The Inception: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 1 (18 page)

Dresden

Part of the AH Navy Fleet is currently en-route to the planet Dresden,
deep inside the Darinx Empire. Admiral Nemo is aboard the largest vessel,
and is currently on a mission to obtain more augmented human crew members, for
his Augmented Human Navy.

The planet Dresden is used as a dumping ground for augmented humans, who
are no longer physically or mentally able to be warriors. The Empire
doesn’t recognize the augmented humans as sentient beings, and therefore, bears
no responsibility to care for them, after they are no longer useful. They
could simply kill the augmented humans if they chose to, but the Darinx Empire
is concerned that such callous disregard for life would tarnish its image.

There is no real economy on Dresden, and the Darinx Empire prohibits any
form of self-rule or organized government. It is every person for
themselves in a world where starvation is the most common cause of death.

There is no Darinx presence on the planet Dresden or in the space around
it. When newly ‘retired’ augmented humans are delivered to the planet,
they are air-dropped in. No one ever leaves.

The Admiral parks the 3 warships in orbit, and sends the Nemesis and some
shuttles, to various parts on the planet. They are looking for augmented
humans of sound mind, and whose bodies can still function well enough to work
on a star ship. The fitness requirements for being in the navy are not as
stringent, as the fitness requirements for being in the army.

There won’t be any problem finding volunteers. The big problem will
be in turning away the massive numbers of desperate people who will flock to
the job interviews.

And so it goes. The Admiral wants 4 thousand augmented human
recruits, but he could have recruited 4 million. The deplorable
conditions on the planet make the members on the recruiting teams sad and
angry. They complete their task, of finding the recruits that they need,
and then they distribute all of the spare food and medical supplies, which are
available from the orbiting ships. Admiral Nemo promises the augmented
humans on Dresden, that they will not be forgotten.

It has been a life-changing experience. Before this visit to
Dresden, the Augmented Human Navy was all about ‘Company K soldiers escaping a
death sentence. Now the Augmented Human Navy is about ‘righting a
wrong’. The crews, from the warships, document the deplorable conditions
on the planet Dresden, and they plan on showing the Darinx citizens what their
Empire is doing.

Even before the AH Navy vessels are out of Darinx space, the videos
documenting the conditions on Dresden have been uploaded to the ‘free
net’. The ‘free net’ is the only public venue, which is not tightly
controlled by the Darinx Empire. The citizens of the Empire will see the
videos, as will the ‘active duty’ augmented humans. The ‘active duty’
augmented humans will be made aware of the future that awaits them – and it
isn’t pretty.

***

Training the New Recruits

The first step in training the 4,000 new augmented human recruits is to
get them healthy. The recruits are spread throughout the AH Navy Fleet,
and nurtured with food, medicine, and love. The transformations, within
just a few weeks, are astonishing. There are still some recruits
suffering from chronic health conditions, but even those recruits are well
enough to begin training.

The ‘mind’ is the starting place, for the recruit’s training. The
brief history of the AH Navy is taught, as well as the hopes and aspirations of
Admiral Nemo, for the future of augmented humans. He envisions a sector
of space, where augmented humans can find refuge and freedom. The AH Navy
will be a conduit, which will facilitate the escape of augmented humans on
Dresden, and in the Darinx military - much like the ‘freedom trains’ of ancient
Earth’s slavery rebellions.

As the Admiral’s vision for the future of augmented humans takes
root in the recruit’s souls, they become empowered by the righteousness of
their cause. The organization, which started as a means of
self-preservation, morphs into a ‘cause’ with an implied divine mandate.
The AH Navy is much more than just the sum of its parts. It is about
values – it is about truth, justice, freedom, fairness, equality, and the
dignity of the individual.

The first benefit of being a part of this newfound culture is that the
recruits are given the right to resign, from the AH Navy. That is a
freedom, which was never even imagined in the Darinx Empire’s military
service. It is the first and most meaningful freedom – the ‘freedom to
choose’.

Admiral Nemo made a conscious decision to recruit males and females, in
approximately a 50-50 ratio. Having children is absolutely forbidden
under Darinx rule. But the reproduction of augmented humans in the AH
Navy is encouraged – just another unimaginable freedom for the recruits – the
‘freedom to reproduce’, and to have a family.

Watching the recruits blossom is a heartwarming experience for the
Company K sailors. Given time, this rebellion will grow and succeed –
because it is a ‘righteous cause’.

