Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Reprisal Read online

  A buzz on his intercom woke him from a contemplative state, and after shaking off the effects of his apparent daydream, he touched the pad and looked at the screen to see a security officer.

  “Representative,” the guard started. “I have Ples Damar to see you. I would have chosen to not disturb you at this late hour, sir, but he is on the list of people to admit at all times.”

  “Yes, of course, send him up please.” For Damar to sneak out on the Senator and come to see him directly there must be something very important going on. Or at least, there better be. Since Commander Velk turned all on-planet intelligence assets over to him, which included Ples Damar, Terir had learned to treat all those types with suspicion. Of course, the things he had learned, both in terms of information gathered and techniques, had proven useful in his own endeavors. But that was for later.

  Moments later, Damar knocked and then entered through the double doors of Terir’s office. The building was formerly occupied by a high priced law firm, and Terir approved of the appointments and decor, if not his part in of the occupation.

  “Agent Damar,” Terir started, just to let the other know who was in charge here. “I trust your cover is holding up.”

  “Impeccably, sir. However, I am here with grave news. Two days ago, the Senator was approached by several Confederation special forces officers. They say they came from offworld and that there will be a rescue attempt made in the near future. I could only now break free to bring you this news.”

  The look on Terir’s face must have said it all. “What other information do you have on this operation?” he asked.

  “Nothing, sir. The operatives were very careful to not reveal anything, despite the urgings of the Senator. I have the feeling that they will not take long, though.”

  Terir pondered this for a second, then realized he needed to act right away.

  “Go over to the computer station on that wall and draft your report,” started Terir. “I will establish a link with the Commander and inform him of the news. Excellent work, Agent Damar.”

  Commander Velk, meanwhile, was conducting a late night briefing session in his own headquarters on Callidor. With him were Representatives Dag and Tash. While Dag had been with Velk since before their entry into this galaxy, Tash was a troubling addition, but he effectively had no say in the matter. Tash was from the next family in line to rule, and while that wouldn’t happen for many years unless Velk did something stupid, traditionally the next Commander was not included in Inner Circle decisions this far out so there was no chance or impression that they could do something to hasten the departure of their predecessor. However, one of Velk’s Representatives had been lost in battle recently, and Representative Terir was more often that not engaged in matters on Delos. Therefore the Council had decided to include Tash and his family in the workings of rule. Velk would watch him closely.

  At present, the debate on the table was where to send their forces next. The Primans had pushed through much of Confed and Talaran space, and were on the verge of breaking through to the base of the spiral arm towards the core of the galaxy. There had been a few other empires, governments, and organizations to deal with, but the Confederation and Talaran Collection were by far the powerhouses of the area. As long as he could keep them pinned down and disorganized, things would go according to plan. Already he could see his advisor’s predictions coming true. Nobody else wanted to unify and stand up to the Primans, a fact which he attributed to cowardice and the desire of the lesser powers to pick over the pieces of their defeated rivals. Truly, these people needed to be taken under the care of his people. If anyone matched up to the Priman ethic, it was the Confeds and Talarans, which is why they had been dealt the harshest blows.

  All this Representative Tash knew. He also knew what an unprecedented opportunity was ahead of him. He was right there where the decisions were being made, and he was of the opinion that he could do better. Commander Velk’s family had spent a generation preparing to make the initial thrust into this galaxy, and they had done an admirable job. But Tash’s family, and some others on the Council, felt that Velk was now bogging down and losing sight of the ultimate goal: reclaimed domination of the galaxy, by whatever means necessary. Long ago in the invasion process, Tash would have used the secret weapons being developed that he had recently been briefed on as a member of Velk’s immediate staff. He didn’t understand the waiting, and he knew others felt the same- others like Representative Terir, who had arranged to be gone often enough to leave Velk in need of advisors. Some in the Council, too, had realized it, and had then suggested elevating Tash to Representative early to fill in for Terir. It was just a matter of time before Velk made too many mistakes, and Tash would then rise to his family’s intended role as conquerors of the galaxy. While Velk had invaded, Tash would in turn rule.

  “Which brings me to my plan for Confederation Headquarters,” Velk said after listening to another brief on the state of the Delos occupation fleet. “I’ve watched as every few days the Confeds have launched fighter probes from their headquarters. Every time we turn them back, though at times we’ve had to be inventive in calling in support and introducing new weaponry as their tactics change. And yet, we cannot strike at the heart of their installation!” Clearly, it antagonized Velk greatly to have the seat of Confed’s Navy right beneath his nose but to lack the ability to do anything about it. “That is why I’ve set in motion the attack plan you’ve all been briefed on. Within two weeks we will launch an all-out assault on their HQ and capture or destroy it once and for all. I’ve recalled quite a number of ships for this purpose, and expect a success.” Velk was finishing up when his comm tone chimed. He looked at his monitor on the desktop, eyes moving as he apparently read some text, then widening as he finished. Velk stood up to his full height.

