The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire by Raymond Weil (ereader ebook .txt) 📕

This seemed to satisfy Layla, as she gazed out over the multitude of lights that lit up the city. “The House of Worlds is now complete. I’ve turned over more responsibility for the government and the military to the Imperial Council. It’s time for me and Krista to take a step back. If everything goes as I hope, in another four to six weeks, we will have over two hundred worlds in the Empire.”

“Our fleets are growing with every passing day.” Derrick didn’t mention that, with the new particle beam cannons, there was a chance the other worlds of the Empire could be freed quickly. He was also curious about what else was going on in the Confederation, since Layla and Rear Admiral Carrie had made their momentous announcement.

-

In the Confederation, Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant was over the capital world of the Creetins—an insect race, very similar to a praying mantis, standing six feet tall. The Creetins were spread across twenty-two star systems that the Confederation controlled. However, on six of those worlds, including the capital, now widespread riots protested the domination of the Morag. The Creetins demanded more rights and for their worlds to be allowed to leave the Confederation, if they voted to do so. The Morag could not allow this, for it would cause the Confederation to splinter, so an example needed to be made.

The planet was not defended, as the seven Confederation worlds did not allow any of their subservient planets to have any defenses. This was due to Morag intervention using their telepathy. On the main viewscreen, the massive cities of the Creetin were plainly visible. Even though the population of the Creetins had been greatly reduced in the past, the planet now held nearly twelve billion of the insect people.

“We’ve received messages from the surface, demanding we leave their orbit immediately,” reported the communications officer.

Admiral Torrant merely shook his head. “No, their planet will serve as an example to their other systems and to any other world that thinks about revolting. Stand by to initiate orbital bombardment.” Torrant planned on reducing the planet to rubble. After this demonstration the revolts across the Empire should subside.

The fleet of 220 battleships spread out above the planet, until they were all in position. Then the order was given to bombard. Instead of antimatter missiles, they would use fusion ones. They wanted to make the planet uninhabitable for decades to come.

From the orbiting fleet, hundreds of deadly fusion missiles flashed out of their launch tubes, heading toward the helpless planet below. The first missile detonated over the capital city, immediately killing twenty million inhabitants. At the center of the blast, the deadly heat melted and vaporized everything it touched, including the inhabitants. A massive blast wave radiated outward, toppling buildings and smashing through everything in its path.

Then a second and third missile detonated, spreading the death and the destruction even farther. In just a matter of minutes, everything within a radius of twenty kilometers had been destroyed. Thousands of fires and a thick pall of smoke hung over the stricken city. Three massive mushroom clouds rose into the atmosphere.

Across the planet this scene was played out time after time. When the bombardment finally stopped, over two thousand mushroom clouds were visible. The radiation level climbed, and the atmosphere turned dark from the smoke, dust, ashes, and debris which the blasts had hurled upward into the atmosphere.

Three large space stations were in orbit as well. Each were targeted, and antimatter weapons were used. In brilliant flashes of light all three were easily eliminated. Throughout the system, ships with hyperspace drives jumped out, fleeing the Morag fleet. Word was already spreading as to what the Morag had done.

-

Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull was on Bator Prime, speaking with his brother, Marlon, who was the head curator of the Confederation archives.

“Is there any record of the Morag being telepathic?” Ardon was determined to free himself and his people from control of the Morag. He wondered about all the atrocities committed by the Confederation and if they would have still occurred if the Morag had not encouraged them with their telepathy.

Marlon sat in front of the main interface for the massive computer complex in this building, as well as in the underground vaults. The underground archives ran for kilometers in specially sealed and shielded vaults. Even a direct hit from a fusion missile would not penetrate. Through a port in the back of his neck, Marlon currently searched the archives for any record of the type Ardon had asked about.

“It seems, when the Confederation was first formed, it brought many worlds under its control peacefully. The original plans were for those worlds to join the Confederation and to become full members.”

“What changed?” asked Ardon, surprised at this revelation. The Confederation had been in existence for over thirty thousand years.

“After several hundred years no world was allowed full admittance to the Confederation as promised. In every vote of the Great Council the planet requesting full admission was turned down unanimously. Shortly after that, the seven races began using force to reduce the population levels on all the planets the Confederation controlled. They also sent out warfleets into Confederation space to bring other worlds under their control.”

Ardon shook his head. “What was our race like before we joined the Confederation?”

Marlon gestured for Ardon to take a seat next to him. Once seated, Marlon placed a special headset on Ardon’s head, which would show him the same thing Marlon saw in the computer archives. “You may not like what you’re about to see.”

-

For the next hour Ardon saw his race as it once was. A peaceful and scientifically advanced race that lived in harmony with others and discouraged violence. Ardon listened to the music of that time and witnessed much of the fantastic