The burden of command, p.23
The Burden of Command, page 23
part #14 of Empire Rising Series
Christine reached up and turned James’s cheeks towards her face. “And? It must be bad if you’re in this state. You need to tell me.”
James sighed. A little of his anger left. Just enough for him to regain control. Yet the rest continued to boil just under the surface. He had no desire to try and push it down. “He just received a report from an intelligence agent he has on New France. Garnier and Cornelius have seized the orbitals of the planet. They have taken control of the shift gate, and have put an embargo on all Imperial freighters.” He turned to fully face Christine. “They destroyed an Imperial destroyer. The entire ship’s crew were lost! He murdered them all!”
Christine gasped. She released his hands and took a half-step back. One hand came up and covered her mouth. “No, surely not,” she said as she shook her head.
“There can be no doubt,” James replied. “The entire planet witnessed it. And if that’s what they’ve done at New France, what you think will be happening at Québec, New Delhi, Rostov, and all the others? They mean to cut off all economic ties with us. They will seize our freighters and warships if they can. It will disrupt our entire economic supply chain.” Even as he thought it through, James growled at the prospect. His hands tightened into fists.
Christine was still shaking her head. “The fools. They have gone too far. They’re endangering us all. What are we going to do?”
Christine’s question crystallized James’ anger. “I’m going to put an end to them,” he promised himself as much as Christine. His hand slipped into his tunic and pulled out his COM unit. “Nicholls, assemble my war council immediately. I want to meet within the hour.”
His Chief of Staff didn’t reply right away. Almost, James barked his order at her again. The COM unit began to crackle just before he did. “Sorry Emperor, I was in a meeting. Did you say you want your war council?”
“Yes,” James snapped. “At once. I don’t care what they’re doing, get them together. And alert Home Fleet, inform Admiral Davenport I want her ships ready to break orbit as soon as possible.”
“I will get right on it Emperor, has there been a Karacknid attack?” Nicholls asked.
“No, but it’s almost as bad. I’ll explain when we meet,” James replied.
Christine closed to his side and took his hands once again. “Just what are you thinking? We can’t be rash.”
“Yes we can,” James insisted. “They crossed a line when they sued for secession the way they did. Now, they have gone even further. We have tried to deal with them politically. Now, they have turned it into a military matter. Cornelius has armed freighters and even small purpose-built warships. They’ve been planning this for years. If we don’t act decisively, they will dig themselves in and it could take us years of political and military wrangling to remove them.” When Christine opened her mouth to protest, James raised a hand and placed a finger on her lips. “We have done it your way. That was the right thing to do. But now they have killed some of my people. They no longer deserve the protections of our legal system. They must be stopped. What do you think the Karacknids will do if they hear of this? Either one of the other warlords will strike at us to gain prestige among their own people, or worse, Tanaka-lan will see our weakness and prepare an attack. It has only been our strength that has stopped them diverting forces away from their civil war. If we look weak…” James knew he didn’t have to finish his thought. Christine was as aware of the strategic situation as he.
“But what can you do? Home fleet has no more than eighty warships. You can’t cover all of the systems that want to secede. Not if they have been building up their own military forces.”
“That is what they will be counting on,” James replied. “I don’t care how long they have been preparing for, they can’t have had access to military-grade technologies and shipyards. They have small forces prepared, enough to seize control of our shipyards and warships we have stationed in their systems. If we give them months, they will begin to add modern warships to their squadrons. That cannot be allowed to happen. At the very least, I can take Home Fleet and all the Marines we have in the Sol system. We can destroy whatever armed freighters they have, seize all the Imperial shipyards, and deny them access to them. If we control the orbitals, then you can work things out diplomatically with the colonies themselves.”
“If any of the colony’s populace actually remains loyal after we bring warships into their systems,” Christine cautioned.
“If they have so quickly forgotten everything we and all those who have died have sacrificed to protect them, then let them have the illusion of freedom they desire,” James growled. “But they are not taking shipyards and military industrial nodes we have built to defend all of Humanity. I’m going to get them back and I’m going to kill every one of those traitorous scum I can get my hands on. They are not going to destroy everything our species has built. Come on, my counsel will have started to gather.” James could tell Christine wanted to say more, yet he wasn’t in the mood to hear it. Insistently, he held out a hand to his wife. She hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and took it. Gently, he led her out of their quarters.
Five minutes later and they both sat down in one of the Palace’s briefing rooms. Nicholls, Fairfax, and Andrea Clements were there in person. Rear Admiral Davenport, the commander of Home Fleet, Alvarez, the head of the Navy’s Intelligence Division, General Johnston, Emilie, and several other military officers were all there via holo COM link. “Thank you for gathering so quickly,” James said to them. “Alvarez, you are the most familiar with what has happened. Fill us in please.”
