The Ganthoran Gambit (The First Admiral Series) (8 page)

“Give them covering fire,” Billy said, “pin down Kallet’s left flank, prepare to launch Eagles and Axe-Blades, and keep us moving forward.”

This cannot be a trick
, Billy considered,
even a lunatic like Kallet wouldn’t destroy his own ships. And, to what purpose
, Billy thought.
Why would Kallet want to split his forces in the face of a numerically-superior enemy force? If they head off to Rubicos and then double back, we’ll spot them long before they can get into weapons range. We could cut them to pieces before they even got close
.

Still, Billy was taking no chances. By launching the Eagles and Axe-Blades from the Carriers in the centre of his position, he could shadow the Ganthorans heading for Chronos, and be able to respond rapidly if it was some kind of trickery.

As Billy contemplated the situation, the Alliance Star-Cruisers unleashed another high-yield pulsar-bolt volley. All one-hundred-and-twenty high-yield pulsar-bolts slammed into the vessels of the left wing which appeared to still be loyal to Kallet.

With fewer targets to hit, many of the high-yield pulsar-bolts zipped straight through the surviving Cruisers and Destroyers to impact the hulls of the four “Six-Cigar” Carriers that were dispersing along what should have been the battle line.

In the space a few seconds, the red blossoms of death and destruction sprouted out from the hulls of the Carriers. One Carrier was hit twice on the main fuselage, and lurched to a grinding halt whilst performing its turn manoeuvre. Another Carrier was struck on the support that held one of the cigar-tube Landing Bays to the main body. The support strut was completely sheared through, and the cigar tube was blown onto the Landing Bay below. With a massive explosion, the two cigar-tube Landing Bays shattered into tens of thousands of fragments; throwing debris, wreckage, and dead crew members out into space.

Exploding Axe-Blade fighters tumbled outwards from the shattered Landing Bays, along with their dead pilots and support crews. The third Carrier was struck twice on the main fuselage, and once again in the vulnerable fans of the electro-magnetic propulsion system. The huge craft lurched to a grinding halt and began to move out of the formation. With flashes of light sparking from the inside of the propulsion system, it appeared that the pulsar-bolt had started a chain reaction of destruction and devastation within the Carrier. On the fourth Carrier, the pulsar-bolt grazed one of the cigar-tube Landing Bays, causing only superficial damage. However, for the Cruisers and Destroyers in the firing line of the left wing, the damage inflicted upon them was far from superficial.

As the pulsar-bolts streaked through the Frontier Fleet firing line to find the Carriers, many others were tearing through the hulls of the Cruisers and Destroyers of the Frontier Fleet’s left wing. The left wing of Kallet’s position; receiving fire from their fleeing comrades and from the Alliance Star-Cruisers, were caught in a savage cross-fire. All along Kallet’s left wing, Cruisers and Destroyers were erupting in the red-roaring infernos of destruction. With such a heavy concentration of fire focussed on so few ships, most of the ships that took hits were destroyed completely. Very few of the Frontier Fleet vessels were struck by single pulsar-bolts.

Looking at the War Table image, Billy saw almost the entire line of Cruisers and Destroyers simply vanish. Meanwhile, those ships that claimed to have changed sides were moving rapidly out of range of the surviving Kallet-loyal vessels.

“Sir!” The voice of the Scanner Technician startled Billy. “We have fighters being launched from their Carriers!”

“Looks like he’s going to make a fight of it, sir,” one of the Third Admirals around the table said.

Scanning the War Table image, Billy magnified the areas around one of the “Six Cigar” Carriers. From the cigar tube Landing Bays, a host of the single-seat Axe-Blade fighters were swarming out into space like angry wasps breaking out of a nest.

“Very well...Scanners, WATO, cease fire on the pulsar-cannons, then launch our Eagle strike - it’s time to go after those Carriers, and deploy our own left wing...let’s put some ships between us and the defectors just in case,” Billy ordered.