***

A Well Honed Fighting Force

The training of the new augmented human recruits goes exceptionally
well. The recruits were already trained and experienced warriors, when
they first ‘awoke’ at the Augmentation Center. After that, they endured
years of active duty fighting for the Darinx Empire.

All of that training and experience is an integral part of each retired
augmented human recruit. It has been a simple task, to teach them some
new tricks, and to mold them into sailors. It just takes education,
drills, and simulation - over and over, until they get it right. After
that, come fleet maneuvers – and then they are ready for battle.

These are not young people. These are seasoned warriors who will
not wilt in the face of death. They have faced death, throughout their
military service, and then through the slow starvation at Dresden.
They are trained, ready, and eager for battle.

And finally, the recruits are given the ‘icing on the cake’. A two
week R&R
(rest and recreation)
on the planet Hope, so that they can
become a ‘part of the whole’. The planet Hope with its inclusive
diversity is where the AH Navy is headed. Not just for this planet but
for this sector, and perhaps the universe.

The Darinx
Emperor’s Palace

“Who are these
people?” yells the Emperor.

“They started as a 100 soldier company of augmented humans, who rebelled
and escaped into the frontiers,” replies his Interior Secretary. “They
have grown in size and power, by capturing warships from the Verm Navy, and by
recruiting sailors from various species. We have reports estimating that
their naval strength is somewhere between 40 and 70 warships.”

“Recently they rescued a Darinx Fleet, which was under attack by an
overwhelming Verm Navy Fleet. The Augmented Human Navy, as they call
themselves, came in behind the Verm Fleet and destroyed them.”

“Then they made off with a dozen more Verm Navy warships,” interjected
the Emperor’s Defense Secretary. “That’s how they increase the size of
their fleet.”

‘How did they get those awful videos that are showing on the ‘free
net’? And why can’t we stop that ‘free net’?” yells the Emperor.

“The Augmented Human Navy went to the planet Dresden to recruit more
augmented humans, for their fleet,” answers the Interior Minister. “They
took videos of the retired augmented humans, and put the videos up on the ‘free
net’.”

“You mean to tell me that those videos are the truth?” yells the Emperor.

“Unfortunately, they are the truth, your Excellency,” responds the
Interior Secretary. “I have ordered the execution of the top three
officials, who had oversight of the planet Dresden, and I have ordered a fleet
of Navy vessels to guard the planet, against another such raid.”

“Then those videos are accurate?” repeats the Emperor,

“Yes sir, they are unfortunately accurate,” replies the Interior
Minister. “I have ordered an immediate closure of the planet, to anyone
except at my direct order. We will need to decide what to do about the
situation.”

“Just destroy the planet Dresden,” yells the Emperor. “I never want
to hear that name again.’

The emperor’s Secretary of State speaks soothingly to the Emperor, saying:
“Certainly, we can do that, Your Majesty. But that response will entail
killing over 10 million retired augmented humans. News about that will
cause our public image to plummet, and that might give your enemies, in the
Supreme Council, enough votes to gain control over the war budget.”

“What do you suggest, then?” asks the Emperor, in a more subdued tone.

The Secretary of State replies: “Firstly we should, of course, deny
that those videos are true. Then we should immediately dispatch a propaganda
unit to Dresden, in order to make a piece of the planet look well kept.
And we should include a medical unit, to make the augmented humans in that
area, look healthy and happy.”

“With that done, we will invite the media in, to inspect. The media
will then give a ‘good report’ to the citizens of the Empire. After that,
we will wait for a few months, until the citizens lose interest, and then we
will destroy all life on Dresden. If anyone finds out about it, we can
blame the Augmented Human Navy.”

“Do it,” says the Emperor. “And destroy that Augmented Human
Navy. Do it now! And do it at any cost!”

“Yes, your Majesty,” chorus the Emperor’s advisors.

***

Darinx Navy
Taskforce

General Kax - a human - and Fleet Admiral Keeser - a ungloion - have listened
to strategy recommendations from various advisory groups, and have agreed on
the Taskforce’s direction.

The only acceptable outcome for the Taskforce is the complete
extermination, of the Augmented Human Navy and all associated elements.
They have orders to “take no prisoners”.

Both military leaders feel that sending a 200 warship Fleet and including
the entire 134
^th
Army is a bit of overkill, for the task of
destroying the persistent, but annoying AH Navy. But they are glad to
have the opportunity to perform, in front of the Emperor. This mission
will cement their positions in the upper echelons, of the Darinx military.

