The Ganthoran Gambit (The First Admiral Series) (30 page)

In the War Room, Chief of Staff, Marrhus Lokkrien, half-turned away from the three-dimensional image, as he shielded his eyes from the flash with his arm before the many thousands of optical scanners that fed data into the War Table were overwhelmed. For an instant, the War Table image flickered and then died for a few moments, before flickering rapidly back to life. The optical scanners; that had been overwhelmed by the flash, were now operating on secondary systems. The War Table image was not of its usual crystal clarity, but there was enough image definition for Lokkrien to see that most of the Ganthoran vessels were in the process of being destroyed. The numerals in the margin of the image that indicated the enemy’s strength tumbled rapidly downwards as ship after ship was annihilated in the relentless storm of flying, red-hot metal.

“Did we get First Admiral Caudwell out!?” Marrhus Lokkrien asked anxiously.

For a moment, the War Room held its collective breath, waiting for the response from the Tele-Port Pad which would indicate Billy’s survival or demise.

“Yes, sir!” the jubilant disembodied voice rang throughout the War Room. “He’s a bit crispy around the edges, but he’s alive, and none the worse for wear, sir!”

Amidst the great cheer of relief and celebration that erupted from the War Room personnel, Marrhus Lokkrien lifted his eyes to the ceiling and let out a huge sigh of relief.

But, the battle was not quite over yet. With Billy Caudwell safely retrieved, the other Alliance crews watched in silence as the huge chain-reaction ripped through the Ganthoran position. Many Ganthoran vessels tried to break away and avoid the flying wreckage and debris, but to no avail. Many of them had barely managed to break station, when the great shards of flying metal tore through the fragile hulls of the Frontier Fleet vessels, adding even more death and destruction to what was becoming the final disaster.

Like a massive inflating yellow balloon, the wave of explosive destruction mushroomed out; away from the central point of the Appomattox, and through the entire Frontier Fleet position. When the wave of destruction reached the mouth of the Wormhole itself, the constricting nature of the structure served to increase the velocity of the flying metal. And, with the last of the Cruisers, and the first of the “Six Cigar” Carriers, just completing their journey though the Wormhole, the devastation was even greater.

Those vessels caught within the Wormhole were caught in the huge maelstrom and avalanche of flying metal debris and wreckage. Huge chunks of wreckage swarmed into the confines of the Wormhole passage and smashed into the advancing Cruisers and Carriers. Those vessels caught in the onslaught had no chance of escape. Caught in the tidal wave of cooling Proto-Star matter and red-hot metal, they were overwhelmed rapidly, and, in many cases, before their crews were even aware of the danger. In rapid succession, Cruisers and “Six Cigar” Carriers were shattered by the flying debris, to explode and add further wreckage to the avalanche of destruction as it sped onwards through the Wormhole.

Two-thirds of the way through the Wormhole, the massive wall of wreckage and debris struck the flagship of Frontier General Sal’nor. The Scanner Officer aboard his flagship barely had time to call the alarm, when a huge chunk from one of his own Cruisers slammed directly into the face of the “Six Cigar” Carrier. An instant later, the flagship of General Sal’nor’s Frontier Fleet exploded in a huge yellow fireball; killing everyone aboard, and adding to the wave of death and destruction that was heading to the Ganthoran side of the Wormhole. And, as the tidal wave of destruction travelled through the Wormhole, it gathered momentum. The explosions from the destruction of the Ganthoran warships added propellant to the flying metal, whilst the walls of the Wormhole confined the wreckage into a more compact area.

When, a few moments later, the avalanche of destruction emerged from the Calyx Wormhole, it was like lead shot being fired from a shotgun. The twenty-five kilometre wide Calyx Wormhole spewed forth millions of tonnes of red-hot wreckage, at high velocity, straight into the paths of the “Six Cigar” Carriers awaiting their turn to enter the structure. In an instant, seventy-four “Six Cigar” Carriers simply ceased to exist. The huge wave of red-hot metal simply engulfed them. With no time to react, let alone make any evading manoeuvres, the seventy-four Carrier crews were wiped out in an instant. The enormous yellow wave of destruction consumed them all as it spread outwards from the mouth of the Wormhole.

