Galactic Empire Wars 2: Emergence (32 page)

“But many of
our scientists, technicians, and the young people at the university would
survive,” added another, accepting the truth. “Our people will be able to live
free of the Kleese and perhaps play a crucial part in their eventual
destruction.”

“We have no
lives now under the Kleese,” Carlton pointed out with a heavy sigh. “Our race
would have been gone in a few more generations; at least this way our people
will survive.” Carlton then turned to look poignantly at Marken. “There was no
way you could know what the Kleese would do to Kivea after you staged your
revolt. Don’t let that weigh on your conscious. We will do everything we can to
aid in the evacuation. Just tell us what you need, and we’ll help.”

“Thank you,”
replied Marken, feeling relieved. “We need to move quickly as the Kleese could
return with a warfleet at any time.”

-

For the next
few days, shuttles rose up from Kivea at a frantic rate. Kivean ships at the
space station were reactivated and supplied. Across the city, Kivean scientists
and technicians gathered their families and reported to the spaceport to be
evacuated. They were joined by nearly twelve thousand young people from the
university and some of their families that lived in Micene and the surrounding
area. Ships were packed as full as possible with some Kiveans even being put on
the Human warships so more could be taken. At the end of three days, slightly
over seventy-five thousand Kiveans were safely in the orbiting ships.

-

“We’re
leaving,” Marken told the assembled Kivean leaders as he met with them one
final time. “The Humans will protect our people, and someday we will return to
Kivea to make it ours once more.”

“You have done
the right thing, Marken,” Carton spoke with a slight nod. “While life here on
Kivea will shortly be coming to an end, it will begin anew with those that are
going with you.”

“In time, we
will avenge what the Kleese have done to our world,” Marken promised in a
solemn voice. “The Kleese have no idea what the Humans are capable of,
particularly with our scientific help. I just wish we could have saved more.”

“You have
saved enough,” replied Carlton and several others nodded in agreement. “Now go
and guide our people. You're their leader now and I'm certain you will do what
is best.”

Marken nodded
and turning left the meeting chamber where the last Kivean leaders stood
silently watching him depart. He felt a huge loss in his heart knowing that,
very shortly, the only Kiveans left living would be those in the fleet and the
ones back in the Humans' star system.

Carlton looked gravely around at his fellow Kiveans. “Let us go home and spend these final
hours with our families, knowing that the Kivean race will go on, though not on
Kivea.”

-

Colonel
Adamson watched impatiently as Marken’s shuttle docked with the Rising Sun.
Marken had decided to move his quarters over to the large passenger liner to be
with his people. His thoughts were interrupted as a warning alarm went off on
the main sensor console.

“We have
Kleese ships dropping out of Fold Space at four million kilometers,” reported
Lieutenant Saur.

“Composition!”
demanded Major Kelly, striding over to the sensor console to gaze over Saur’s
shoulder at the incoming sensor data.

“Eight Kleese
mother ships and they’re beginning to deploy their assault ships,” replied Saur,
looking up at the major anxiously. “The Kleese assault ships are accelerating
and jumping into Fold Space as soon as they exit the mother ships’ flight bays.

“Two hundred
and forty assault ships,” Kelly said, looking back at Colonel Adamson
meaningfully. “I don’t think we can handle that many.”

Colonel
Adamson switched to his ship-to-ship communications knowing it was time to
depart. “All ships set Condition One and prepare to enter Fold Space. The
Kleese are here and we’re leaving!”

“We have
confirmations coming in from the other ships,” reported Ensign Travers as she
gazed nervously at the growing number of red threat icons now appearing on the
main tactical screen.

“Ensign
Martin, link all ships to the Constellation,” ordered Adamson. “We’ll enter
Fold Space together.”

“Five minutes
to set up the link,” Martin replied as his hands flew deftly over his console.
“It’s taking longer because of the Kivean ships we've added; their computers
and ours are slightly different.”

“Set us up in
defensive formation Delta Three,” ordered Adamson, seeing the increased
activity in the Command Center due to the Kleese arrival. This would put the
battlecruisers and the light cruisers in between the approaching Kleese and the
civilian ships. The twenty-four assault ships would be on the perimeter of the
civilians ensuring no enemy ship or weapons fire got through. The Crimson Star
would be responsible for coordinating the defense of the civilian ships.

“Ships are
moving now,” Major Kelly reported as he eyed the tactical screen nervously as
the Human fleet moved into its defensive formation. Some of the Kleese assault
ships were going to reach the fleet before they could jump to the safety of Fold
Space.

“Stand by to
fire!” ordered Colonel Adamson, gripping the armrests on his command chair.
This was going to be close.

“Assault ships
in range!” Lieutenant Saur warned breathlessly as the ships began dropping out
of Fold Space.

“Fire!”
ordered Adamson his eyes focused on the tactical screen as well as several of
the large viewscreens close by.

