The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (98 page)

An excited murmur rippled through the
audience. After things quieted, Richard continued. “The Beowulf has
decided to follow a strategy conceived in the Lower Worlds of men
that up to this day has not been widely practiced by the sons of
the gods. It is a game where the mice seek to destroy the cat. Will
it be dangerous? Yes! Deadly! As it proved to be in my world of
old, so it may well come to pass here. Yet, if successful, we may
cripple the Beast...”

A tear trickled down Richard’s cheek.
“Recently my people fought a horrendous war in the Worlds Below. As
that world went mad, thousands of men took to the seas in iron
coffins to fight the enemy from beneath the oceans’ waters. Over
half of those shipping aboard those denizens of the deep never
returned to home or lover. Yet what they accomplished from their
silent tombs nearly brought the world of my day to its knees. My
former countrymen, alone, managed to nearly decimate the enemy’s
merchant shipping until a very powerful ally joined with it,
bringing the might of the planet’s greatest power ever seen into
action against us.”

He smiled grimly. “Those monsters of iron
and steel were cramped and uncomfortable but, oh, so deadly! They
would hunt their prey singly or in groups. The Navy of my country
called their hunting a ‘wolf pack’ because of the way they would
gather together to attack the enemy when traveling in convoys. Not
only did those brave crews destroy thousands of tonnes of shipping,
their actions forced the enemy to expend vast amounts of resources
and men to check their hand. When measured against their successes,
the loss of those submarine crews was a small price to be
paid.”

“So!” Richard sadly sighed. “It has been
decided that the WolfPack Marauder shall find a new life in these
Worlds of the Gods. Already, small merchantmen, howkers, colliers,
and the like are being fitted out for deep space combat. Like the
submariners of my day, our people will take to the decks of these
tiny ships and sail off into the unknown on the merciless hunt.
Deep into the belly of the Beast will our brave sojourners go,
taking the war to our enemy’s doorstep. His city’s they will
harass, and his shipping they will rip asunder.”

Richard became silent as his face clouded in
consternation, the room becoming as still. He concluded, choking
out the words,

“
Brave is the sailor who goes to his death

With determined smile as he cries,

See! I am become the spear and, in my
destruction,

Shall I shake all the worlds of men.

Pray for the day, for the night I shall haunt.

Your worlds I shall burn, my breath a blazing
fire.

Fear not storm or the tempest,

For merciful they shall be when compared to my
rage.

Fear me!”

Wiping a hand across his face, Richard
turned to Sarah, who slowly nodded her approval. He offered a quiet
acknowledgement and returned to his seat.

Sarah clasped her hands, looking out at the
people with resignation, frowning sadly. “Please excuse my friend.
He knows too well the sacrifices one will make who sails in our
WolfPack Marauder ‘U-Boats’. The chance a brave crew has of
returning to home and hearth is slight at best when war comes.
There will be no rescue ships searching the wreckage for lost
comrades when their boats are torn asunder in the cold of dark
space, or wrecked upon some deserted planet in an unknown star
system. My friend, Richard, watched a brother and two cousins walk
down the gangplanks into those beasts of destruction, never to see
them return. He knows such a fate awaits many of those taking to
the skies on similar missions in this coming war.”

She stood tall, grim resolve showing on her
face. “Already the black sparrow calls out to those willing to
drink the hemlock. Many of your wildest siblings are even now
gathering themselves to the coming storm. The ranks of the Beowulf
are swelling with those seeking revenge for Satan’s atrocities
committed against your kind!”

Sarah clenched her fists in anger, quietly
seething, remembering her own days of slavery in the whoremaster’s
house.
“I will grant them their wish! We shall rain blood and
fire down upon this world until the Great and Fear Inspiring Day
comes to its finish!”

The astounded audience watched in stunned
silence as the Centurion General quietly made her way into the
shadows. So this was the Gravemaker, Shadow Walker with a grudge,
with a passion to rip apart their world, seeking to rid herself of
long remembered demons, the woman’s zeal for absolution only
matched by her desire for vengeance. Good it was that Mother had
declared this child holy else they would have believed a devilish
spawn was risen before them.