  “I have just received a communication from Delos; apparently the Senator we’re using has been contacted by Confederation soldiers who plan an extraction attempt soon. I have no intelligence of any massing forces, so I’ll guess they’re going to try a covert extraction.” Velk looked around the room, “Representative Tash, I am tasking you with being my eyes and ears among the forces preparing a reception for the Confeds. While my fleet pounds their HQ into dust, you can defy their attempts to sneak around underfoot.”

  Chapter 4

  Captain Elco, Admiral Illam, and Captain Spiron were halfway through the landing pattern for the Sabre class carrier Thunderbird. It was Fleet Admiral Privac’s flagship, and he intended to participate in the liberation of Delos, having stationed his fleet about a day’s travel from the jumping-off point for the Delos system. Oddly enough, though, this meeting had been arranged just for the three ship captains in the Freedom class transport. Captain Elco watched through the window as the transport approached the low-hanging fly-through starboard hangar on the underside of the huge carrier. Once in, the pilot navigated to the designated area, switched to repulsorlift thrusters, and steered the ship to its’ landing spot. Seconds later, the ship was shut down and the three men were descending the aft ramp onto the hangar deck of the Thunderbird. They were met by the ship’s Executive Officer, who without any wasted time directed them to a large conference room adjacent to the ship’s C3.

  They were invited to take seats, and after informing them that the Admiral would join them shortly, the XO excused himself, a somewhat unusual gesture. It either meant the Admiral was going to be a long while, or the XO didn’t have any business knowing what was going on and who was involved. A few minutes later, to everyone’s mild shock, Elco realized it was the latter. The XO, and most of Confed, had no idea who was aboard. Two men entered the room. Fleet Admiral Privac was first, followed by Admiral Bak.

  Admiral Bak, to Elco’s knowledge, was still waiting charges of treason for his role in leaking intelligence that allowed the Enkarrans an advantage in their operations against Confed in the early days of the war. While the Admiral had no knowledge of the Primans, and could rationalize his motivation
s eloquently enough to turn more than a few to his viewpoint, the fact remained that he purposely allowed information to reach the Enkarrans which had as a result cost Confederation soldiers their lives.

  The looks on their faces must have said it all, because Admiral Privac looked at Admiral Bak, who nodded and sat down while Privac remained standing. Elco, Illam, and Spiron traded glances but remained silent.

  “Gentlemen, I assume you’d like to discuss the presence of Admiral Bak first.” Everyone sat down at the Admiral’s lead, who then continued.

  “After the Battle of Delos, Confed was in a state of disarray. I daresay that hasn’t improved much as of late. In any case, the publicity was bad. We lost control of our home sector. Invaders conquered our capital and kidnapped our government. There were few bright spots in the first few weeks of the war. The only things that went right, actually, were those that were set in motion by Admiral Bak. The battleships being recommissioned, the Marauders, some predrawn battle plans we were able to use in those first days. Confed needed, if not a hero, at least someone we could use to put a face on our successes.” Privac inclined his head to Bak, who nodded humbly and still said nothing.

  “The Admiral was, rightly so, given credit for that which he accomplished, and the Confederation had its’ hero. It gave the people hope that we could stand and fight against the Primans. It showed them that we were ready to draw that proverbial line in the sand and that people like the Admiral would be there to enforce that line. The short version, gentlemen, was that we needed the goodwill and reassurance the Admiral’s presence created. We couldn’t publicly court-martial him, not then. Not now, either. Word was already out about his removal from command, but it was quickly added that the Admiral had done so himself, saying he took the blame for losing the Delos System to the Primans. We dropped the idea of a trial and the matter disappeared, and people looked at him as someone who felt that he should take responsibility for the Confed loss of the Delos System. Then, when we announced there would be no trial, the people raised him up even more. We of course didn’t return the good Admiral out in the open, but if you’re wondering how we got from a court martial to him working for me, there it is.”

  Elco felt the words rising in his throat, managing to clamp down on them before he blurted out something that would jeopardize his command, such as asking if it would ever be the right time.

  “Frankly, we also need the Admiral’s expertise in dealing with the Primans. His aggressive nature towards them also aids in his role here. To that end, I have arranged to have the Admiral placed here, in a sort of house arrest, as my personal deputy and planner. He has organized some of our more successful operations against the Primans to date. In addition, and here’s why there’s only the five of us here, the Admiral is running several of our more secret operations. This briefing concerns one of those ops.” The Admiral looked around, and while he could see confusion and some dissent, the officers kept their own counsel and waited for whatever was next. Privac wished he had more like these three. He had no doubt that they’d speak up if they had problems with the mission, as they had in fact done before, but in the end they would do the mission because orders were orders.

  “I’m turning over this briefing to Admiral Bak at this time.” With that, the Admiral got up and left, all four of the others standing with him and remaining so until he left.

