Chapter 11: Chapter 10

Star People

Chapter 10

Change of Power

Aug 6^th, 11 AE…

Capital City Garres, a secret location…

“Princess Lexina, what you are suggesting would be considered as treason of the highest order.” General Mackera stated. He was the commander of the Third Imperial Army, which was stationed at the South Main Base.

“We would not only lose our own heads, but also those of our families and friends as well.” Admiral Hardo added. He was the commander of the White Dragon Fleet.

“Gentlemen, I am well aware of the dangers, but you must hear me out.” Lexina pleaded as she sat at the head of the large conference table. She had secretly called in many of the highest-ranking officers and nobles in the Empire to discuss the nation’s future. Standing beside her was her personal bodyguard and friend, Rosani.

“To speak of overthrowing the Emperor and the Crown Prince would be considered as complete madness.” Hardo stated.

“And you are saying that this war with Free Land isn’t the height of madness, Admiral? Tell me truthfully… does the Empire have even the slightest possibility of defeating them?”

There was a long stretch of silence among the officers and nobles. Finally, one spoke out. This was General Snee, the supreme commander of all the Empire’s armed forces.

“In answer to your question Princess… no, we would not be able to defeat Free Land. Even if we had a hundred, no two hundred years of preparation. They are just so far ahead of us.”

“Tell me about the situation of the war right now. Do not hide anything.”

Snee took a long, deep breath before replying. “The situation is quite grim. In addition to losing three of our Dragon Fleets, our overall Wyvern forces are almost nonexistent at this point. Any Wyvern Knights we send up are almost immediately shot down. I have no idea what those iron dragons are but they’re just too fast and are able to destroy their opponents from beyond visual range.”

Many of the officers took on expressions of doubt and a sense of hopelessness began to fill the room as the general continued.

 

 “The ground war is actually worse. The cannons of the Free Land ships have impossible range, accuracy and destructive power. Their soldiers are equipped with equally destructive weapons that make our muskets and flintlocks look like toys. They wear indestructible armor and those huge metal golems are just something we can’t fight against. Our battle-mages are virtually helpless against them. Fortresses and outposts are falling into enemy hands at an alarming rate. Desertion among the ranks has begun and increasing. Our defensive line is falling back toward the capital. And as you had stated before, there is no sense of throwing more of the same thing at our enemies, when it has already been proven to be useless! What is even more depressing is the fact that we have yet to inflict a single casualty against them.”

“And what are my father and brother doing now?” The Princess asked.

At this point in time, the general decided to be blunt.

“Not helping matters at all. Due to the setback at Kilori, they’ve already issued new orders. All remaining forces at the East and West Main Bases and half of the South Base are to move out and reinforce the defensive line near the capital. All garrisons manning the southern states are to move half their number to the front and half to stay behind and oversee the vassal states.”

This declaration caused a commotion among the gathered nobles and military men.

“But that’s absurd!”

“What good will that do?!”

“They’re sending our men to be slaughtered!”

“We’ll be left defenseless on three sides!”

“If they move all those forces, then the vassal states will rebel! The situation in Ardelous is already reaching its boiling point!”

Lexina nodded. She had received the reports of that particular vassal state. Small riots and public disturbances had begun to sporadically appear. It wasn’t enough to overwhelm the troops stationed there, at least not yet. It seemed that the rebels were only testing the strength of the Sath forces. Should the force of military presence be reduced to half, then the people would surely revolt. And that would lead to a domino effect among the other conquered nations.

“General, is there any way you can ignore that order?”

“It’s too late, Princess. The order to send those troops to the front was given just an hour ago, without my knowledge.”

“Then there really is only one choice…”

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The vassal state of Ardelous, capital city…

“It is time!” The leader of the resistance shouted as a group of armed rebels began to amass in the city square. After seeing that half of the garrison’s forces had left the capital, the Underground Resistance Army of Ardelous knew that this was their one chance to break away from the Empire. All across the nation, resistance groups came out from hiding and started to attack the weakened Sath forces that stayed behind. In the capital city, Mirona cheered with the others as more joined their ranks.

Soon the streets were going to be covered in the blood of their Sath oppressors.

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The bridge of the Missouri…

“General on the bridge!”

All members of Mark’s bridge crew, including the captain himself, stood at attention and saluted as General Kurdo and his aide entered.

“As you were.” The Catian said, allowing them to sit back down at their stations.

Mark nodded and pressed a control on his chair console, causing two auxiliary seats to appear beside Relan’s position. He then walked up and shook the Catian’s clawed hand.

“General Kurdo, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“The feeling is mutual Captain Delan. And also to you, Commander Reelan.”