Motioning to Trisha, Gabrielle quickly took
up the conversation, settling the crowd. “Allow me, please, to
present to you our strategy that will eventually win for us this
coming war.”

The rustling murmurs slowly subsided,
Gabrielle waiting until the room was again quiet. With Trisha at
her side, she explained, “Code-named ‘Operation Triphammer’… after
the giant forging machines used long ago in our field marshal’s
world… we intend to stretch our enemy thin as he gobbles up our
universe. Then, with the wolves and stinging wasps biting on rear
and flank, we shall release the hammer, bringing all our might down
on a very weary and surprised enemy.”

Taking Trisha’s hand and lifting it,
Gabrielle smiled. “Allow me, please, to permit our field marshal,
ElaiaKallos, to provide you with additional information.”

Trisha blushed, her eyes thanking Gabrielle
for being so kind. She began, the reassuring power of a commander
echoing in her voice. “Our objective when war comes is complete
victory, with our enemy being driven from this realm! First,
though, we must survive his coming onslaught… one that is assured.
We intend to accomplish this through the three-pronged strategy
called Operation Triphammer.”

The excitement gradually grew in Trisha’s
voice as she continued to speak, her body language also expressing
it. “First! When the moment is opportune, our king, Mihai, will
declare war on the League of Brothers.”

This revelation was a shock to the ears of
those hearing it. Never in all the history of the Children’s Empire
had
they
advanced the initiative to bring war upon their
worlds!

Trisha grinned. “
Yes!
We believe that
Asotos will be as surprised, possibly more so, seeing such a thing
has never before been done. A move this bold on our part will prove
troubling at best, but it is also hoped that the miscreant will be
forced to take action against his adversary before he has fully
prepared to do so. His rigid command structure is not conducive to
swift countermeasures for the unexpected. The temporary confusion
created by our king’s actions will afford us the opportunity to
advance the second and third parts of Operation Triphammer before
our enemy has gathered his full might against us.”

Trisha’s next comment sent shock waves
through the room. “The second stage of Operation Triphammer is the
invasion of MueoPoros...” When things quieted ,she explained,
“Preparations are already underway for the full-scale invasion of
this planet. As was mentioned earlier, we must maintain the
security of Eden’s Gate at any and all costs. MueoPoros is only two
days’ running from the Gate, its capital city, Memphis, once called
the ‘Gateway City’, it being the port of destination for those
traveling to or from that portal.”

“Through murder and deceit, Asotos stole
that planet from us long ago, first by Legion’s butchery at
Memphis. Then, through extensive military campaigns, he obtained
the capture of the lesser districts. Countless have been the times
our brothers and sisters have attempted to wrest Memphis away from
Legion, he turning it into his capital, and countless times have we
failed. Well,
let him have Memphis!
It is no longer of any
value to the Children’s Empire...”

Again the crowd went into a tumult, Trisha
waiting for the room to quiet. “Far to the west lies the
PrasiaOdous Mountain Range. Not only are the mountains filled with
expansive natural caverns, Command believes the rock from which the
mountains are made will mine easily, affording us rapidly built
shelter for our military, including Navy shipping. When our
invasion fleets appear on the horizon, Legion will believe that our
intent is to recapture Memphis, thus leaving the PrasiaOdous
Mountains undefended. Once we have a hold on those mountains, we
will have depots close enough to easily provision any fleet
securing Eden’s Gate.”

“To build an invasion fleet of the
proportions necessary, we will have to weaken our military strength
in other places. The enemy will expect us to do this, but… this is
what we want the enemy to expect. Our removal of forces from other
parts of our Empire to carry out the MueoPoros Campaign will cover
up the
cocking of the hammer
.”

She lifted her arm slowly. “The weight of
the forge hammer is what smashes the heated iron, but first the
hammer must be lifted in order for it to deliver the blow. We must
do the same if we are to defeat our enemy.”