“Firing,” responded
Lieutenant Reyes as he began launching sublight antimatter missiles. They were
fast, nearly undetectable, and deadly to assault ships. Reyes knew that they
were the best option the fleet had to hold off the inbound ships for the few
precious minutes they needed until they could enter the safety of Fold Space.

On the main
viewscreens, numerous explosions began going off in space, signifying
antimatter hits. Both battlecruisers and the eight light cruisers were
launching the deadly missiles in sprint mode, filling space with the deadly
missiles.

“Kleese
assault ships are firing,” Saur reported as more warning alarms went off on her
sensor console.

The
Constellation shook violently and the lights dimmed briefly.

“Antimatter
hit to the energy screen,” Major Kelly reported. “It’s holding at seventy
percent.”

“We’ve taken
out six of their assault ships,” Lieutenant Saur reported as she watched the
sensor data coming in over her screens. “Mother ships have entered Fold Space!”

“Nearly ready
to activate the Fold Space Drive,” reported Ensign Martin as he tied the last
few Kivean ships into the Constellation’s helm system.

Major Kelly
was breathing rapidly as he hovered over Tactical directing the firing of the
ships’ weapons. Barely a minute had passed when he saw a bright light cover the
main viewscreen.

“Light cruiser
Vincent is down,” Lieutenant Saur reported suddenly as the friendly green icon
swelled up and disappeared. “She was hit by multiple antimatter missiles.
“Mother ships are nearly in engagement range!”

“Ready to
enter Fold Space!” yelled Ensign Martin.

“Do it!”
ordered Adamson, seeing the mother ships drop out of Fold Space just a few
thousand kilometers from the fleet. “Get us out of here!”

Almost
instantly, the entire fleet jumped into Fold Space just as the Kleese mother
ships fired hundreds of sublight missiles. They passed harmlessly through the
area the fleet had just occupied.

Colonel
Adamson breathed out a long sigh of relief. That was close. Another few moments
and he could've lost a significant part of the fleet. “Continue to accelerate,
and take us to our emergency coordinates. We’ll check for any damage the fleet
received during the brief battle and then we'll set a course for home.”

-

The Kleese
fleet went into orbit over Kivea. As soon as they made an appearance, the two
groups of Kleese that were hiding in their deep underground bunkers begin
demanding to be rescued. However, orders from the Council of Overlords recently
had made it clear what was to be done with Kleese that failed in their duties
to the Empire.

From the eight
Kleese exploration ships, sublight antimatter missiles began raining down upon
Kivea. The city of Micene vanished as four twenty-megaton explosions destroyed
the city. Other missiles fell on the surrounding countryside. Once satisfied
that the habitable area had been annihilated the Kleese fleet slowly circled
the planet, continuing to rain down a hail of destruction. After an hour, the
planet’s atmosphere began to turn an unhealthy brown and all life on Kivea ceased
to be.

Admiral Rivers
gazed at the latest system they were planning to attack. This would be the
eighth Strell system since they'd arrived in the contested area between the two
Galactic Empires.

“Status?” he
asked, looking over at Lieutenant Hertz at the sensor console. A few hours
back, one of Fourth Fleet’s assault ships had entered the system, taken some
quick scans and then returned. Rivers had begun using this tactic as it only
risked one ship and not the entire fleet.

“Half a dozen cargo
ships showing on the sensors,” Hertz replied as she checked the incoming data.
“No changes since the assault ship jumped back.”

“You would've
thought that by now the Strell would have sent some warships to reinforce the
garrisons they've placed on these planets,” Colonel Greerman commented his brow
creased in a frown. “If we were in their shoes, we would have.”

“It is
strange,” Rivers admitted as he watched the data coming up on the tactical
screen. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of Kleese exploration ships the
last few weeks above the worlds they control. Something seems to be going on.
That seems to indicate there has been some type of communication between the
Kleese and the Strell. I’m guessing the Strell have been demanding an
explanation for the attacks on their worlds, and the increase in mother ships
is the Kleese's response to a possible hostile situation.”

“Should we
send in the attack?” Greerman asked. The fleet was on the outskirts of the
system attempting to avoid any sensor scans from the target planet.

“Send in the
assault ships,” Rivers ordered, ready to get this attack started. If they could
keep ramping up the tension between the Strell and the Kleese, it was only a
matter of time before armed conflict broke out between the two Empires. “Inform
the Fire Fox they’re to hold back until we confirm there’re no threats to our
fleet units.” This was another precaution that Rivers had started taking. The
Fire Fox was obviously not a Kleese ship, and in the most recent attacks, they
had held the large marine transport back until the assault ships signaled the
all clear.

“Assault ships
entering Fold Space,” Ensign Hertz reported as the ships accelerated and soon
vanished from her sensor screen.