The strategy they have chosen is to take the massive Taskforce into the
area of space known as ‘the frontier’, and to use a ‘stick and carrot’ approach
to gather intelligence, leading to the AH Navy.

The planets that don’t cooperate with the Taskforce will get the ‘stick’,
and the planets that do cooperate will get the ‘carrot’. Planets that
don’t help will have their space assets, such as ships, confiscated – that is
the ‘stick’. Planets that willingly help will receive those confiscated
vessels – that is the ‘carrot’.

The General, and Fleet Admiral will be ‘king makers’ in that part of
space. With a little bit of kickback money, both of the leaders can
become rich, as well as famous.

***

In system after system, the redistribution scenario plays out, as the
Taskforce picks winners and losers. Even the star systems who have never
heard of the AH Navy have their assets seized. The systems of the Parma,
the Jantl, the Klung, and the Artons, are the big winners in the redistribution
scheme. Those planets eagerly provide information, and are accustomed to
the kickback process.

The most recent information has come from the planet Klung. They
were recently visited by a large fleet of warships, which destroyed the entire
Klung fleet on behest of a coalition of neighboring planets. The Klung
don’t know if the fleet was the AH Navy, but it could have been. That
fleet of warships is based at a nearby planet named Hope. The planet’s
involvement in space politics is a recent development – making it even more
suspect. And the name ‘Hope’ - isn’t that a human name?

The Darinx Taskforce goes to the planet Hope, and inquires about the
Augmented Human Navy. The planet’s leaders deny any knowledge of the
group. A closer than normal inspection of the planet is performed,
because of the unusual diversity of its populace and its warships.

The leaders of planet Hope’s small populace explain that they are a group
of traders and merchants, who banded together to form a mining and trading
conglomerate. They purchased these warships as protection for their
freighters and planet-side assets. The planet Hope is expecting to
become a regional trading and shipping center.

The Taskforce representatives are not wholly convinced that the story is
true, but they can find no trace of the AH Navy or of any Verm Navy
warships. Never the less, they confiscate all of planet Hope’s vessels,
except for the worthless freighter, and divide them among the Klung, the
Artons, the Jantl, and the Parma.

After they leave, the planet Hope launches an FTL information probe to
the location of a comm relay center. The probe informs the AH Navy about
the current events, and warns them to stay away - the planet Hope leaders have
counted 200 warships.

***

Fight or Flight

The news is startling, and at the same time exhilarating. The AH
Navy’s recruiting trip to the planet Dresden has really stirred up a hornets’
nest. More likely, the problem was caused by the videos that were
uploaded to the ’free net’. The citizens of the Darinx Empire think
highly of themselves, and consider that they are on the side of ‘good’.
The treatment of the retired augmented humans, as shown on the videos, is not
‘good’ – it is deplorable. It wouldn’t be right to treat a dog that way,
much less an augmented human - especially after they were forced to be
soldiers, for their entire working lives. No, the Empire can’t look
‘good’ or feel ‘good’ in this matter.

The good news is that the invading Darinx Fleet didn’t destroy either the
planet Hope, or the citizens of Hope. The Admiral will have to find some
replacement warships for them, but the planet Hope should be safe.

***

What to Do?

There is no sense in considering an attack on a 200 ship fleet, unless
the AH Navy can cut them into smaller pieces. It’s time for guerrilla
warfare and sniper attacks, rather than fleet attacks.

Admiral Nemo wants to run some ‘response tests’, in order to get a feel
for the big fleet’s flexibility and the acumen, of their leadership.

It is possible that the AH Navy fleet has a technological advantage, over
the big fleet. Typically, a fleet of ships can only do FTL jumps in 15
light-year increments. Jumps longer than 15 light-years will leave the
fleet so dispersed that it will need to spend days, in real-space,
reforming. In some cases, fleets will be so dispersed that some ships
completely lose contact with the fleet.

The Artificial Intelligences on the Augmented Human Navy ships
have developed a method of compensating for the FTL destination error.
The compensation factor is unique for each ship, and is determined by measuring
the error in a series of long distance test jumps.

***

Admiral Nemo sends 5 warships to coordinates, at a 30 light-year
distance. Then the Admiral sends a scout ship so close to the 200 ship
Darinx fleet, that it is detected by the Darinx Navy. The Darinx Fleet
sends 7 vessels after the scout ship, in a real-space chase.

