When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (56 page)

             
The younger man pointed out the window to the empty platform
.“
That felt decidedly familiar. You planned on killing him the moment he opened his mouth, but you wanted to toy with him first. No one else was here for the speech, Jonah. Just me. And I do
n’
t need any convincing
.
”

             
Jonah shrugged
.“
Maybe I did enjoy letting the old me out for a change
.
”

             
“I do
n’
t see why you need to hide him. We have the strength to take this city by force. Hell, we could put this whole planet under arms. The orbital guns have been in our control for weeks, but we do
n’
t knock out the node. Mars has already committed its forces to our cause, but still we do nothing. Damn it, Jonah. I grow tired of this game. Where is our war
?
”

             
Jonah did
n’
t bother standing there for the argument. Victor never had been able to see the big picture. It was a small flaw, but one that kept him away from his own position of leadership. No matter how high he rose in Jona
h’
s army, he had always been under someone els
e’
s watch. For his own safety, as well as the missio
n’
s.

             
“Give me three months, Victor
.”
Jonah threw his towel into a hamper and started toward the door
.“I’
ll give you something better than a planet
.”
He opened the door to the hall wide, pausing dramatically as he loved to do
.“I’
ll give you the Republic
.
”

-                           
XI                            -

              The order to move came at last. The flotilla, unchanged in position for several months, suddenly powered its engines and began the steady drive toward the enemy. Inside his ship, watching the blue void on the monitor, Eruk savored the moment. Pacifying the Druuma for the last few weeks had become increasingly painful. It was his own fault. As the days grew quieter and quieter, his own patience had dissolved to the point of psychosis. Only by increasing the length and intensity of his prayer sessions had the Warlord been able to resist defying the King of the Horde.

             
His meetings with the Clerics had grown shorter and shorter, until they finally dismissed him altogether. Now, with a full battle group under his control, the warlord was ready to redeem his honor. There would be no cowardly hiding this time. The sheer number of cruisers, destroyers and frigates created an energy signature that would be visible the instant they entered human space. Eruk actually preferred this method of opening the engagement. A sneak attack was only to be used if the enemy was thought to be more much more powerful.

             
It still irked him that the humans were being considered for entry into the Ruall. He had watched them from afar, seen images of their archaic tactics on the ground. They were tenacious, but not true warriors. He would prove that to the Clerics so that all of the Horde would see the truth. The aliens were just another stepping stone on the great conquest, and one to be passed quickly.

             
The dreadnought gained speed and began to take the lead of the pack. Eruk ordered all weapons be primed and sent out the order to the rest of the armada.

             
“This is Warlord Eruk djun Tolan
,”
he spoke into the ether
.“
Prepare your ships for exit. Carrier command, ready your troops
.
”

*              *              *              *              *

              Charley barely had time to register the contact before alarms sounded across the board. The entire station screamed to life as an energy contact the size of an asteroid appeared just outside visual range. Stacey shouted something to him, but it was lost in the cacophony.

             
On his screen, a blur of white began separating into smaller dots, each continuing in a single formation toward New Eden. He had the phone to his ear before the thought came into his head
.“
I need a message relayed to SP and Fleet immediately
.”
The line hissed for a moment, then clicked as the channels connected
.“
This is Eden Node, we have incoming from quadrant seventeen by quadrant four one two. Massive energy response
.”
Another flash message materialized on the monitor from one of the Observers
.“
I
t’
s the Boxti. I have confirmed engine comparisons from tw
o—
no, five satellites. We need a defensive force up here now
!
”

*              *              *              *              *

              With the sun on the far side of the planet, New Eden hung in space with quiet reservation. Lights winked on the surface, clustered around the large cities. Most of the surface was devoted to the impressive tourist trade, with luxury getaways and beach getaways. The endless blue oceans teemed with cruise liners and yachts. This time of year the majority of the population was out-of-town guests and vacationers. And of the natives, only a small portion worked in other industries. With night fallen, the resorts would be bustling with activity. Clubs and lounges outnumbered the restaurants down on the shoreline, and they were always packed. Even with the major cities garrisoned with troops from Kronos, the atmosphere had barely changed.

             
Admiral Walker had originally tried to evacuate the entire planet, but that had fallen on deaf ears. Ambassador Gutierrez had actually sided with the military, agreeing that safety had to be the primary concern for her citizens. That order had been overthrown by the Centurial Council. A panic, especially with the political circus happening on Earth, would only weaken the High Chancello
r’
s tenuous hold on the galaxy. Behind the scenes of Flee
t’
s build up, a political chess game unfolded.