“A wise precaution, Your Imperial Majesty,” General Zandor praised.

“Yes, sir,” the WATO said.

“And, put the Imperial Guard Axe-Blades on stand-by,” Billy added.

Turning his attention back to the War Table, Billy could already see the Imperial Guard Cruisers and Destroyers of the left “Horn” starting to move forward from behind the cover of the Alliance Star-Cruisers.

With roughly double the number of Imperial Guard vessels now between the Kallet-rebels and the Alliance Star-Cruisers, Billy was confident that the turncoat portion of Kallet’s Frontier Fleet had no further part to play in this fight.

Meanwhile, with Kallet launching his Axe-Blades, it looked like the wily Frontier General was about to make his last stand above Ganthus. And, with very few surviving Cruisers and Destroyers, the “Six Cigar” Carriers were going to be horribly vulnerable to the Eagles and Axe-Blades.

“Eagles launching, sir,” the WATO intoned from the darkness, “Imperial Guard Axe-Blade squadrons acknowledge and are standing by for your orders.”

“It looks like you’ll get your attack on Kallet’s Fleet, General Zandor,” Billy said.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” The Ganthoran Imperial Guard General smiled wolfishly.

“Just remember, General Zandor, the Eagles will drive a path through Kallet’s fighters and then go for the Carriers. The Frontier Fleet Axe-Blades are all yours after that,” Billy reminded the Imperial Guard General.

“As you command, Your Imperial Majesty.” The General responded with a slight bow.

“WATO, when the Eagles are launched, launch the Imperial Guard Axe-Blades,” Billy ordered.

But, before the WATO could respond, one of the Communications Technicians piped up from the darkness.

“Sir, General Massar from the Frontier Fleet…General Kallet has abandoned his post, and General Massar wishes to discuss terms,” the Technician announced.

An audible gasp and a muted cheer came from the darkness of the War Room at the realisation that Kallet had fled and the remnants of his Frontier Fleet wished to capitulate.

“No terms, Comms, it’s either unconditional surrender, and we won’t harm his people, or we come and get them, all guns blazing…Scanners, any unusual flight traffic?” Billy asked.

If Kallet had abandoned his post, as opposed to being shot in the back of the head by General Massar, then the Frontier General would be trying to make good escape from the dying Fleet.

Kallet would make a run for Ganthus City
, Billy considered.

Kallet had ground troops down in the City, and he could hold out against attacks for days. Alternatively, Kallet could vanish into the mazes and warrens of the back streets of Ganthus City, where a systematic building-to-building search would take weeks to find one individual.

“Sir, a modified Ganthoran Destroyer is breaking into the upper atmosphere of Ganthus,” the Scanner Technician said.

“That’ll be Kallet!” Billy closed his eyes. “WATO - can we get him with our guns?”

“No, sir...sorry, sir, he’s too far ahead of us, moving too quickly, and in a small craft...even a full salvo would probably be too dispersed.”

“Engineer,” Billy called, “can we get him with the Tele-Port?”

“No, sir, he’s too far away.”

With roar of frustration, Billy Caudwell slammed his fist down on the edge of the War Table, making the three-dimensional image stutter for a fraction of a second.

“Don’t worry, Your Imperial Majesty, we’ll find him.” General Zandor smiled wickedly.

“No, General, he’s too crafty a fox that one.” Dejected, Billy watched helplessly as Kallet made his unceremonious escape right in front of his eyes.

The front edge of the Destroyer was glowing orange, an indication that the vessel was undergoing the heat involved in entering the atmosphere. The turbulence and the thickening atmosphere were buffeting the ship, but it would survive and emerge to land safely in Ganthus City.

“Sir, General Massar…he accepts your terms!” The Communications Technician’s announcement led to another muted cheer from the War Room staff.

“Congratulations, sir,” one of the Third Admirals beamed.

“Yes, thank you,” Billy said with a weary sigh. “Very well, General Zandor, round up the prisoners, and WATO, let’s get the Landing Troopers down there to sort out Kallet’s forces.”

