The Ganthoran Gambit (The First Admiral Series) (9 page)

In his Private Quarters next to the harshly-lit War Room, Billy Caudwell was receiving the most up-to-date briefing from his Staff Officers on the military situation, along with Intelligence and Political reports from the Senior Intelligence Officer; Karap Sownus.

The situation was not looking favourable for the Universal Alliance.

On the military front, Marrhus Lokkrien had reported that General Kallet’s former Frontier Fleet was now in orbit over Rubicos. The Fleets of Generals Sal’nor, Kav’al, and Timmeg had linked up on the Second Frontier and were making their way with best speed to Ganthus. General Grobbeg, the re-instated commander of the remains of Fifth Frontier Fleet, had made contact with his old command. His former second-in-command had declared his loyalty to the Adjudicators and the new Emperor. On his return to the Alliance Fleet, Billy had requested General Grobbeg to rejoin his Fleet and make preparations to defend the planet of Ganthus. Meanwhile, Admiral Parbe’an of the Universal Alliance Third Fleet was repairing and re-equipping his forces, in the vicinity of the Calyx Wormhole, after the earlier bone-crunching encounter with Grobbeg’s Fifth Frontier Fleet.

On the political front, Karap Sownus; the bow-legged Thexxian Senior Intelligence Officer, reported that the political situation was still confused. All of the Adjudicators were safely aboard the Olympus, installed with their families in one of the luxurious Diplomatic Suites for visiting dignitaries, and had declared themselves loyal to the new Emperor. General Kallet had made a broadcast to the Ganthoran people, claiming to represent a new Emperor whom he had not named and who had yet to show his face.

Given that the unknown rebel Emperor was likely to be one of the three Adjudicators; all of whom were currently under Alliance control, both Billy and Karap Sownus considered that he would not be showing his face until they were safe within rebel custody. The general population of Ganthus was, as Kallet had requested, remaining calm. This suited Billy Caudwell’s purposes. He did not need innocent civilians getting in the way of his military operations to suppress this rebellion. Spontaneous demonstrations of support in the streets of Ganthus would likely lead to a bloodbath.

After some thought, Billy outlined his solution to the officers present in his dimly-lit ante-room. His first priority was to take on Kallet’s Fleet over Ganthus and chase them away. Then, they would attempt to secure the Imperial Palace and the vital facilities in Ganthus City. With that done, they then had to deal with the other rebel Fleets. Issuing his battle orders, Billy dismissed his senior officers to make the preparations.

There was an Empire, and billions of lives at stake.

Troop Sergeant Geor Thardan thought that he was the luckiest Krodan alive.

Not only had he succeeded in joining the new elite Landing Trooper Brigades, he had just completed his training as a non-commissioned officer. And, on the upper left sleeve of his black Landing Trooper overalls, he wore the diagonally-split red and yellow, shield-shaped, badge of the Fire Support Vehicle Squadrons, or F.S.V. The badge, of which he was so proud, stood just above the three narrow silver bands that wrapped around his upper arm to indicate his rank.

The Fire Support Vehicle Squadrons worked in a similar fashion to light artillery and armoured vehicles. Their function was to provide fire support for ground-based Landing Trooper units. Their primary role was to provide artillery support for Trooper units. However, their more exciting - and more dangerous - secondary role was to act like an armoured spearhead against difficult enemy positions. The Fire Support Vehicle Squadrons used a vehicle called the “Ghost Hammer”. The Ghost Hammer was basically an operator’s seat flanked by two medium-yield pulsar-cannon, built on top of a huge Force Shield Generator, which was, in turn, built on top of a large circular anti-gravity plate; like that on a Hover-Bike. The Force Shield Generator was programmed, based on the dimensions of the Operator, to project its shielding around the two medium-yield cannon.

In effect, the Ghost Hammer had no physical superstructure whatsoever. With its invisible Force Shielding exterior, there was a significant reduction in the overall weight of the vehicle. The anti-gravity drive gave the whole contraption a good turn of speed and manoeuvrability.

At full power, the anti-gravity plate could lift the heavy vehicle up to ten metres from the ground. And, unlike the armoured vehicles on Earth, the Ghost Hammer could travel well in excess of sixty kilometres per hour.

On either side of the Operator’s Seat, set against the two pulsar-cannon, were two pistol-grip controls. These two controls guided the vehicle and allowed the Operator to fire the weapons. The speed of the vehicle was controlled by pushing the pistol-grips forwards or backwards. Direction was guided by a simple push to the left or right. To the front of each pistol-grip was a trigger mechanism which fired the respective medium-yield pulsar-cannon, whilst another firing button was on the top of each pistol grip. The firing button on top of the left pistol-grip operated the four low-yield pulsar-cannon built into the front of the anti-gravity plate. The Operator had four low-yield pulsar-cannon just in front of their feet for the close-quarter defence of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the firing button on the right pistol grip operated the four low-yield pulsar-cannon built into the rotating platform above the Operator’s head.