“Certainly Admiral,” Alvarez replied. “I just received word an hour ago from one of my agents in New France. Cornelius Teal and former Commoner François Garnier have seized control of the system. They command more than sixty armed warships and have taken control of the system’s shift gates and planetary orbitals. Garnier is on the surface claiming he now represents the people of New France. According to my agent, most of the populace do not understand what has happened. Some support him, most are ambivalent. The speed at which he has gained control of the government and main power structures has left most in shock. No one has stood up to him. Not after one of the Imperial destroyers in the system was destroyed with all its crew.” Alvarez paused when Emilie swore. Several of the other naval officers voiced their anger as well. “That is all the concrete news I have to report,” he continued, “though regular check-ins from agents we have in Québec, New Delhi, Rostov and several other former French, Indian, Canadian, and Argentinian colonies are all overdue. I strongly suspect communications and shipping has been interrupted in all of the colonies who attempted to secede. If I had to bet, I would wager Cornelius Teal has been planning this far longer than we initially thought. If he has converted freighters into armed warships, they could have squadrons in all of their systems controlling all shipping in and out of them.”
“Which means even if the populace of their planets doesn’t agree with what they have done, they have effectively removed themselves from the Empire’s control,” James concluded for Alvarez. “Andrea, what will the ramifications of this be for our fleet?”
“Disastrous,” Andrea said. “And that isn’t an exaggeration. Fully one-third of our raw materials and advanced components are produced or pass through the systems in question. A disruption of one or two months will cause bottlenecks throughout the rest of the Empire. Any longer than that, and we’ll have to abandon all of our construction schedules. If they do cut off all shipping permanently, it could take two or three years for our supply chains to sort themselves out and return to the levels they were just a month ago.”
“And how many ships will we lose that should have been constructed in that time?” Emilie asked.
Andrea paused for a moment, she looked up at the ceiling, mentally counting. “Two to three thousand would be my conservative guess,” she replied.
“That is unacceptable,” James said as he slowly looked around at his military council. “I’m not going to let that happen. We’re going to intervene. We will destroy any of Cornelius’s warships that do not surrender to us, and then we’re going to seize all of our orbital shipyards and industries. We will have to deal with the political ramifications later. Right now, we must limit the economic impact this rebellion is going to have on our warship construction programs. I intend to take Home Fleet straight to New France and cut the head off the snake before it can grow any bigger… unless anyone has any objections or better ideas?”
Unsurprisingly, everyone looked to Christine. She didn’t speak for several seconds. “I am with my husband,” she said slowly. “Since the secessionists fled, public opinion here on Earth and throughout the colonies has swiftly turned against them. No one outside of the secessionist systems will shed a tear if we put down their rebellion with force. The military ramifications of their actions are too severe to act slowly on this. Are you in agreement Fairfax?” She asked her Chief of Staff.
Fairfax visibly swallowed. “If we go in with too heavy a hand, we could create divisions that may last generations. Most of the secessionist planets already resent us and many of our policies. We could cause wounds that will not easily heal. Yet, two or three thousand warships could be the difference between deterring the Karacknids from attacking us for several more years or inviting an invasion of Earth.”
“Or it could be the difference between defeating an invasion fleet or succumbing to it,” Emilie interjected.
“Exactly,” Fairfax said with a nod. “Given that fact, seizing control of all the orbital industries that are vital to us is understandable.” He turned to fully meet James’ gaze. “But it must be done carefully. Civilian casualties need to be limited, if not eliminated altogether.”
“My own citizens are not my enemies,” James assured Fairfax. “But if they are working with Teal, then I cannot guarantee their safety. They will have ample warning of the consequences of their decisions though. Of that, I promise you.”
Fairfax glanced at Nicholls. “What do you say?”
Nicholl shook her head. “I don’t like it, not at all. We should be trying to resolve this diplomatically.”
“But how?” Emilie demanded. “They have set out their terms very clearly. They have no intention of listening to reason or following the laws of the Empire. They are traitors. How else can one deal with traitors but by force?”
“We can’t,” Nicholls admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like doing it. And it doesn’t mean we should be responding with anger.” She looked directly at James as she spoke.
James felt the accusation in her eyes. He had been doing his best to keep his anger under wraps. After decades, she knew him too well. “How else would you have me respond to my people being killed? Wolf was the warship Teal destroyed. She had a crew of two hundred and sixty-eight. That is two hundred and sixty-eight sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers. Teal killed them all, and for what? His own selfish political desires. And how many more will he kill, either directly or through the mayhem he will cause to our shipbuilding timetables? Anger is exactly what I should be feeling right now. But that doesn’t mean I can’t think clearly. He must be stopped, the quicker the better.”
Nicholls nodded slowly to James. “On that, I believe we are agreed. But I am uneasy, nonetheless.”
“As am I,” Christine agreed as she reached out and placed a hand on James’ forearm. “But I trust my husband. He has never let us down. This needs to be dealt with, and there is no better commander for the job.”
“You intend to take Home Fleet yourself?” Davenport asked.
James turned to his former Operations Officer. “Teal and all the others came to Christine and me in person to announce their secession. I intend to put an end to it in person. Do not worry, you will remain in command of Home Fleet, but I will be accompanying you. This rebellion must be put down swiftly and decisively. The rest of our planets need to see me doing this in person. How soon can you be ready to go?”
