Empires gambit, p.17
Empire's Gambit, page 17
James’ eyebrows shot up. It was from when they were both in their early twenties, when they had first met at a function at Buckingham Palace. “We took this in one of the photo booths they had set up.”
Christine nodded. “We did. I’ve kept it ever since.”
“And the hair bow,” James said as he looked closer at the picture. Christine had been wearing one the same color as the one in his hand. “You kept it, too. Through all these years?”
“I have cherished it from that day until now. It’s time I parted with them both, however. I want them to go with you.”
James took the picture and slipped it and the head bow into one of his tunic’s inside pockets. He then placed his hand over his heart where they were. “They will be with me always,” he said as he leaned down and kissed Christine again. “As will you and Jonathan. Thank you.”
“You are more than welcome. Now, as much as I hate it. We must go. Before we lose our composure again, if nothing else.” Taking his hand, Christine gestured for James to lead them out of their quarters. As much as it hurt him, James gave her hand a gentle squeeze and did as she asked. Their moment together was over.
Lieutenant Davidson, James’ Flag Lieutenant was standing there, along with Fairfax and six Imperial guards. They all fell into formation behind the couple as James led the way to the Palace’s main foyer. As soon as they entered the long corridor that led to the foyer, they could see and hear the mass of people who had gathered to watch them leave. It seemed to James that pretty much every Palace official, officer, and aide had abandoned their duties to see him off. A handful would know exactly what he was about to attempt. The rest simply sensed that it was a moment they didn’t want to miss. Whether someone gave an order or the crowd spotted that they were coming, all of a sudden, silence descended on the foyer. The only noise, were the heavy footfalls of the Imperial guards as they marched behind James and Christine. When they reached the foyer, James paused a second to take in the gathering. As he looked at the people thronging around the ground floor and then up at those leaning over the balconies on the floors above, many of the faces he recognized. Most he didn’t know very well, but several made him smile or nod. As Christine gently tugged at his arm, he started walking again. Immediately, applause broke out all around the foyer. James sensed a burden to speak to the crowd. Many of them had served his family personally, or had been with him and Christine working to meet the military and political demands of the Empire from the start. Yet, he knew there was no way anyone could hear him over the rambunctious clapping. Instead, just before he got to the large sliding doors that led out of the Palace’s main entrance towards the landing pads, he stopped. Momentarily releasing Christine’s hand, he turned around to face the foyer. Slowly, he raised his free hand and gave the crowd a salute. He hoped it communicated his feelings towards them all.
At once, the clapping turned into an uproar of shouting. James couldn’t make out a tenth of what was being said, but from what he could tell, well wishes were being heaped upon him. For several seconds, James held the salute. Turning left and right, he made sure all the crowd received his gesture. Then just as slowly, he turned his salute into a wave. With a final nod, he then turned and took Christine’s hand again and led her out of the Palace. If he had thought the foyer had been packed with people, the walkway to the shuttle landing pads and most of the pads themselves were far more crowded. This time, James recognized far less of the people, though from their attire, he knew they were a mixture of naval personnel, members of the three houses of the Empire’s government, and high-ranking or influential citizens. Knowing that Christine and Fairfax had arranged this part of the send-off, he was sure everyone who was anyone was present. Christine was going to give her speech from the very shuttle pad he would be leaving from. All those seeing him off would soon be listening to her address.
As he made his way through the large crowd, James nodded when he saw faces he recognized. Andrea was there. When their eyes met, an unmistakable tear ran down her cheek. Nicholls was there too, further along the crowd. She gave James a grave nod. McCarthy surprised James by giving him a sloppy salute as James passed him. It brought a smile to James’ face. It was the last thing he expected from the former smuggler. Christine was constantly waving at people as well, and even stopped to speak to one or two. As they continued to the shuttle, James became focused on Jonathan as he squirmed around in his arm, trying to take in the hundreds and hundreds of people all staring at him. “Yes, that’s right,” James said more than once as Jonathan pointed at one person or another and babbled something about them. Eventually, they made it to the three landing pads that had shuttles parked on them. Admirals Jourm, Dur’ack, Ya’sia, Jil’lal, and Becket, along with a handful of other Alliance officers, were all gathered together standing in front of them. Off to one side, James saw the podium that would be brought out for Christine’s speech. Stopping several meters in front of them, James turned to face Christine. Leaning down, he gave her a full kiss and then hugged her to himself one last time. As they broke apart, he handed Jonathan over and gave her a small smile. No more words were needed. Neither of them trusted themselves to speak. Giving her shoulder one last squeeze, James held Christine’s eyes and then nodded. When she nodded back, he turned and started forward to join the other Admirals.
As soon as he did, every Imperial naval officer in the crowd snapped to attention and offered their salute. The rest of the people gathered all bowed in the Varanni way of showing respect. James raised his hand to his forehead to return the salute. Beside him, Jourm slithered forward a meter and then bowed to the crowd as well. As soon as he straightened up, James turned to him and held out his hand. “Let us be about this then.”