On the Alliance side of the Wormhole, Marrhus Lokkrien hurriedly issued the orders for full Force Shielding, and to prepare for collision. The wave that blossomed outwards from Appomattox into the Wormhole, also travelled in the opposite direction towards the Alliance position. The Star-Cruiser crews hurriedly prepared themselves for what was likely to be a very bumpy ride. The Eagle pilots and Ganthoran Destroyers were ordered to get as far away from the scene as quickly as they could, whilst the Ganthoran Cruisers were drawn into station under the protective umbrella of the Star-Cruisers’ Force Shielding.

Grobbeg’s “Six Cigar” Carriers swiftly clustered around the Alliance Star Destroyers and the Fleet Carriers. Then, everyone hunkered down and waited.

The wave, when it hit, overwhelmed the Alliance positions, throwing the large Alliance and Ganthoran vessels around like toys in a high wind. The huge chunks of fast moving metal slammed mercilessly into the Force Shielding of the Alliance ships. The Ganthoran Cruisers, held in place like limpets by the Force Shielding, were tossed and thrown around with their protecting partners like ballroom dancers in some demented waltz. The Star-Destroyers, solid and massively powerful, held station, but were buffeted and battered by the storm of flying metal debris and wreckage. The crew members were thrown around like rag dolls in the Alliance and Ganthoran ships as wreckage slammed into their Force Shielding from almost every side. But, despite the constant assault, the Force Shielding held in almost all of the Alliance ships.

The two exceptions were the Star-Cruisers; Ajax and Archon. The Ajax, paired with a Ganthoran Cruiser, was struck by a huge piece of Frontier Fleet Cruiser wreckage. The two vessels, held together by the Force shielding of the Alliance ship, began to spin uncontrollably, until the centrifugal forces tore the Ganthoran Cruiser away. In the process of ripping the Ganthoran Cruiser away, the Force Shielding generator aboard the Ajax failed, and a few seconds later, both vessels were smashed into oblivion by the flying wreckage around them. The Archon, paired with another of Grobbeg’s Cruisers, was tumbling through the wreckage when the Ganthoran Cruiser within the Force Shielding was struck. The blow was so massive, that it ruptured the power core of the Ganthoran Cruiser. The Ganthoran Cruiser exploded, and whilst linked to the Archon; within the protective bubble of the Force Shielding, destroyed the Alliance vessel as well.

The Alliance Eagles, with close to light speed capability, easily outran the wave of destruction. However, the Ganthoran Destroyers, with a lesser turn of speed, struggled to stay just ahead of the expanding wave of flying metal destruction. Many of the Ganthoran Destroyers simply did not have the speed to escape the relentless wall of yellow destruction, and were consumed in flames and explosions. However, the majority of Grobbeg’s Destroyers were guided to a large body of asteroids by an Alliance Eagle pilot. Amongst the huge lumps of space rock, the Destroyers were able to land and gain protection from the torrent of red-hot metal that streamed past them and smashed into the enormous remains of some long-dead planet and its moons.

And, when it was all over, the victors of the battle stood, or sat, at their battle stations, in silence. In the stunned and numbed silence, the wounded and injured screamed and groaned for help, and were helped to medical assistance by those with the will and energy to respond. The survivors surveyed, with horror and awe, the wreckage and debris that had been the mighty Frontier Fleets. In the stunned silence of the devastation, many said silent prayers to whatever Deities or ancestors they worshipped. Some prayed for the spirits of the hundreds of thousands of brave Ganthorans that had perished, whilst many, with more selfish motives, prayed in gratitude for their own survival. In the deathly and numbed silence of the victory, they bowed their heads, and prayed their gratitude to their Gods and Totems.

Gratitude, that the frozen and mangled corpses, turning and tumbling amongst the swirling wreckage and debris in front of the Calyx Wormhole, had not been their own.