Twisting the right hand pistol-grip allowed the Operator to target the pulsar cannon on the rotating platform above their heads. These pulsar-cannon were highly effective against any airborne threat to the vehicle, and could also be pivoted downwards to add to the firepower of the cannon at the Operator’s feet.

Now, a newly-qualified Troop Sergeant, in command of five Ghost Hammer vehicles and their Operators, Geor Thardan, had been landed in Ganthus City.

The landing on Ganthus itself had gone smoothly and almost entirely to plan. With Frontier General Kallet’s fleet eliminated, their ground forces were entirely at the mercy of the Alliance. The Ganthoran rebel troops had no means of escape, and nowhere to run to. The Alliance Eagles ruled the skies over Ganthus City, and the entire planet. Nothing could move on the surface that the Alliance didn’t know about.

With the last of Kallet’s battle fleet driven off or contained, the landing operation began immediately. The First Admiral had made it quite clear to all the officers that they had to complete this operation as quickly as possible. Like most of the Alliance military, Geor Thardan was well aware that the other three Ganthoran Frontier Fleets were heading towards the planet Ganthus. Speed was of the essence here.

It had been a classic textbook Landing Trooper assault. Four hundred circular Assault Landing Ships, each carrying thirty Troopers, had deployed under an escort of one thousand Eagle fighters. The Eagles had flown patrols over Ganthus City to try to tempt out any anti-aircraft capability that the Frontier Fleet troops had left behind. Whilst Avavid Kallet was prepared to use indiscriminate weapons fire from orbiting warships to suppress any resistance, Billy Caudwell used the precision strike capability of his Eagle fighters to minimise civilian casualties in the City itself.

When the Eagle pilots were satisfied that there were no threats, the Assault Landing Ships were allowed to approach the Landing Zone. The first twenty Assault Landing Ships carried the Blast-Jump Squads, who were the pathfinders for the landing, and were to target the parkland to the north of the Imperial Palace. The job of the Blast-Jump Squads was to secure the Landing Zone, and allow the other Assault Landing Ships to deploy their Troopers in relative safety. Having entered the atmosphere of Ganthus, the Blast-Jump Squads would deploy from their Assault Landing Ships when they were two thousand metres from the ground. They would then free-fall to a height of thirty metres, where their Blast Packs would automatically ignite to rapidly decelerate the Trooper and allow them to land safely.

The second wave of Assault Landing Ships actually landed on the planet. Guided in by beacons from the Blast-Jump Squads, each Assault Landing Ship was assigned to an area within the Landing Zone, where they descended, opened the Force Shielding door, and allowed the Troopers inside to rush out before taking off again. It took no more than ten seconds to deploy thirty fully-armed Troopers from the six doors of the Assault Landing Ship. The Landing Troopers had practiced the procedure until it was second nature to them. They knew that if they were receiving fire when they landed, the best place to be was away from the six-segment domed ships, which would be a magnet for enemy weapons.

Geor Thardan, and his troop of five Ghost Hammers, did not land with the first wave of Troopers. The Ghost Hammers were landed from a specially-designed heavy-lifting vessel. Each Ghost Hammer Troop had its own designated Heavy Landing Ship. However, having landed in the lush parkland to the north of the Imperial Palace, Geor was eager to get into the battle.

Geor’s Squadron had been ordered to take the lead in the advance, although he actually suspected that their Senior Troop Officer; a Cerador named Thristyam, had volunteered them for that particular honour. And, having been assigned to the lead support role, Geor Thardan knew that his Ghost Hammer would be in the thick of any action. As a result, he spent the time before and after the landing feverishly checking and re-checking the systems aboard his Ghost Hammer, and he pushed the other four Troopers in his troop equally hard. In the heat of battle, Geor Thardan knew that he would have to rely on these Troopers for his own life and safety, as they would rely on him. In combat, the last thing he needed was for one of his troop of Ghost Hammers to malfunction; leaving the rest of the troop under-strength and potentially vulnerable.

An hour after landing on Ganthus, Geor Thardan’s Squadron received the order to move out. Their five Ghost Hammers were there to support the lead element of sixty Boarding Squad Troopers.

Geor knew that they had to clear the situation up before the next heavy downpour, or they would be trapped on the planet for however long it took for the storm to pass, which was just too risky. Speed and urgency would be required with this mission: Getting the Boarding Squad Troopers into the Imperial Palace and providing them with covering fire. There were other missions to eliminate the Frontier Fleet troops in the Government Quarter, the Media and Communication facilities, along with the power and water supply stations. First Admiral, or, maybe they should now call him Emperor Caudwell, had decided that it was best to root out Kallet’s supporters before leaving the planet. The Civil Government authorities, with the Imperial Guard, were not likely to butcher the civilian population, wholesale, out of retribution and spite. On their own, the people of Ganthus City stood a small chance at least. With Kallet’s troops; abandoned, angered, and on a rampage, there would be a bloodbath.