“As you command, Your Imperial Majesty.” General Zandor bowed and excused himself from the War Table.

“Gentlemen, do not underestimate this individual.” Billy jabbed his finger at the three-dimensional Destroyer image. “He told his Axe-Blades to attack in order to make good on his own escape. He would have sacrificed hundreds of his pilots to save his own neck. Beware of this individual, Gentlemen, he’s capable of almost anything.”

Then, with one final silent curse at the War Table image, Billy Caudwell turned, and walked away.

The day was far from over.

Frontier General Mathram Sal’nor was not a happy commander.

His diligently crafted strategy was coming apart at the seams. And, it was all because Avavid Kallet had harboured a grudge against the Imperial Guard. The stupidity of it, the sheer arrant stupidity made Mathram Sal’nor burn with rage.

It had been a good strategy. It was militarily sound, it was beautifully simple, and, most importantly, well within the capabilities of those executing it. In fact, Mathram Sal’nor had considered it to be fool proof. He had, however, not considered a fool called Kallet in his deliberations. All that Kallet had to do was to launch a surprise attack on Ganthus whilst the entire Ganthoran Empire was watching the Time Warrior Ritual broadcast. Kallet was then to occupy Ganthus City and hold off any Alliance or Imperial Guard attacks until the main body of the Frontier Fleets arrived. With the arrival of the remaining Frontier Fleets, the Caudwell alien would be trapped between Kallet and the hugely numerically superior Ganthoran forces. After a short but brutal battle, it should all have been over for the arrogant Universal Alliance and their traitor allies.

It was so simple and straightforward that, had he been in full command, he would have allocated the task to a Senior Colonel in his own Frontier Fleet. It was a job that didn’t even merit the attentions of one of his Junior Generals, let alone a full Frontier Fleet General. But, to his dismay, Kallet, backed by the mysterious Emperor, had insisted on the job. And now, he had made an embarrassing mess of it. The Imperial Guard contingent in Ganthus City had been minimal and their resistance negligible. It had, in fact, taken Kallet less than an hour to subdue the entire City. Then, Kallet had to go and indulge in his own personal, petty little vendetta with the Imperial Guard.

Everything had changed the very instant that the news of the massacre of the Imperial Guards had leaked to the Ganthoran population. The Ganthoran people, like most civilians, were nervous and anxious of the military when they appeared, in strength, in their cities. But, on the whole, the civil population would stay clear of political entanglements and wait behind their doors for the dust to settle and for their new rulers to start to bring life back to normal for them. Unfortunately, Kallet had massacred an Imperial Guard garrison, and the anxious and nervous civilians had become frightened. If Kallet could murder unarmed Imperial Guards, it took no stretch of the imagination to understand that unarmed civilians could also be targeted. And, a frightened population will react to protect themselves, their families, friends, loved ones and most importantly, their children.

His own Fleet had been horrified at the senseless slaughter of the massacre. Even the troops of the Frontier Fleet toughened by brutality and bullying could see that Kallet had over-stepped the mark, and that he was out of control. Kallet’s senior officers most likely didn’t have the guts to put a laser bolt into the back of the rogue General’s head and re-assure the troops. So, when the Caudwell alien showed up above Ganthus, with the Imperial Guard fleet in tow, nearly two-thirds of Kallet’s Frontier Fleet had abandoned their posts.

Things really couldn’t be any worse
, Mathram Sal’nor considered.

Kallet’s Frontier Fleet was gone. The strategic advantage over Ganthus was lost. Ganthus City would soon be under the control of the Imperial Guard, now loyal to the Caudwell alien. The population of Ganthus City would start making some kind of resistance against Kallet’s ground forces.

The people would resist determinedly, alongside the Imperial Guard, should Sal’nor or any of the Frontier Fleet Generals try to land troops. The undefended Frontiers would be vulnerable, which would allow the Bardomil and the Alliance to invade and fight over what remained of the Ganthoran Empire.