“Thank you, sir.” Mark’s wife nodded.

As they all sat down, General Kurdo immediately got serious as he pointed to the tactical map on the main holo-viewer. “Now then, according to all reports, the Sath forces have been stretched to their breaking point.”

Reelan nodded again. “Yes sir. All tactical surveillance shows that the Empire cannot maintain a stable front and they’re being pushed back towards their capital Garres. Surveillance also shows that they are moving more of their forces from the other Main Bases and the surrounding garrisons to reinforce what they have to protect the northern side.”

“That leaves them dangerously exposed on the south, east and western sectors.” Mark remarked. “I’ve already received reports that the vassal state of Ardelous has begun to rebel. It’s only a matter of time before the others follow their example.”

“As I had suspected that would happen.” Kurdo remarked. “This entire war just needs one more push. If we wipe out those reinforcements and assault the capital directly, then the Empire will most likely fall. They’d have no choice but to surrender.” He turned to Mark. “And what of that Princess Lexina that you had reported to the Council? Has she made her decision yet?”

“Not yet, but with the way things are going, I expect her to either contact us or for her to make her move shortly.”

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Aug 7^th, 11 AE…

“Your majesty! The Free Land forces have been spotted! Our scouts indicate that they will be in sight of the capital in less than 2 hours!”

“This is our chance, Father!” Vexor proclaimed. “With this many of our forces gathered in one area, there is simply no way we can be defeated!”

“Indeed! We shall destroy our enemies in one fell swoop!”

At this point, both father and son had begun to slip into madness as their arrogance simply would not accept the reality of the situation. Even reports of their vassal states rebelling did not sway them from their delusions. In their minds, once they had defeated the Free Land forces, the vassal states will lose hope and again be cowed into submission.

They must defeat the Free Landers this day. They had to! They were the mighty Empire of Sath! They have never been defeated before! And they will not be defeated today!

Then came in the report of the defeat of the Sath garrisons in Ardelous.

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In the former vassal state of Ardelous, people crowded the streets of the capital and other cities, and cheered as the Underground Resistance was able to force the Sath/Ardelous Governing Board into surrendering. After five long years, the nation of Ardelous had regained its independence.

Mirona felt a deep sense of satisfaction as the cowardly Sath governor and his lackeys were being pelted with rocks and other objects as their carriages were being driven out of the city. She could also feel that her older sister’s spirit could finally rest in peace after this injustice had been righted.

As the new temporary government of Ardelous was being set up, the first thing on their minds was to establish diplomatic relations with Free Land.

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All over the Empire, other nations began to rise up against their oppressors. After foolishly diverting their forces to fight Free Land, the Sath found themselves woefully underprepared to deal with the rebellions. And with most of the Wyvern forces decimated, there was no advantage from the sky. The Empire’s soldiers found it more difficult to keep the vassal states under control, especially at reduced strength.

After the victory in Ardelous, the nation of Crogera began its fight for freedom. Like Ardelous, the Crogerian people had suffered greatly under Empire rule and were more than willing to risk their lives to topple the Sath governing board. Other states such as Vestor and Merdain followed suit. In under an hour, at least twenty more countries and territories began to rise up against the Empire.

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The capital city of Garres…

Despite the destruction and loss of lives, all of these rebellions were a secondary matter to the Emperor and his son as they were too focused on repelling the approaching Free Land forces. At just 5 miles outside the city limits of Garres stood the greatest number of Sath forces ever assembled. The defensive line consisted of hundreds of Land Dragons, the final reserves of their Wyvern Knights, countless magic cannons, and medieval artillery of all types. And most important of all, nearly a quarter of a million men, including cavalry, archers, battle-mages and foot soldiers. This was quite possibly the greatest assembly of Sath military might in the Empire’s history.

And all of it would prove futile.

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Speeding toward the battlefield …

“Hawk Prime to Hawk Wing… all fighters report in!”

“Star Hawk Two, standing by!”

 “Star Hawk Three, standing by!”

“Star Hawk Four, standing by!”

“Star Hawk Five, standing by!”

“Star Hawk Six, standing by!”

Flying beside Witten’s squadron were the Red Wing, Black Talon and Blue Hawk squadrons as well as his wife’s primary Byatta squadron.

“Byatta Prime to Hawk Prime. All fighters have reported ready.”

“Our mission is simple. Clear the skies of all remaining Wyverns. Shoot them all down, and then soften up the ground forces for the 472^nd Division and the Infantry Units. Once the enemy forces are pushed back, the Missouri will finish the job.”

“The Missouri?”