-

The ten
assault ships dropped out of Fold Space fifty thousand kilometers from their
target. The planet was a blue and white globe that looked from space much as
Earth once had. The ships quickly took up orbits above their designated targets
and then waited. If there was no military response in the next hour, they'd
begin sending down the drop ships and call in the Fire Fox.

The Human
assault ships had only been in orbit for twenty minutes when their sensor
alarms began going off. The crews were already at Condition One, and they
watched their sensors in awe at what was appearing. At a distance of two
million kilometers, massive warships were dropping out of Fold Space. The ships
were a dark gray in color and nearly two kilometers long. They were one
thousand meters in diameter with curved hulls covered with weapon turrets and
small hatches that were obviously missile tubes. Even as the Human ships
watched, the hatches slid open and the weapon turrets began to turn toward the
assault ships. From their ship identification database, they knew these ships
were Strell warships.

Fortunately,
Admiral Rivers had considered this possibility. The assault ships quickly
formed up into a defensive formation and waited for the Strell ships to
advance. It wasn’t a long wait as the Strell ships quickly began to accelerate
toward the Human ships.

From the lead
Strell ship, came a demand for immediate surrender and an explanation as to why
Kleese ships were in violation of the neutrality treaty for this region of
space. They did not receive a response.

Major Leland
of the assault ship Tiberius was in charge of the ten Human ships and was
anxiously watching the approaching Strell ships. There was no doubt in his mind
that if those heavily armed ships got close enough just one of them could
annihilate his entire fleet.

“Standby to
launch sublight missiles,” he ordered in a calm voice, speaking to all the
tactical officers in his small fleet. “We will fire four each and then get the
hell out of here!” This was the opportunity they'd been seeking to ignite a war
between the two Galactic Empires. This would have to be timed almost to the
microsecond.

The Strell
ships entered extreme sublight missile range and on the main viewscreen of the
Tiberius, Major Leland could see the large weapons turrets pointed at his
fleet. He could wait no longer. If the Strell fired first and a ship was
seriously damaged or destroyed, it could compromise the entire mission.

“Fire!” he
ordered. Instantly, from all ten assault ships four deadly sublight antimatter
missiles launched. “Activate Fold Space Drives, now!” The entire intent of
this scenario was to make the Strell think that the Kleese had fired upon their
warships and then fled.

The Strell
ships were equipped with very advanced computers, which were tied in to the
defensive weapons systems. From the Strell ships defensive fire leaped out,
destroying thirty-two of the inbound missiles. Eight impacted the Strell
warships’ powerful screens, with only one missile actually causing any damage.
On the lead Strell ship, four antimatter missiles struck, weakening the shield
and allowing the last missile to burn a hole in the tough battle armor of the
ship’s hull. Multiple compartments were opened to space but more importantly,
several Strell were killed.

When the
Strell commander learned of the loss of life, he immediately sent a message
back to the nearest military outpost of the Strell Empire notifying it of the
Kleese attack. There was a very good possibility this attack would send the two
Empires to war. He was also highly aggravated that the Kleese assault ships had
escaped into Fold Space. Another few seconds and his fleet would have destroyed
them.

-

Upon
detecting the Strell ships, Admiral Rivers had sent the rest of Fourth Fleet to
their emergency rendezvous coordinates; the same location the fleeing assault
ships were heading toward. He had watched the brief engagement on the Independence’s tactical screen, satisfied that everything had gone as planned. Now the
fleet needed to set back and observe the results of today’s altercation. If the
Kleese and the Strell went to war, then Fourth Fleet could begin the long
journey back home. Nodding at Colonel Greerman, the Independence accelerated
into Fold Space and headed to join the rest of the fleet.

-

Captain
Stevens and Captain Winfrey had watched the arrival of the Strell ships from
inside the Command Center of the Fire Fox. After they entered Fold Space, Dylan
turned toward Mark with a curious look in his eyes.

“Is this it?
Have we started a war?” he asked

“Most likely,”
Mark answered with a slight nod of his head.

If they had,
then they would be returning home soon. He wondered if Lieutenant Griffith and
his wife would have a new baby by the time they got back. He was ready to
return home to find out and spend some quality time with his best friend. A
marine couldn’t survive on just war alone, he had to remember that he was Human
and there were other important things in life. Mark wondered if it was time for
him to consider settling down and building a new life for himself. It was a
decision he would make after they returned home.

-

Wade and Beth
were back in the New Eden habitat. The rescue fleet had returned home two days
ago. The return of the fleet had been broadcast on all of the major media
outlets, informing the public of the rescue of the Kiveans and the successful
return of the mission. They'd been treated like heroes when they disembarked at
Centerpoint Station.

“General
Mitchell promised us four weeks of uninterrupted leave,” Beth spoke with a
dreamy look in her eyes. “I promised Mom we would do some major shopping. It'll
be nice to get out of these military uniforms for a while. Mom says she knows
the perfect dress shop and there’s a fantastic shoe store right next to it.”