“Death to the Karacknids,” Jourm replied in as fervent a tone as James had heard from him.
James couldn’t agree more. “Death to the Karacknids,” he repeated, louder even than he had intended. Letting Jourm’s hand go, James turned and nodded or smiled to each of the other Admirals. Then catching Jourm’s gaze, they both moved towards their respective shuttles and ascended up their ramps. The rest of the Admirals boarded their shuttles as well. Sitting himself quickly, James strapped in and then turned just in time to be able to look down the length of the shuttle as its access ramp rose. He managed to catch one last glance of Christine. Both she and Jonathan had their hands raised towards him. Waving goodbye, he fixed the image of them standing on the shuttle pad into his mind even as the ramp closed and they disappeared from view. Death to the Karacknids, he said to himself again as he felt the shuttle begin to pick up. Whatever it would take to get him back to his family, he was going to do it. No Karacknid was going to stand in his way.
*
Christine watched silently as the shuttle took off and quickly disappeared out of sight. When it was gone, she looked down to see the podium had already been put in place. She had to fight with every fiber of her body to begin to move. All she wanted to do was to run back to her quarters and be alone. Instead, she turned and handed Jonathan over to one of his nurses. Thankfully, she had a cup with his favorite drink in it and his favorite teddy. Grabbing both, he didn’t make a scene at being handed away from his father and then mother. Taking a slow deep breath so as to not look intimidated, Christine started forward towards the podium. Stepping behind it, she glanced down to see that a datapad was there with her speech already on it. Looking up, she focused on the crowd. She would be speaking from the heart. The datapad wouldn’t be needed. Pausing for a moment, she slowly looked around at the gathered people, making eye contact with many of them. Finally, she looked back and focused on the holo recorders set up by several of the news broadcasts that would be playing her words across the system.
“People of Earth,” Christine began, slowly emphasizing each word. “You have just witnessed your Emperor and Admiral Jourm, head of the Varanni Alliance Navy, depart from Earth. They are returning to their ships, and their fleets are leaving the Sol system. Up until now, their destination has been kept a secret. We could not risk the Karacknids learning of the plans we have put together. Now however, you all deserve to know, for each of our fates is in their hands.
“This war with the Karacknids has been going on for six years. In that time, we have lost thousands of warships and hundreds of thousands of naval personnel. Almost as many Marines and Militia have sacrificed their lives fighting the Karacknid invasions of our planets. And you all know how many we lost here on Earth when the nukes rained down upon us. I come to speak to you now to tell you all that Emperor Somerville, I, my Inner Council and the Varanni Alliance political leadership have come to the conclusion that we cannot win this war.” Christine paused to let her words sink in. “The Karacknids simply have too many systems and too many warships. Even when we win a victory or several victories, they are able to replenish their forces far quicker and far more easily than we can. As long as the Karacknids are hellbent on our conquest, the question of Earth’s final fall is one of when, not if.” Again, Christine paused.
“That is why Emperor Somerville and Admiral Jourm are departing from us now. They are heading out on one final mission. A new strategy designed to end this war in one sudden strike. More than six thousand of our ships are being committed to this attack. They account for all of the new ships we have constructed in the last six months, and all of our strategic reserve. Their goal is to cut the head off the snake. You have all heard about the Karacknid Imperator. He is why they fight. Every Karacknid warrior exists to enlarge the domain of this Imperator and to bring glory, even in death, for the master he serves. For some time now, it has been Emperor Somerville’s conviction that unless we can kill or capture the Karacknid Imperator, there will be no peace. Only an endless war that will eventually devour us all. The fleet you’re watching depart therefore goes with the sole purpose of striking right into the heart of the Karacknid Empire, to their very homeworld, in an effort to bring the Karacknid species to their knees and force them into peace with us.
“If the secret has not broken out by now, it will soon, this operation has been called Operation Hail Mary. I tell you this, because you all deserve the truth. This is a Hail Mary play. We are committing all of our resources into this one last attempt to win the war. If it fails, then we will all succumb to the Karacknid invasion fleets. Yet, if it succeeds, peace and freedom will be ours.” Pausing for a third time, Christine simply stared into the holo recorders. She wanted to make sure everyone had enough time to process her words. “So now you know. Once again, our fate is in the hands of our fleet. And once they leave the system, we may not hear from them again for up to a year or even longer. Whilst it is their duty to go and risk their lives for us, it is our duty to wait in hope for their return. To that end, I have two requests of you all... Firstly, whilst they are gone, our vigilance must not waver. There is still a war going on right along the frontline with the Karacknids. Every one of us must do everything we can to ensure that our defenses do not crumble. We cannot let the Karacknids burn down what Emperor Somerville goes out to save. And so, I ask you all to redouble your efforts in whatever way you serve the Empire, do so now with more zeal than ever before. Let us protect what our fleet cherishes the most, our people and our civilization.