“I’ve already gotten word from Captain Delan and General Kurdo. The Missouri has just lifted off from Grevel. The Council wants to drive their point home and there’s no arguing with the Missouri’s pulsar guns.”

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Two hundred miles from Garres…

High in the sky, the space battleship Missouri cruised through the air like some huge leviathan. People on the ground looked up in awe as the ship sped by.

On the bridge, Mark looked through the main holo-viewer at the expanse below. He then addressed the Catian general beside him.

“General, is this display truly necessary?”

Kurdo nodded. “Indeed. I have learned enough about the enemy to know that despite such enormous losses, the Sath are not likely to surrender and will probably commit themselves to perishing to the last man. Though that by itself can be an admirable trait, it is also quite wasteful. We cannot solely depend on the Princess’ coup d’état. Therefore, I decided on showing the Sath, just how futile it is to continue this war against us. What we’ll be doing is basically the same as shooting a warning shot across an enemy’s bow. No kinetic shells this time. This will be the first time since the war with the Cryterians, that the Missouri will be firing the pulsar gun’s anti-proton beams.”

“Isn’t that a bit… excessive, sir?”

“Don’t worry Captain. I have a target in mind and it won’t be the Sath. The Empire only seems to understand brute force, so I’m about to give them a demonstration of force that they’ll never forget.”

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Approaching the battlefield outside of Grevel…

“Fifteen seconds before engagement.” Captain Wittens announced as his starfighter’s weapons were armed. His sensors acquired their targets and locked on. His right thumb hovered near the firing stud for the medium-range missiles. All the Star Hawk fighters followed suit. On her craft, James’ wife Miriyo also took her weapons’ safeties off. The other Byatta fighters did the same. Every pilot waited for the word to be given.

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“All right boys and girls… ATTACK!”

Every Star Hawk fired off two missiles, while every Byatta let loose with four plasma-cluster torpedoes. Unlike the proton missiles they used for anti-ship operations, the plasma-cluster torpedoes caused splash damage when they detonated. They were perfect for massed formations of enemies, such as the formations of infantry and cavalry.

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High above the ground, the last of the Empire’s Wyvern Knight Reserves scanned about, looking for any sign of the enemy. One scout saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off a metal surface in the distance. Just as he began to pull on the reins to make his wyvern pull up and evade, the missile streaked in and detonated. Both rider and wyvern were blown to bloody chunks.

This caused the other Wyvern Knights to break formation and scatter. However, these desperate evasive maneuvers were not enough to save them as more missiles appeared. Men screamed and wyverns howled in agony as they were systematically incinerated or cut to pieces. Their remains rained down upon the ground troops like a gore-filled cloudburst. In less than a minute, the Empire of Sath no longer had an air force to speak of.

As their air support was being wiped out with ease, some of the troops below shouted as they sighted more of those ‘magic arrows’ coming down toward them. The plasma-cluster torpedoes dived down toward their ranks. Just as they came down to an altitude of 100 meters, they exploded into showers of plasma bolts. This lethal rain cut through armor and flesh with ease, starting fires and explosions. Many of the magic cannons were knocked out and Land Dragons died by the score. More and more soldiers found themselves in a panic and thousands broke ranks and ran off.

At that point, the Free Land ground forces came into view. Led by the 472^nd Battle-Mech division, the Free Land forces wasted no time in pummeling the already shocked and disoriented Sath troops with particle beams, high-speed projectiles and explosive ordinance. Infantry transports fired off auto-cannon rounds and maser bolts into the Sath ranks before stopping and allowing the troops to disembark. Above them, Star Hawks and Byattas made countless strafing runs, annihilating men and material with each pass.

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On the left flank of the attacking wave, Commander Vandelin noted on his scanner that a large mass of mounted Sath troops were rushing towards his squad’s position.

“Commander! It looks like the enemy is trying to outflank us with a cavalry charge!” Lieutenant Gracs stated via communicator.

 The Battle-Mech leader nodded as he aimed with the Beam Rifle and fired at the front of the attacking horsemen. The massive bolt of energy exploded as it stuck the armored riders; vaporizing several dozens of them instantly. It also caused a massive shockwave that shattered the bones and tore through the flesh and armor plate of those behind the leaders of the charge, causing the men and horses to fall to the ground in dying heaps. That single shot was enough to demoralize the survivors and break the charge, turning it into a disorganized rout.

“Yes indeed, Lieutenant. The enemy ‘tried’ to outflank us. What’s the ETA of the Missouri?”

“She’ll arrive in about ninety seconds, sir!”