“I have already given notice to all of our ships. We’re taking on extra provisions as we speak. In six hours, we will be fully stocked, but if we need to, we can depart sooner, in an hour, if necessary. We can dispatch supply freighters to follow us. If we’re going to New France, we can depart as soon as all our personnel are shuttled up from Earth.”
“Then we depart in an hour,” James decided. “Our supplies can follow us.”
“What about me?” Emilie asked. “What can I do?”
“I want you to send word to Admiral Becket at Delta-fort,” James informed his niece. He knew she would want to come to, but too many Admirals would only cause confusion. “I want an additional five hundred ships dispatched from the frontline back here. I intend to cut the head off the snake, but there may be mopping up work needed to be done after that. Once they arrive, you will assume command and come and join us. Hopefully, it will be over by then, but if not, your help will be needed.”
Emilie looked like she wanted to protest, but in front of the rest of the Military Council, she knew better. “Understood Emperor,” she replied formally.
“Then let us get moving,” James said as he clasped his hands together. “I want to be on our way within the hour.”
*
Forty-five minutes later, and James stepped back into his and Christine’s quarters. He smiled when he saw Fox was busily packing several chests with his clothes and other personal items. “It’s been a few years, my friend,” he said to his steward. “How do you feel about going back to space?”
“To be honest sir, I was hoping those days were behind us. But we have to do what we have to do,” Fox replied.
“Hopefully this will be a short trip,” James said.
Fox nodded. “Christine and the kids are in the living room.”
“Thank you,” James said as he walked through the hall to where they were. His heart swelled when he saw them. Christine had gathered them together quickly. He shot her a thankful smile. Only then did he realize someone was missing. Georgia wasn’t in the room. He frowned at that. Nevertheless, he moved over to Edward and held out his hand. “You’re going to have to take on some more responsibilities while I’m away,” he said as he shook his son’s hand firmly. Then, he pulled him into a hug. “Mainly, you’ve got to keep your mother from worrying,” he whispered loud enough for everyone else to hear. “You know how she gets.”
“I know,” Edward said as they broke apart. “Don’t worry, she’ll be safe here. And if she isn’t, I’ll be one of the first to hear about it.”
“And you,” James said as he moved to Rachel. With ease, he scooped her up into his arms like he had done a thousand times before. For the last several years, she had resisted his attempts. This time, she dug her head into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.
“Be careful out there, Daddy,” she whispered into his ear. “Don’t let them hurt you.”
James couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s not me that needs to be worried this time,” James assured her. “You just focus on your studies and helping Edward look after your mum.”
“I will,” Rachel promised as he set her down.
Moving to his wife, James pulled her into a deeper hug. “Just who do you think I am?” She asked, “that I need these two to look after me? I’m the mother here.”
“I know you are not going to worry one bit, nor fret about what I’m up to,” James said as he winked over her shoulder to Edward and Rachel. “I’m sure they’ll not need to keep you distracted at all.”
Christine playfully punched him in the arm and then gripped him tighter. “Just be safe out there. For all our sakes. It’s not just me you’re coming back to now.”
“Where is Georgia?” James asked after releasing Christine.
Christine shook her head. “She didn’t reply to my message. I was hoping you could find out.”
Frowning again, James pulled out his datapad. He typed a quick query into it. The last time her ID chip had been used had been to check into her squadron’s barracks on the Moon. James’ hand froze. A thought occurred to him. Quickly, he typed another query into his datapad. “What is it?” Christine demanded, reading James’ face instantly.
Reluctantly, James raised his eyes to meet hers. “Georgia’s squadron.”
“No,” Christine said as she shook her head. “No. They’re supposed to be on Sol defense duty. Not assigned to Home Fleet.”
“Additional squadrons have been assigned to Home Fleet. Two carriers that were completing their space trials are joining us. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“We can still have them reassigned. You haven’t left yet,” Christine insisted.
James reached out and took both of Christine’s hands in his. Slowly, he shook his head. “We can’t do that. Everyone will know why. Worse, she will know. She’ll never forgive us.”
“But if there is a fight,” Christine complained. “You know as well as I the survival rates of fighter pilots.”
“Things have changed,” James insisted. “And as far as we know, the secessionists don’t have any fighters of their own. It’s highly unlikely she’s going to see any action.”
“But you can’t promise me she won’t,” Christine replied. “I can’t just let her go into harm’s way. I don’t care how she will feel about it.”
James squeezed Christine’s hands gently. “She is a grown woman now. It is exactly what we have to do. It’s what our parents did with us. It’s what we are asking every parent of every navy personnel across the fleet to do. I will do my best to look after her, but we have to let her go.”
Christine closed her eyes and shook her head. A tear ran down her cheek. Without warning however, her eyes flashed open. “You better look after her. I’m going to hold you to that.” James nodded. Rationally, he knew Christine understood he couldn’t protect their daughter from every danger that might come her way. But she wasn’t thinking rationally. Christine’s eyes flashed as another thought occurred to her. “And what about Jonathan? He could be in harm’s way as well, couldn’t he?”