“Number two then, as your Empress I ask all of you to pray. Pray for Emperor Somerville and our fleet. Hail Mary is a phrase familiar to all of you. The risks are great. Emperor Somerville and his fleet needs all the help they can get. So whoever you are, wherever you are, please, I plead with you, let us pray that they may save us from those who would destroy us.”
Looking down for the first time, Christine had to fight to keep her eyes from watering. Blinking rapidly, she didn’t look up again until she was certain she had her emotions under control. “Finally, let me thank you all. Both for your love and your support, and ultimately, thank you for the sacrifices you have all made for one another. Against all the odds, we have stood up against these Karacknids who would make themselves our overlords. We have shown them that Humanity will not simply fall down in front of them as slaves to be owned. We have stood proudly, and we have hurt them deeply. For that and for all that you have done for me and my family, I thank you. You have earned my admiration hundreds of times over in these last difficult years. And I’m sure you will earn it afresh in these coming months. Let us be strong for our loved ones who go to fight for us.” Raising a fist, Christine added a final sentence to her speech. Picking up her husband’s words from just moments ago, “Death to the Karacknids!” she called out, finally letting her pain at being separated from James and her fear for the future come out. Around her, many of the military officers raised their fists and echoed her words. Then the politicians and civilians joined in. By the third time the phrase was shouted, Christine could hear it billowing out from within the Palace. To her surprise, she found herself chanting along with them, her fist pumping into the air each time.
*
Christine’s speech finished just as James’ shuttle touched down. While everyone else stood up and filed out, James sat there holding the datapad he had watched the transmission on. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Yet, his eyes were watering at the same time. May you be our strength, he thought to his wife as he gripped his hands into fists. May we do you proud. Standing, he forced himself out of the shuttle. He needed to get to the bridge to give the order to depart. Every ship in the fleet had now been given its mandate. It was time to live up to the hope everyone was placing in them.
Chapter 14
Even the greatest of commanders is only as good as his subordinates. With fleets often spread out across tens of systems, spaced out by hundreds of light years, no one commander can directly fight every battle.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.
Slayer (two months later).
When the door to his private tactical room opened, Tanaka-lan looked up in irritation. A growl began to rumble from the back of his throat. He stopped when he saw it was his chief intelligence officer. Gadara had served with him for more than ten years. His master spy knew not to disturb him unless it was important. “High Admiral, we’ve received a report from one of our spies in Human space. It’s a transmission they picked up being passed around within the New Berlin system. I think you’re going to want to see it.”
“Very well,” Tanaka-lan responded as he gestured with a clawed hand towards the room’s holo display.
Gadara pulled out his own information tablet and transferred the report to the holo display. The image in front of Tanaka-lan changed from a map of the frontline of the war to an image of a Human. Tanaka-lan recognized her instantly. The Human Empress. For several minutes, he watched in silence as she spoke to her people. Impressive, Tanaka-lan had to admit when she was done. Rarely if ever had he seen such passion in an enemy. And it’s a passion directed at killing us, he thought. Despite the thousands of ships under his command, it caused a slither of worry to run through his mind. He knew it was a passion shared by almost all of Humanity. It drove them to accomplish things they shouldn’t be able to. The war should have been over years ago, and yet it wasn’t. In part, that was down to the Human fleet’s ability to fight beyond their technological capabilities. And they are getting more fanatical, not less, he conceded. “What do you make of it?” He asked Gadara.
“It could be some kind of trick,” Gadara responded. “One meant to make us suspicious. If the Human and Alliance fleets really are planning some kind of strike from Earth, then we’d have to move forces to that sector to counter them. The real attack could then come from Alliance space.”
“But?” Tanaka-lan asked, sensing Gadara wasn’t entirely convinced by his own reasoning.
“The transmission was being broadcast throughout the New Berlin system unencrypted,” the spymaster answered. “Yes, that might suggest that it was meant to be picked up by our ship. But every single Human in the system heard it as well. And from what we know of Human communications, it would be impossible for them to stop individuals spreading it to other systems. If this was a lie, it would do the Human Empress great political harm. Her people would lose trust in her.”
Tanaka-lan nodded. The Karacknid Empire and the Human Empire were two very different entities. Yet, this much he could understand. If it was found out that the Imperator had lied to every Karacknid in the Empire, his reputation would suffer greatly. Though he would still be a god, a voice whispered in the back of Tanaka-lan’s mind. At least, he should be, shouldn’t he? A slightly different voice replied. Immediately, Tanaka-lan silenced his thoughts. They were heretical! Indulging them could cost him his life. “So if it is real, the question is, just what are they planning?” Tanaka-lan asked his intelligence officer. As he spoke, he changed the holo display back to show a star map of the frontline. Enemy fleet dispositions were displayed by the planetary systems they were in. More than three quarters of the Allied systems were flashing. They were systems Tanaka-lan had received reports about over the last month indicating the Allied ships stationed there had been reducing in number. Some of them were undoubtedly traps meant to lure his fleets into attacking, yet they couldn’t all be. He had already begun to suspect something larger was afoot.