Wade laughed,
shaking his head. What was it with women and shoes? “You need to spend time
with your mom,” he said as they walked along the wide street, which cut
directly through the center of the city. “We’ve been gone for nearly ten
weeks.”

“What about
Ryan? How’s he doing at the military academy?”

“He’s doing
great!” answered Wade, recalling what his dad had told him earlier. “He passed
all of his classes for the first semester and is doing well in the second. My
dad feels pretty confident Ryan will end up being an officer.”

The two
entered one of the small parks that were so prevalent in the city. Tall trees,
fountains, green grass, and numerous walkways allowed visitors to briefly
forget about the hectic lives they lived. Wade could see several red Cardinals
in the nearby trees and even a few colorful butterflies flitting about around
the flowers carefully planted in small plots throughout the park. He took a
long breath, breathing in the sweet air.

They stopped
and sat down on a park bench, just enjoying each other’s company. There were a
few others in the park, but they paid little attention to the two military
officers. It wasn’t that uncommon to see people dressed in military uniforms
about. After all, they were at war.

Wade took
Beth’s hand and looked into her eyes. “So, what are your plans for the next few
weeks?”

Beth smiled
demurely and then leaned forward and kissed Wade passionately on the lips. She
drew back and smiled. “Some alone time with you, and I don’t mean at our
parent’s homes, either.”

Wade felt his
pulse begin to race. This leave might be something special. He put his arm
around Beth and pulled her close. “I think I can handle that,” he said with a
grin.

-

General
Mitchell was also on Vesta. He was currently in a massive secure research
facility that had recently been completed with the help of the Kiveans.

“So we’re
ready?” asked Mitchell, looking across the small conference table at Malton and
Crylia.

“The first
clones are already growing in the cloning chambers,” Malton responded with a
nod of his head. “We had some genetic material from your Human military, which
we used for the first ones.”

“We will be
revealing to the public shortly what we’re doing with the clones and asking
more people to donate DNA,” Cheryl Robinson informed the small group as she
tapped her right index finger on the table. “Once people understand how Human
the clones will be and how they will be used, I don’t think we’ll have any problems
getting people to donate their DNA. The procedure is quite simple and can be
done at almost any doctor’s office or medical center.”

“How many
clones have been started?” asked Mitchell, looking over at Crylia.

“Six hundred
so far,” she replied, studying some data on a computer pad. “They will serve as
a test group to ensure we have done everything correctly in building the
cloning chambers. We’ll monitor them for a few months and as soon as we’re
satisfied that the chambers are working properly we will begin adding more.
With the help of some of the Kiveans that came back with Marken we should have
no problem having ten thousand cloning chambers in operation by the end of six
months and twenty thousand in a year.”

General
Mitchell nodded. This was his new military they were talking about. If Admiral
Rivers was successful in creating a heightened state of tension between the
Kleese and the Strell, then they might just have the time needed to get the
clones trained and ready for combat.

“Let me know
if you need anything else,” he said as stood up to leave. “Colonel Bailey will
be making regular inspections of the cloning facility and be responsible for
its security.”

As he stepped
out of the conference room, General Mitchell couldn’t help but wonder if they
were doing the right thing. Creating people to serve in combat sounded highly
unethical, and in some ways reminded him of what the Kleese did with the
conscripts they took from various planets. However, there would be one major
difference, he reminded himself; they would give the clones a choice as to what
they wanted to do with their lives.

-

In the heart
of the Kleese Empire upon the cold and desolate world that served as their
capital, the Kleese Council of Overlords was meeting once more. This meeting
had been more volatile than previous ones as major events had occurred both
inside the Empire and in the neutral area between the Strell and the Kleese
Empires.

“Two of our
trading worlds attacked by the Strell and they've put large garrisons on both,”
Raluth spoke in an agitated voice, his multifaceted eyes looking angrily at
Xatul the Supreme Overlord. “I knew these false accusations by the Strell of us
attacking their trading worlds were only a pretense for them taking aggressive
action against us!”

“We must
respond in kind,” demanded Martule. “If not, they'll take over all of the
worlds in the neutral area. We cannot allow that to happen.”

“We've already
sent more exploration ships to protect our interests,” Xatul quickly pointed
out. “So far there have been no actual battles between our ships and theirs.
The systems they invaded contained only small conscript garrisons.”

“For now!”
proclaimed Raluth, loudly. “We must strike back before the Strell invade our
Empire with their ships.”

“What about
the Humans?” asked Hymtal, shuffling uneasily upon his six double-jointed legs.
“They have taken the Kivean scientists from Kivea.”

“They are a
minor nuisance compared to the Strell,” spoke Raluth, glaring at Hymtal.