  Elco had a feeling this was not only a secret mission, but something the Admiral didn’t want to get involved with. Having Admiral Bak around to take the blame for a failed operation was a handy thing, he mused. Elco had no doubt that Admiral Bak’s popularity had helped him, but he knew the man was also connected politically as well. He had friends all the way up and down the Confederation government, as well as the business world, too. That couldn’t have hurt his cause, either.

  “Gentlemen, I hate to be curt, but the mission we’re briefing for must leave in thirty minutes. Admiral Illam and Captain Spiron, your role, as outlined in the details I’ve already sent to your ships, is going to be cover for Avenger. There’s a small picket force that was destroyed yesterday about four hours from here at high speed. We need to get the data recorders from those ships and have a small boarding party investigate the main computer of one of them.”

  The Admiral looked at the three across the table from him, and continued. “The remainder of this brief is for Captain Elco only, as he will be in charge of the boarding party and as such is the only one who needs this information.”

  To their credit, Spiron and Illam simply nodded, stood at attention for a second, then turned and left the room, leaving Bak and Elco alone across the table from each other. The lighting in the room was low, and the dark glossy stone of the tabletop seemed to soak up what little light there was. There were small desk lights at each seat of the conference table, and the dim illumination of several randomly active ones lit the space.

  “So, Captain,” Bak started simply.

  “Admiral.” Elco replied curtly.

  “I can only assume you’re upset about the injustice of the legal system that lets me roam free on this ship. For what it’s worth, I am in fact confined to quarters, and have to stay so in order to keep my presence here a secret. I’ll have to answer for my actions someday soon.”

  “If I may speak freely Admiral, it’s not worth much.”

  “I would expect you to say that. Frankly, I hope you never change. As much as I hate to have you think of me that way, I know you will always do what is right. This is why I have to assign this mission to you. We do need you to board a ship that was destroyed in a recent battle. The ship in question is a Crusader class, so it makes sense to send a team from a similar vessel such as yours. But what we need done is something that we need to keep off the official records, both for security and for the sake of public opinion.”

  “This smacks of something that also might qualify as illegal or immoral.”

  “I’ll let you be the judge.” Admiral Bak took a breath, slid a small data chip over to Elco, then interlaced his fingers on the tabletop in front of him and continued. “The ship in question is the Stormhawk. It was in fact the second newest Crusader in the fleet, barely finished with her shakedown cruise when she was lost. In any case, she was returning from a fleet action when she along with her escort of two destroyers were attacked by a Priman scout force. The magic here, Captain, is that not only did the Stormhawk prevail, but they managed to capture a Priman destroyer.”

  Elco sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow. “Impressive, considering I’m not aware of any Primans that have ever been taken prisoner. They got captives and a ship?”

  “Exactly. It was an amazing coup for us. Unfortunately, there were many more Priman ships on the way, so the Stormhawk boarding parties brought back the Priman survivors and as much technology as they could before departing the area. This information was not released, for obvious security reasons.”

  “Still,” replied Elco, “I don’t see what the cloak and dagger act is for here.”

  “Some aspects of this mission need to remain off the books, Captain. Officially, it’s a rescue and salvage mission to check for survivors and intact hulls. But there is the matter of the Priman prisoners. They were interrogated. Aggressively, if I may be blunt about it. Those that didn’t survive were autopsied in order to learn more about their anatomy and such. There were a half dozen captured; we assume only two or three were alive when the Stormhawk was destroyed. It was a different Priman force that caught up with it, and long range probe scans suggest the Primans didn’t clean up the battlefield, which might mean they don’t yet know what the Stormhawk was carrying. In essence, Captain, is that if it’s still intact and viable, I need someone to go get the Primans on that ship, their technology, in short order, and return everything here in secret so that we may continue our efforts to learn more about them without any distractions.”

  “Can I assume Fleet Admiral Privac doesn’t want to be associated with this mission?”

  “An
astute observation, yes, Captain. In all honesty, Sirian, aside from the desperate need for secrecy, I am fully prepared and quite willing to throw all the laws regarding the conduct of prisoners of war out the airlock. That in fact had already happened during the initial questioning. We are desperate to gain an edge on the Primans, Captain, and the operation to interrogate and eventually bring the prisoners here was under my control. The Admiral knows the broad strokes, but all he needs in the end are the results. And we have an understanding about what I’ll tell him about the methodology used, and who will take the fall if it turns ugly. I’m fully prepared to face that music, Sirian, because my career is forfeit anyway. That in turn frees me to make less career-friendly decisions, at it were. What I need is for you to set aside any feelings you may have about that operation and my role in it, and think about the security and stability of the Confederation. That ship and the Priman prisoners and their technology must be returned here.

  “I asked for you because I need someone I can trust. If you truly believe that doing this is the right thing, I know I’ll be able to count on your discretion. You’re not afraid to tell me what you think, good or bad, and I know where you stand in the issues. If you’re not comfortable with it, you’ll tell me so, and I’ll attempt to find someone else, but frankly I’d rather it be you.”