The Crystal Throne Room was a mess. The battle to eject General Kallet’s troops had done severe damage to the fabric of the room. The beautiful, silvered wall panels lay as just so much shattered debris on the cracked and damaged floor. None of the huge windows remained intact, and the regal, curved columns that supported the roof showed the scorched ravages of the weapons fire that marked the final exchange between loyal and rebel forces. The great banners that hung from the ceiling were also gone. Those that had not fallen to litter the floor had been burned in the deadly cross-fire of the final battle. The torn and scorched remains of the banners that survived bore silent testimony to the bloodshed that they had witnessed.

The Crystal Throne itself had somehow miraculously survived the battle. It stood, centre of the enormous room, like an island of perfect tranquillity amongst the chaos and devastation. The three-step circular podium on which the Throne stood had been damaged, but the Throne itself was mercifully unscathed. There were some things in life which could not be explained by reason or logic, and this happened to be one of them.

As Billy Caudwell, who had thankfully recovered from his exertions on the Appomattox, walked into the Crystal Throne Room, hordes of Ganthorans were already setting about the task of clearing-up the debris. The dead Ganthorans had already been removed, however, the blood stains that remained told the story of how desperately the Frontier troops had fought for their lives. They also bore testimony to the courage of the ordinary citizens of Ganthus City who had finally overwhelmed them. There would be stories of individual heroism told for many years after this day, but the courage of the ordinary people who stormed the Imperial Palace would live forever in Ganthoran legend. The administrators and civil servants would be tallying up the cost both financially and in blood, but Billy Caudwell knew that for every life that was lost here, tens of thousands had been saved in the future. The Ganthoran people had rejected the tyranny of the Frontier Generals, and Billy Caudwell would ensure that the state of war between the Ganthoran Empire and the Universal Alliance would be rapidly brought to an end.

Despite all of his pleadings for the people to stay at home and away from the fighting, the Ganthoran people had chosen to ensure that the outcome of the battle would be firmly in the favour of their new Emperor. And, according to those same legends, it had been another one of those unexplainable coincidences that within a few minutes of his successfully completing the Time Warrior ritual, the looming, dark, threatening storm clouds finally released their heavy watery burdens. And, like a great torrent, the rain had seethed down on Ganthus City. The lightning had flashed, and the thunder had rumbled across the sky like the awakening of an angry and vengeful storm god. Ganthus City, which saw a feeble rainfall once every five years, had been washed clean of the dust and grime of many years. And, when the rain had finally stopped, the great blue and white city had sparkled and shone in the weak and watery sunlight. The city still looked fresh and clean from the deluge, and by the ominous rumblings in the sky, there was more rain to follow soon.

The great water cisterns of the city were full to capacity, whilst the oceans and rivers which had lain empty for thousands of years were starting to fill up once more.

The farmers that had eked a meagre living out in the Lightning Fields were hurriedly planting a new crop of Graith; a wheat-like plant that could go through its life cycle in a few days.

The Graith seed, which had lain in dry storage for many years, was hurriedly torn from the containers to be scattered on the ground by the jubilant farmers and their families. With another shower of rain, there would be a second, and possibly a third, harvest that year.

The bread baskets of the Ganthorans would be filled to brimming once again. The parched, dry ground of Ganthus greedily soaked up the water that fell from the sky like a thirsty man in the desert gulps down the precious liquid that will save his life. And, Ganthus, after thousands of years of Garmaurian drought, would once again become the lush and verdant planet it had been before the conquering invaders had changed it.

Now, Billy Caudwell was back in the Crystal Throne Room. Frontier Generals Kav’al, Sal’nor, and Timmeg had been put to flight. Their Frontier Fleets had been shattered by Parbe’an and Grobbeg’s guns at the entrance to the Calyx Wormhole. The Frontier Generals themselves were likely all dead. However, if they did survive, there would be plenty of Ganthoran or Alliance personnel who would find them in short order. So far, there was no sign of Frontier General Kallet.