“Continue with the assault. We just need to keep these bastards occupied long enough for the ‘Mighty Mo’ to make its entrance.”

“Mighty Mo, sir?”

“That’s what they used to call the Missouri back on Earth.”

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Observing from a balcony in the Royal Palace, Emperor Garres Lorcra VII and his son, Crown Prince Vexor Lorcra watched in horror as the mystic viewer crystal displayed the lopsided battle as it unfolded. The mighty armies of the Sath were being crushed like ants. The Wyvern Knights no longer ruled the skies. Land Dragons were being slaughtered left and right. And those iron dragons and golems of Free Land were pushing back his forces as easily as a man would push back an infant.

“Our defenses will hold, Father!” Vexor stated. “They must!”

“Are there any other reserves that we can send?” The Emperor asked, his tone now tinged with uneasiness.

The advisor shook his head. “No, Your Majesty, there are none. General Snee already reported that every available reserve is at the front and those that weren’t sent, are too busy fighting the uprisings. And we have just received word that the nations of Crogera, Merdain and Vestor have just announced their independence and have overthrown the Sath governing boards. Forty other territories have also begun their rebellions as well.”

“Those traitors! I’ll have them all impaled for this!”

At that point, the doors to his chambers were flung wide open as Princess Lexina, General Snee and a large number of nobles and soldiers burst inside.

“Daughter! General Snee! What is the meaning of this?!”

General Snee stepped forward and spoke in a steady but firm tone. “Your Majesty… I must ask you and the Prince… to stand down.”

“What?! What nonsense is this…?!”

“LOOK OUT THERE!” Someone shouted, causing everyone to gaze out in direction of the battle.

A huge vessel had suddenly appeared in the skies above.

The citizens of Garres began pointing skyward and shouting as they beheld the Missouri. On the battlefield, the fighting stopped as the Free Land Forces held their fire and put themselves on standby. The Sath Forces, too petrified with fear, also stopped moving. Eventually, people stopped talking and stared up at the technological marvel that was the Missouri.

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On the bridge, General Kurdo nodded as he saw the lack of combat on the main holo-viewer. He stood up and nodded to the Communications Officer,

“I believe we have everyone’s attention now. Lieutenant Visera, open a broad-range holo-transmission. I want EVERYONE to see and hear what I have to say. Transmit on all available channels, including the psion-frequencies of the Sath.”

“Yes sir!”
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An image of General Kurdo’s face and upper body appeared on all of the communicator screens of the Free Land Forces. To their amazement, the Sath side also saw the same image appearing on their magical viewers. And the ship also projected the image in the sky, allowing those without any means of communications to see and hear the Catian commander. Then, in a strong and powerful tone, he spoke.

“To the citizens and Royal Family of the Empire of Sath! I am General Kurdo, Supreme Commander of the Free Land Invasion Forces of the Star Alliance! I have come here aboard the star battleship Missouri, to demand the total and unconditional surrender of the Empire!”

Kurdo paused for a moment to let his words sink in, and then continued.

“We did not start this war, but the foolish actions of your leaders forced us into conflict with your country! By now, the Sath forces have already experienced what our nation of Free Land is capable of! I say to you, that was only a small sample of our overall power! If we had wanted to, we could have annihilated your entire Empire with a single strike! If you do not believe me, then let me prove my sincerity with this demonstration of our abilities!”

The Missouri’s main pulsar turrets swiveled to the port side and aimed in the direction of the city of Garres. Instead of loading with kinetic shells, the guns instead began building up energy within each barrel as the targeting computer locked onto specific coordinates.

“BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MISSOURI! ANTI-PROTON GUNS… OPEN FIRE!”

The pulsar guns let loose with nine beams of blue-white energy, which streaked across the skies and passed over Garres. The beams flew towards a mountain range and detonated, causing massive devastation as billions of tons of rock were instantly pulverized. Small aftershocks were felt in the city of Garres as well as the battlefield. What was once a series of huge mountains; it was now nothing but a gigantic, smoldering crater. Even though the mountain range had been uninhabited, General Kurdo’s point had been made clear.

“I could have ordered the Missouri to destroy the capital city of Garres! I still could! By now, it should be obvious to all that continuing to fight against Free Land would only mean the end of the Empire! You have 2 hours to unconditionally surrender or the next barrage will be at the center of your city! I await your decision!”

At that point, Kurdo’s image faded away as the transmission ended. Everyone on the battlefield remained silent after witnessing such a feat of total annihilation. The Sath soldiers began to wonder if they weren’t facing mortals, but rather gods.

