the young man who always strained his back sitting too straight in his chair trying to impress him, no doubt. “Please alert Earth Republic Command that we will be ready to assist them shortly and request that they deactivate the new technology.

Admiral Casa turned to First Warlord Sattar and said, “Thank you for agreeing to stay aboard the Athena for this assault. It was an honor to have you and I hope you don’t think it rude of me, but perhaps it is time to return to your own flag ship so that we may make the Null Jump into Earth orbit where the real fun awaits us?”

Sattar merely grinned and twitched his ears forward in a Darian sign of respect. “Your people fight well. It will be good to fight by your side. I thank you for this experience it has given me an insight into how your crews operate under combat conditions and I believe that experience will prove useful in the coming battle. Now if you will excuse me I will return to my ship. Perhaps sometime Admiral you would do me the honor of visiting her and witnessing how we Darian’s hunt our prey.”

Admiral Casa genuinely smiled at the idea. “I look forward to the day, First Warlord. Allow me to escort you to your transport.”

“Captain Campbell, you have the bridge,” called the admiral as he and the First Warlord Sattar headed for the lift.

First Glance of Home

Commander Pullman actually jumped, startled, as the Harrington’s alarm klaxons began to blare. They were tied to the massive Super Dreadnaught’s sensor array and programmed to self activate at any sign of activity inside the Earth Null Point.

“Battle stations!” he shouted, sprinting across the large bridge for his command chair. Pullman threw himself in the chair, calling up his personal tactical display on its arm.

“Incoming!” someone yelled.

The Null Point flared with a thousand tiny explosions of light.

“What the Hell. . .” Pullman said aloud.

“Drones, sir,” his Weapons Officer informed him. “They appear to be recon drones.”

Pullman cursed Admiral Watkins for sending Captain Burman planet side. “Open a channel to the fleet,” he ordered.

“Channel open, sir. You’re on,” his Communications Officer told him.

“This is the Harrington to all ships, take out those drones. Now!” Pullman screamed but from the speed the drones were moving, he knew it was too late. He called up a close sensor scan of one of the drones on his chair’s screen. Its energy output was a dead giveaway to its origin.

It was Gener technology.

Cursing, Pullman leapt to his feet, staring at the forward view screen as the Harrington’s Ceramics lashed out into the darkness turning hundreds of the drones into bits of charred, spinning metal. Being Gener tech, it was certain their job had been completed long before they were destroyed and all this effort on the part of his crew was just a show of following protocol.

Whatever Gener vessels had pumped them through the Null Point possessed keenly accurate scans of the fleet from the data the drones had already sent back to them but why would they want them? More importantly, how had they opened the Earth Null Point?

Pullman heard the admiral’s ready room doors swish open behind him as Admiral Watkins came raging out of it.

“What the devil is happening, Commander?” the Admiral spat at him and Pullman knew his career had just ended.

In truth, he would be lucky to live through the next few minutes.