Like most cunning rats, he would probably avoid the trap,
Billy considered.
There would be another day and time for Frontier General Avavid Kallet,
Billy promised himself.

“Excuse me, sir?” the reassuringly familiar voice of Karap Sownus called from behind him.

With a start, Billy turned around and saw the familiar figure of the Thexxian Senior Intelligence Officer.

“Officer Sownus, what’s the situation?” Billy asked.

“Well, sir,” Sownus began, “Admiral Parbe’an reports that the three rebel Ganthoran Frontier Fleets are down to less than twenty-five percent effectiveness.”

Ouch
, Billy thought, taking in the news that almost three quarters of the Frontier Fleets were floating around the Calyx wormhole as space debris.

The loss of lives would be colossal on the Ganthoran side. It would take generations for their military to recover from that degree of loss.

“General Grobbeg reports losses of less than ten percent, whilst our own losses are no more than eighteen thousand killed or injured,” Sownus said.

Eighteen thousand in total
, Billy considered.

The Alliance had gotten of very lightly in terms of what he called “The Butcher’s Bill”. Working on the cold, mathematical logic of battle, Billy calculated that the Alliance had suffered around twelve thousand.

“Part of the First, and all of what remains of the Second Fleet have been dispatched to the Bardomil frontier, with your permission.” Sownus’ statement confirmed that he had sent Parbe’an and his Fleet to the most dangerous and sensitive frontier in the Ganthoran Empire.

With the Ganthoran Frontier Fleets decimated, the Empire was effectively unable to defend itself from the aggressive and predatory Bardomil. If the Bardomil sensed a weakness in the defences, they would surely attack and try to wrest territory from the weakened Ganthorans. And, as the new Emperor of the Ganthorans, Billy Caudwell could not afford to sustain a major military defeat so soon after securing the Crystal Throne. He had won the hearts and minds of the Ganthoran people. It was a fragile and vulnerable victory. A defeat at the hands of the Bardomil would undo all of that good work for the Alliance.

“The Imperial Palace is secure, Ganthus City is secure, and there are no reports of any unusual activity on the Frontiers.”

“Excellent.” Billy smiled softly. “Let Chief of Staff Lokkrien know that the Frontier needs strengthened, draft in any vessel he can find to plug the gaps...even the Imperial Guard.”

“Yes, sir.” Karap Sownus made a mental note in his mind. “The Adjudicators are in our custody. I’ve sent them to their homes and civic offices in the City, whilst the Palace is being repaired, under surveillance, of course,” Sownus added with a wry smile

“Ever efficient, Officer Sownus, ever efficient.” Billy watched with delight as the Thexxian’s skin grew darker with the embarrassment of the praise. “You’ve done a good job, Officer Sownus, and have you found out which one of the Adjudicators was acting as the rebel Emperor?”

“Yes, sir...and thank you, sir.” Sownus handed over a red folio sheet.

Opening the folio sheet, Billy raised his eyebrows at the contents.

“Are you sure this is right, Officer Sownus?” Billy was slightly shocked by the contents of the folder.

“Yes, sir, it’s all been verified, even the genetic coding confirms it.” Sownus tried to sound as confident as he could, while hoping that he hadn’t missed any details.

“Very well, another good job, Officer Sownus,” Billy handed back the evidence folio. “You know what to do with this individual?”

“Yes, sir.” Sownus snapped his heels together in response to the order.

“Be discrete, Officer Sownus, please. Be discrete,” Billy added.

“Yes, sir, you can rely on me.”

“Yes, I know I can always rely on our discretion.” Billy sent Senior Intelligence Officer Karap Sownus back to his duties.

A few minutes later, Grand Adjudicator Bellor appeared in the Crystal Throne Room.

But, this was not the Bellor that Billy had first met only a few short days before. The proud, upright stance was gone, replaced by an apologetic stoop. The head; once proudly held high was now bowed with the strain and exhaustion of the worst crisis the Empire had ever faced. Never in the history of the Ganthoran Empire had four of the five Frontier Fleets mutinied, and now they had been destroyed. Instead of the easy, graceful stride, Bellor now shuffled wearily as if the weight of the entire Empire was bearing down upon his shoulders.