             
None of that mattered much to the naval men and women in Carrier Battle Group Eden. Now representing the second-largest fleet launched by humanity, CBG Eden packed almost one hundred ships-of-the-line into the space surrounding the Federat
e’
s gem planet. They had been at high alert for months, searching every corner of the sky for a phantom armada. When the Boxti finally arrived, it was almost cathartic. Aboard the flagship, standing in the center of his famously silent bridge, Commodore Osaka took it all in.

             
Midway
sat in the center of the blockade, surrounded on all sides by the most powerful warships in the galaxy.
Valley Forge
dominated the space directly to the carrie
r’
s stern, the power of the Seventh at her fingertips. Newly refitted with twin Particle Accelerator Cannons, the cruiser was easily the deadliest craft in the sky. Each PAC, colloquially known as Thunder and Lightning, fired heavy slugs at near-stride speed. The kinetic energy made them devastating at any range. As a trade-off, the power expended often left the cruiser drained and vulnerable for up to three minutes after firing.

             
Even from their removed position from the front lines, the crew of
Midway
could see the approaching force. Though only a third their number, the alien flotilla inspired dread in the humans. Hiro clearly saw the vessel h
e’
d encountered at Tallus; the ship that had wiped out a planet. It was clearly a dreadnought class warship, both larger and stronger than a cruiser in every way. The sharp, angular hull deflected their long range scans and prevented the radar operator from learning anything about its capabilities. Behind it, lumbering on monstrous engines, was an enormous carrier. It was four times larger than any the
y’
d run across before, and had become the focus of attention.

             
“Still nothing
,”
the ensign said in disgust
.“
Whoever built that thing knew more about radar than I do
.”
Still, he kept sending out pings waiting for a solid return. His screen continued to fill with red dots as the computer tagged each incoming vessel. The radar officer turned in his seat to look at his commander
.“
Sh
e’
ll be the X factor today, sir
.
”

             
Hiro nodded
.“
Then we should
n’
t worry any more about it. W
e’
ll find out soon enough what it can do
.”
He turned to his fire control officer
.“
Ready all forward tubes and guns. And send the order to the bays. I want all squadrons on the rails in ten minutes
.
”

*              *              *              *              *

              A short distance away, another battle group prepared to meet the enemy. Their ships were smaller but no less powerful. The roxium-core engines emanated a melodic hum as they charged to full capacity, energizing the intense shield system around the cruisers. Sailors ran through the brightly lit corridors, guided by glowing green lines drawn on the ground toward their stations. A total of fourteen Nangolani vessels had committed to the Terran strike force making it the largest combined unit since the treaty.

             
The most powerful ship in the attached group was unquestionably the
Barrenon
. Like most of the alien cruisers, its sleek curves belied its awesome power. The glowing outer skin shone silver even in the shadow of the planet. Flowing white energy swirled around the central ridge that ran the circumference of the large disk. Inside the
Barrenon
, the crewmembers ignored the constant vibrations from the heavy weapon and dutifully manned their stations.

             
“Steady, guidance. We hold our position until the humans make their move
.”
Hanweh, in command of the Nangolani flagship, stared down the approaching force. Though it was too soon to identify the enemy by their markers, he knew which of the monstrous dreadnoughts had been sent
.“
It has been too long
,”
he whispered, moving closer to the glowing screen
.“
Your master must be truly interested to have sent you
.”
He shivered inside his blue coat, fingers fiddling nervously with the buttons.

             
“Domin
?”
the guidance officer said
.“
Is everything alright
?
”

             
Hanweh shook his head to clear away his distracting thoughts
.“
I am fine, Kal. Mind your station
.”
He bowed his head and the subordinate repeated the action respectfully. The commander took his position at the back of the room, watching over the activity of the crew. Regardless of how this fight bega
n—
and there was no doubt in his mind that a fight was comin
g—
the crew of
Barrenon
would be ready.

             
The communication pin on Hanwe
h’
s tunic buzzed lightly. He tapped the emerald device and closed his eyes, feeling the thrum in his head as the crystal connected him to the domins in the other ships. For a moment he existed in a black void, absent of sound or thought. Then he felt the others arrive.

             
“Fah rosha lanen
,”
Hanweh said once he had connected
.“
How are you, my brethren
?
”

             
The Domin of
Tradeh
, the adjacent destroyer, spoke first
.“
May the words of the Ambra guide us today. They send so few for such a large system. I wonder if they mean to attack at all
.
”

             
“Of course they will attack
,”
another commander spoke. Domin Surlo was a heavyset miner-turned-soldier from the civilian ship
Quomidey
. Raised around farmers, his accent was thick and unrefined compared to the rest of the commanders
.“
Their goal is not diplomacy. It never has been nor will it ever be. I say we attack first and try to disable that dreadnought
.
”