Looking into Gabrielle’s face, Trisha
continued. “It has been decided that, under the pretense of
supplying our MueoPoros Campaign, we will withdraw our military
machine to deep within our territories, and to our indispensable
jump portals. Already the dismantling of manufacturing, food
processing and other essential industries in endangered colonies
has begun. The
machine
, my friends, is worth far more than
all its parts. The
machine
must remain intact, should all
the other parts be dissolved.”

“The Navy, Marines, Beowulf and our other
allies will attempt to protect our weakened colonies. But when it
is obvious that it can no longer be accomplished successfully,
those territories will be abandoned to their fate. When that
becomes the case, all cities, storage facilities, farms,
warehouses, supply depots, food supplies, and every other aspect of
civilization on those planets will be extirpated.”

Sighs and sad groans rose from the
assemblage. Many were the tears as the people gave thought to the
beautiful worlds they and their fellows had created being crushed
and burned into oblivion. This was not the war they were expecting,
could even comprehend! Oh, yes, wars like this were common in the
Realms Below, the world that Trisha and her kind came from, but to
deliver such destruction here? Some of these colonial cities were
thousands of millennia old, their theaters, works of art, and very
structures almost sacred to the children. These were the
immortal
works of their own hands, works expected to last
forever… or at least in their minds to do so.

Seeing a falling countenance reflected on
many faces, Gabrielle spoke up. “Please, listen. It is for good
reason that such decisions have been made. Our objective must be to
deny the enemy the luxury of the fruits of our labors. Trust me in
this. I have secreted myself beyond the boundaries of our Empire
into the worlds of the rebellious ones. It is a dismal place, I
assure you. Food is sufficient, if one choose to eat oats and
barley with rations of grizzly meat. People labor all day in
sacrifice to the gods of war your evil brother has created. Those
who languish under the yoke of Asotos’ task-masters eye, with
yearning, our larders filled with sweet butters and creamy cheeses,
our wine cellars bursting with intoxicating drink, and our fattened
cattle.”

“Yes! Like ravenous wolves after a cold,
bitter winter, they long for our riches. This our enemy knows all
too well, and he has promised them great spoil should they defeat
us. Their passion for the fight, to bring war against us, is to
fill hungry bellies and steal our
hoarded
treasures. Like
the living dead, they will swarm ever onward to satisfy their
insatiable thirst, drinking up the blood of our labors until
nothing of ours remains.”

She took Trisha’s hand, squeezing it. “It is
for this reason that we must lay waste to our worlds. We must steal
the blood so that our enemy will starve, their passions waning for
the fight. We must leave no vine or fig tree for them to luxuriate
under, no shelter to protect them from the blazing heat or driving
rains. Charred warehouses, burnt cities, and bloated cattle must be
the reward for their lecherous actions. If we are to win this
upcoming war, then the invader must be greeted by cindered
ruination, poisoned springs, and hopeless desolation.”

Gabrielle added a tiny piece of consolation.
“We do not intend to abandon our brothers to such desperate
despair! Already, arrangements are begun to provide escape to safe
harbor for all who wish it. It will be only for a moment, and then
the evil shall pass. Then, if they should choose, our brothers and
sisters, with their souls as a reward, can return to those ruined
worlds and build anew better and even more resplendent cities and
works of arts.”

Smooth and soothing are the words of a
healer-songstress, and none were better than Gabrielle. She went on
in word and prose, crooning with the passion of a maiden longing
for her lover’s touch, to describe the future of their world when
evil was gone forever. The woman managed to lift the spirits of the
weariest of souls. Soon her magic had calmed desperate hearts,
filling them with a desire for the coming future days.

In time, Trisha again took up the
conversation. “History reveals that the enemy’s strategy is sit
back silently, pretending to avoid any conflict by negotiating a
settlement while quietly stationing his players on the board. Then,
when the moment is right for him, his armies of ruination will be
unleashed, striking fast, hard and ruthlessly. The actions seen at
the Prisoner Exchange, as well as related reports regarding his
current activities, suggest that this is also being applied to his
present method of operation.”