After a short real-space chase, the scout ship launches for the 30
light-year coordinates, where another 5 AH Navy vessels are waiting. The
Darinx vessels are, apparently confused by the long jump, and wait for
instructions from their fleet leaders. After receiving instructions, the
7 vessels launch for the same coordinates, which the scout ship used.

When the Darinx warships emerge from the 30 light-year jump, they are so
dispersed that they are no longer able to function as a group. That
allows the 6 AH Navy vessels to pick off the Darinx vessels, one at a
time.

In this AH Navy ambush: 1 enemy ship is destroyed; 2 are damaged to the
point where their FTL drives don’t work; 2 are captured in working order; and 2
escape back into FTL space, after their FTL drives cool.

***

When the ambush team returns to the AH Navy Fleet, they bring the 2
captured vessels and over 3,000 captured Darinx sailors. The Admiral is
happy with the success of the mission, and is glad to have 2 more warships, but
the biggest prize is the captured sailors.

Admiral Nemo orders that the augmented human POWs be separated from the
other POWs. The 342 captive augmented humans are shown the training
holo-movies, as well as the videos of the retirement planet - Dresden.
Then, individual AH Navy augmented humans give personal testimonies about life
on Dresden, and in the AH Navy.

Finally, Admiral Nemo speaks with the POW’s, and presents his vision for
a sector of space – or perhaps the whole universe – where augmented humans can
be free to choose, and can have a home and family. At the very end of the
presentation, he parades before them the augmented human children who have been
born since the revolution began – along with the pregnant female crew members.

You could have heard a pin drop, as the captives see with their own eyes,
what ‘freedom’ looks like. In mass, the captives begin to weep and then
to applaud the ‘first fruits’, of the Augmented Human species. Augmented
human families - this is a sight that they had never considered possible.
They had always been told that any augmented human offspring would be horribly
mutated.

Admiral Nemo gives the POWs the choice of returning to the Darinx Navy,
or joining the AH Navy. Over 200 stayed. The remainder rejoin the
other prisoners and are dropped off, on a neutral planet, for return to the
Darinx Navy.

Admiral Nemo isn’t disappointed that so many of the augmented humans
chose to return to the Darinx Empire. Each one of the returning augmented
humans will spread the vision of freedom, when they tell others about what they
have seen.

***

Aboard the Darinx Battleship ‘Kindle’

Darinx Fleet Admiral Keeser learned some lessons, from the ambush, by the
6 AH Navy vessels:

o
Admiral Nemo should
not be underestimated.

o
The AH Navy has a technology
advantage, in long distance FTL jumps.

o
The AH Navy is not
going to fight fair – it will be a guerrilla warfare insurgency.

o
This 200 ship fleet,
and the Darinx Empire will have a disaster on their hands, if the Empire’s
augmented humans join the AH Navy rebellion en-mass.

The fear that the augmented human rebellion might spread through the
Darinx military has always been the ‘worst case scenario’, for Darinx Empire
leadership. That is why the rebellions have always been ruthlessly and completely
crushed.

Fleet Admiral Keeser has made a mistake, by allowing the captured
augmented human crewmembers to resume their duties. Even though these
crewmen have been loyal the Darinx Empire, they return with stories of pregnant
augmented human females, and healthy augmented human children.

And news that 232 Darinx augmented human sailors deserted the fleet has
spread like wildfire. Augmented human sailors, throughout the Taskforce
fleet, are speaking of nothing else. The news has incited their imaginations.
There is no way to stop the spread of the seditious talk, because the augmented
humans can converse through their brain implants.

Fleet Admiral Keeser has decided that the AH Navy Fleet must be destroyed
immediately, or all might be lost. He and General Kax are meeting to
figure out how to exterminate the augmented human vermin, before they spread
this ‘plague’ of rebellion, any farther.

General Kax was chosen for this assignment, in large part, because he had
commanded Company K, when it deserted the Darinx Army on Parin.

“What are Nemo’s weaknesses, General?” asks the Fleet Admiral.

“He is loyal to his people – to a fault,” replies General Kax. “He
refuses to abandon them or to sacrifice some of them ‘for the good of the
whole’. He endangers the entire mission, for the sake of a few.
That is his weakness. He will make unwise choices, for the sake of a
few.”