“You sent for me, Your Imperial Majesty.... How may I serve you?” Bellor sounded weary, but still offered a deep bow.

“Grand Adjudicator, I trust you are recovering from your ordeal?” Billy was diplomatic, slightly shocked at the deterioration in the Grand Adjudicator’s demeanour.

“I am bearing up well. Thank you, Your Majesty.” Bellor nodded his thanks with a degree of sincerity he never believed he would feel.

“Excellent.” Billy smiled as genuinely as the situation allowed him. “We can’t afford to lose someone as important as you.”

“You do me honour, Your Majesty,” Bellor replied in his best courtier manner.

But, the flattery was strained, and Billy Caudwell began to wonder if what he was about to do was entirely wise.

“No, not really Grand Adjudicator, for I have a favour to ask of you.” Billy tentatively opened the real point to this conversation.

“Your Majesty has but to ask, and I shall serve in whatever humble capacity I am able to.” Bellor once again lapsed into courtier speak, which irritated Billy enormously.

This conversation was going to be difficult enough, and what Billy Caudwell needed least of all was a barricade of deferential officiousness from the Grand Adjudicator. Reflecting for a moment, Billy Caudwell found that he couldn’t really blame Grand Adjudicator Bellor for trying to hide behind his Office. Billy Caudwell, however, had no time for political games.

“Grand Adjudicator Bellor, I shall be abdicating the Crystal Throne of Ganthus tomorrow morning,” Billy announced.

“Bu…bu…but, Your Majesty!!” A startled and horrified Bellor spluttered his protest at the bombshell Billy Caudwell had just dropped.

“Grand Adjudicator.” Billy held up his hand to stifle the astonished Ganthoran’s protest.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I must protest....”

“No, Grand Adjudicator, tomorrow morning, I shall sign the instrument of abdication,” Billy began, “and, as my last duty as Emperor, I shall nominate my successor to the Throne in accordance with Ganthoran Law of Succession.”

“But, Your Majesty...,” Bellor attempted to protest once again.

“Grand Adjudicator, I shall be abdicating in your favour,” Billy dropped the second bombshell of the conversation onto the tired and weary Bellor. “I am asking you to accept the Crystal Thorne of Ganthus.”

“Your Majesty, no! I cannot...no, it’s not seemly...it’s impossible, I cannot..,” Bellor stammered. “No, Your Majesty, I am very flattered, but I cannot accept.” Bellor dropped back into courtier mode.

“That is unfortunate, Grand Adjudicator, because I can think of no one better qualified or more deserving of the position than yourself.” Billy shrugged.

That, however, was not going to be the end of the battle. The part of his mind that was Teg Portan was already confirming to him that Bellor would be the ideal choice for Emperor. By refusing the Crown, he had convinced Billy Caudwell that he was unquestioningly loyal. Billy already knew that Bellor was not the secret hidden rebel Emperor.

“Grand Adjudicator, I am in deadly earnest here.” Billy pressed home with a further attack. “I have no interest in the Crystal Throne, or any other throne for that matter. My duty is to expand the Universal Alliance. I took the Time Warrior challenge to put an end to the war and to save lives!”

Yes, and look how that turned out
, Billy Caudwell thought, in the shattered remnants of the Crystal Throne Room.

Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of lives had been lost. However, a long and protracted war with the Ganthorans may well have cost many billions of lives. It was the proverbial lesser of two evils that Billy Caudwell would have to learn to accept.

“But, Your Majesty, how could I possibly rule? How could I rebuild the Empire, having led it to this destruction?” Bellor complained.

“It was General Kallet who caused all this, and the Emperor he claimed to serve, not you, Grand Adjudicator.” Billy began to probe, realising that he had found a weak spot in the courtier’s armour. “How would you rule? You would rule by the will of the Ganthoran people, Grand Adjudicator.”