That, however, was not the concern of Geor Thardan. His troop of Ghost Hammers had been assigned to lead the right flank of the attack on the Imperial Palace. A single troop of Ghost Hammers would lead sixty Boarding Squad Troopers straight down the broad boulevard to the gates of the Palace as a decoy. With a small contingent of Troopers to protect the Landing Zone, the rest of the Landing Troopers and Ghost Hammers would make their way to the Palace via the narrow streets and alleyways on either side. In a way, Geor Thardan was glad to have landed the decoy role. Taking a Ghost Hammer into a crowded and cramped built-up area negated all the advantages of mobility and speed that the vehicle possessed.

Moving out from the park, Geor quickly saw the attack take shape. Geor’s troop was stationed in the middle of the advance. In their inverted “V” formation; with Geor in the lead, they followed the three leading officers. In overall command was the Brigade Commodore; a short, tough, and battle-scarred Bregan named Lorrut. With his pale, almost luminous skin, he stuck out like a sore thumb, and was likely to be a veritable magnet for Ganthoran weapons fire. That, however, was Lorrut’s intention. He planned to offer the Ganthorans a high-value target to make them reveal any hidden positions they had taken on the approach to the Palace.

Slowly and deliberately, Brigade Commodore Lorrut walked forward. Geor Thardan, himself anxiously scanning the sparkling blue and white buildings to his left for any sign of resistance, had to admit that the Commodore did have courage. To the left of Lorrut, and just as badly exposed to danger, was a Regiment Commander by the name of Dunnor.

A Vardanian by birth, Commander Dunnor had the sharp-eyed vision of his species, and the un-nerving habit of twitching his head like an over-grown bird of prey to keep his visual field constant. What had previously been seen as an irritating habit was now proving to be highly beneficial and useful for the Landing Troopers. With such superior visual acuity, the Regiment Commander could spot even the most insignificant of movements that could spell trouble for their advances. 

Behind Lorrut and Dunnor, a loose chain of six fully armed Troop Sergeants followed at a distance of three metres. They would be the toughest, no-nonsense NCOs in Dunnor’s Regiment. Moving like the seasoned professionals that they were, the “Awkward Squad” moved calmly, yet carefully, forward. Behind them, the first of the Ghost Hammers moved slowly forward. Meanwhile, behind the Ghost Hammers, came the rest of the Boarding Squads.

The remaining Troopers walked forward in a half-crouch, with their weapons ready for action, against the walls of the buildings that lined the streets. As they moved forward, they scrutinised the wide windows of the buildings on the opposite side of the boulevard. On the civilian broadcast frequencies, Geor heard a Ganthoran voice urging the people of Ganthus City to remain calm.

Just as General Kallet had done beforehand, Grand Adjudicator Bellor was broadcasting to Ganthus City, pleading for the people to remain in their homes and allow the Alliance soldiers to do their job in suppressing the rebellion.

The people of Ganthus City, however, had had enough of being passive observers to the unfolding drama. Through a genuine terror of Kallet and his troops, the people of Ganthus City had decided that they could not stand by and watch their fate be decided by strangers and aliens. In the residential parts of Ganthus City, people began creeping out of their doors to find that their neighbours had reached the same conclusion. Despite Bellor’s pleas for calm and to stay indoors, the people of Ganthus City knew that they would have to fight for themselves.

The people had taken to the streets to welcome the rain, despite the threats from Kallet’s troops. And, when Kallet’s troops had opened fire on the civilians, they had scampered back to their houses like frightened mice. Now, the young Emperor had driven off Kallet’s ships. The young Emperor’s soldiers were coming to punish Kallet and his troops.

Along the broad boulevard leading to the Imperial Palace, the high-born residents of the plush and opulent dwellings stayed locked behind their extravagantly decorated front doors. Their servants, with nothing more to lose, began to take to the street. In small groups, at first, they filtered in behind the Landing Troopers, and as the Landing Troopers drew closer to the Imperial Palace, the crowd grew in numbers.

Sitting in the lead Ghost Hammer, Geor Thardan had no contact with the swelling crowd of Ganthorans that was following his contingent. On the Communications Network, however, junior officers were expressing concern at the impromptu congregation of civilians. The senior officers told the inquiring novices to leave them to their own devices. Their mission was to capture the Imperial Palace, not to nursemaid Ganthoran civilians.

Making his way, slowly, down the broad boulevard, behind the three senior officers, the Imperial Palace started to loom large in Goer Thardan’s line of vision.

As he had expected, the Imperial Palace was solid and impressive. He could already see small figures running across the flat roof of the Palace. And, just as Geor had spotted the small figures, one of them opened fire. The single laser-bolt zipped towards Geor and the Landing Troopers, striking the roadway about forty metres in front of the leading officers, and striking harmlessly into one of the buildings to Geor’s left.

The following volley of rapid-fire laser-bolts sparked from the roadway and plunged on towards the Landing Troopers and the Ganthoran civilians. The Landing Troopers, being experienced combat professionals, knew to find cover as soon as the shooting started. However, the Ganthoran civilians, not possessing such finely-tuned reflexes that could only be learned after endless hours of rigorous training, did not have the capability to respond so quickly. And, as the laser-bolts sparked off the roadway, many of them plunged straight into the ranks of Ganthorans.