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The Royal Palace of Garres…

“Your Majesty, I must again ask you and the Prince to stand down.” General Snee said as the shock of the demonstration wore off.

“Ridiculous! Who are you to order me, your Emperor?” Garres shouted, even though he too was trembling uncontrollably.

“And who are you to order me, the Crown Prince?” Vexor added. He was also not fooling anyone as a wet stain started to appear down his pants leg.

“Father… Brother… please see reason!” Lexina pleaded. “You just saw an entire mountain range destroyed! They could have easily destroyed us all! We stand no chance against them! Please! Don’t let it end like this!”

“It will end when I say it will end!” The Emperor shouted. “We may not be able to defeat Free Land, but we shall fight them to the last man! I will not stain our Empire’s pride by surrendering!”

“Then… it has truly come to this.” Lexina shook her head and then pointed to her family. “General Snee… arrest Garres Lorcra and Vexor Lorcra!”

Snee nodded as he motioned his men to take Garres and his son into custody.

“What?! How dare you?! Guards! Guards!”

The Emperor’s personal guards stepped forward, but were immediately stopped as the soldiers behind General Snee and Princess Lexina took out their own weapons. As they were completely outnumbered, the Royal Guards had no choice but to back off, especially when several of the soldiers were aiming their flintlocks at the Emperor and Crown Prince.

“You can’t do this to me! I am the Emperor of Sath!”

“And I am the Crown Prince of Sath!” Vexor shouted.

General Snee shook his head. “The Empire of Sath has neither an Emperor, nor a Crown Prince.” He gestured toward Lexina. “However, it does have an Empress!”

“YOU TRAITORS! EVEN MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!” Garres raged.

“YOU ARE NO SISTER OF MINE!” Vexor screamed out.

“And I have neither a father nor brother.” Lexina stated before addressing General Snee. “Take them away.”

Both Garres and Vexor were forcibly dragged away by several soldiers, all the while shouting out obscenities and death threats. Once they were gone, General Snee turned and gave Lexina a bow. The soldiers, guards and nobles did likewise.

As she was now recognized as the sole ruler of the Empire, Lexina took out a small device from within a pouch near her waist. It was the tachyon transmitter that Mark Delan had given to her. She took a deep breath and pressed the blue button.

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On the bridge of the Missouri…

“Captain! I am picking up a tachyon-pulse signal!” Visera announced.

Mark nodded to General Kurdo. “Open a direct channel to it.”

“Channel open, sir!”

“This is Captain Mark Delan of the star battleship Missouri. Identify yourself.”

“This is Princess… no… this is Empress Lexina speaking.”

“Empress, is it? May I assume that you have made your decision?”

“I have.”

“Empress Lexina?” General Kurdo stood up. “I am General Kurdo. Captain Delan had informed me of your desire to end this war. Is that still your intention?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Very well then. You can start by ordering all of your forces near your city to stand down.”

“It will take some time for messengers to be sent out…”

“No need for that. You’ll be able to tell them directly.” Kurdo turned to the communications officer. “Patch in her communicator with a broad-range holo-transmission wave. Make certain everyone can see and hear her.”

“Aye sir!”

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At the palace, Lexina was surprised to see her image on the magical viewer, as well as being projected across the sky. The device in her hand not only transmitted her voice but also sent out visual images as well.

“Now then, Empress Lexina, you may speak to your people.” Kurdo said.

Lexina was shocked at the seemingly endless and powerful magic of Free Land, but quickly composed herself.

“Soldiers of Sath! Emperor Garres and Crown Prince Vexor have been removed from the throne! I am Empress Lexina Lorcra of Sath! I do not wish to see my people suffer any longer! Lay down your arms! I repeat, lay down your arms!”

There was a huge period of silence as the Sath Forces tried to understand what had just happened. The Emperor and Crown Prince had been deposed? The Princess was now the Empress? Was this all some kind of trick?

The image of Lexina then switched to that of General Snee as he addressed the Sath military.

“This is General Snee, supreme commander of all Sath forces! I have borne witness to the fall of Emperor Garres and Crown Prince Vexor, as well as the ascension of Princess Lexina to the throne! This is not a trick! I am sorry to all, but we have lost this war! Do as the Empress commands! Lay down your weapons… and surrender.”

After hearing those words, the Sath soldiers all over the continent dropped their weapons to the ground and raised their hands in defeat. The war was over.

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On the bridge of the Missouri, Mark and Kurdo nodded in satisfaction as they began receiving reports of the Sath forces standing down.

“Now comes the hard part of any war, General.”

“Indeed, Captain Delan. Waging war is easy. Dealing with its aftermath is the hard part.”

To be continued…

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