Sitting at the large oval Conference Table, surrounded by the tiers of consoles around him, Mathram Sal’nor, his face a mask of rage, clenched and unclenched his fists on the table top in frustration. The room was entirely and oppressively silent. The senior officers seated around the table with the Frontier General avoided Sal’nor’s gaze. They too knew that this was a disaster unfolding before them. They knew that from the moment Billy Caudwell had completed the Time Warrior Ritual, they too had become traitors to the Empire. Sal’nor and the other Frontier Generals may have been the ones plotting and planning with this shadowy Adjudicator-Emperor figure, but now, they, the senior officers, were just as complicit in the treason.

The very instant that Billy Caudwell had become Emperor, it was their duty to show complete loyalty to him. Any suggestion of treason, even from a full Frontier General, should have been met with immediate arrest or a laser bolt. Many of those sitting anxiously around the table now wished that they had shot Sal’nor down. However, none of the officers around the table trusted each other sufficiently to take decisive action. Sal’nor’s strategy of divide and rule had been very effective, and, now it was too late. Frontier General Sal’nor had cast their lot in with Kallet and the rebels. Now, there was nothing left to do but fight it out and hope that Sal’nor’s tactical and strategic genius could defeat the new young Emperor. It certainly didn’t look promising. Grobbeg had been utterly defeated and Kallet’s Frontier Fleet had disintegrated as a military force before Caudwell.

Then again, this was Frontier General Sal’nor who was pitting himself against Caudwell now. If any Ganthoran was capable of besting the red-haired alien, it was Mathram Sal’nor. In these circumstances, Mathram Sal’nor was their only chance of survival in a situation that was rapidly spinning out of their control. Sal’nor had to win. There was no other alternative for them. If Sal’nor lost, and they fell into Caudwell’s hands, alive, then the Military Tribunals would make short work of them and their families.

Sitting in the anxious silence, the potential saviour of the senior officers worked through the permutations of the situation. And, whichever way he tried to work the variables, he found himself coming back to the same conclusion time and again. There was nowhere to go except forward with the plan, or a variation of it. Surrender was impossible; the Frontier Generals had come too far with their opposition to Caudwell to expect any mercy from the flame-haired alien. They had no idea which one of the Adjudicators was the mysterious Emperor, and, if they did point the finger of accusation at one of them, then the Adjudicator would simply deny it. With no evidence or proof, the accusation would fall flat, and ensure that whoever the mysterious Emperor was would have them killed.

No, the only option left now is to play the game out
, Sal’nor concluded. The three remaining Frontier Fleets were still intact, and would most likely still be loyal to their Frontier Generals. And, that, Sal’nor concluded was going to be his main problem. The centuries of distrust and competition between the Frontier Fleets now made combined operations more than just a little difficult. To be an effective fighting force, the Frontier Fleets had to respond to the commands of one leader. With no previous experience of joint operations, the Frontier Fleets of Timmeg and Kav’al would only respond to their orders, and it was going to be difficult to wrest command from them.

“Gentlemen.” Mathram Sal’nor rose to his feet.

Almost instantly, his senior officers rose from their chairs in anticipation of the great strategists words.

“We have a simple task before us,” Sal’nor continued, “we will drive these aliens and traitors from our beloved Ganthus and rescue our true Emperor from their clutches,” he said defiantly and walked away from the table.

The senior officers stared at each other for several moments, unable to comprehend just what Frontier General Sal’nor had said. They had all heard the words, but were unsure just how Sal’nor was going to achieve this near-impossible feat.

Walking away from the table, Mathram Sal’nor kept his back straight and his head held high. He knew that he would have to display every ounce of confidence and self-belief that he had. He was going to have to pull off the greatest persuasion job of his career, maybe even his life. He now had to go and sell the idea of an attack on Ganthus and the combined Alliance and Imperial Guards Fleet to the toughest audience in the empire.

Frontier Generals Timmeg and Kav’al.