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

underground Command Center, General Landryal sat in his command chair, watching the viewscreens and the tactical displays. If his world were to be attacked again, he would be ready. In the months since the attack, dozens of massive underground shelters had been built. They could safely put nearly two million people inside them, if needed.

“All clear,” reported Major Billingsly. “Picking up no Confederation ships on our long-range sensors.”

General Landryal nodded. They only had a small squadron of Imperial warships to help protect the planet. These were currently around Ranier Two’s only shipyard. The shipyard was heavily armed and possessed a powerful energy shield. The two space stations were similarly protected.

“Attack interceptors are ready when needed,” added Billingsly. They had only two hundred of them, and those would be used to shoot down incoming missiles. In addition, the ten largest cities sat in a ring of energy beam turrets and missile interceptors.

The Empire had furnished much of the new weapons components, since they felt that Ranier Two would be one of the first targets of the Confederation. They had orders to surrender, if defeat became inevitable.

-

On the shipyard, Colonel Evelyn Hatcher paced nervously in the Command Center. Her shipyard was armed as heavily as three dreadnoughts and had a very powerful energy shield, as two extra fusion power plants had been installed just to provide power. Around the shipyard orbited ten missile platforms and twenty energy beam satellites, plus six Imperial battlecruisers. Already she had evacuated all nonessential personnel and had closed off all areas of the shipyard deemed not necessary. Emergency bulkheads were down and sealed, and damage control teams were assigned to different sections of the shipyard and were ready to be deployed, if needed.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx felt his flagship drop from hyperspace into the Ranier Two System. Instantly alarms sounded, as defending Imperial warships were detected.

“Heavy defenses around Ranier Two,” reported the sensor officer, as he studied the scans. “At least four ODPs, missile platforms, energy beam satellites, two space stations, both heavily armed, and one large shipyard, heavily armed as well. Detecting six Imperil battlecruisers around the shipyard, as well as additional missile platforms and energy beam satellites.”

Admiral Voxx nodded. If his fleet were a normal-size fleet, that might be enough to deter an attack. However, he had four thousand modern Morag warships and a lot of firepower. “Take us in and continue scans. I want to know what’s on the surface.”

-

In the Command Center of the shipyard, alarms sounded as the tactical display lit up with red threat icons.

“Morag warships detected,” reported the sensor officer. “Eighteen hundred and the count still rising.

Colonel Hatcher drew in a sharp breath. Eighteen hundred! She had never expected they would face such a fleet. In the past, Confederation fleets had numbered in the hundreds and occasionally around one thousand. “Send a directional hyperlight message to Fleet Admiral Marloo on Golan Four. Tell him a large Morag fleet has appeared. At least 1,800 vessels with more still dropping out of hyperspace. Tactical, take all commands to Condition One. No one is to fire until I give the order.” Colonel Hatcher was in charge of all orbital assets.

-

In the underground Command Center on Ranier Two, General Landryal stared at the tactical display in disbelief.

“Colonel Hatcher has placed all orbital defenses at Condition One,” reported Major Billingsly.

General Landryal nodded, as he tore his gaze away from the tactical display. “Take all ground defenses to Condition One. Order the evacuation to the underground bunkers. A chosen group of young people, doctors, scientists, technicians, and other highly qualified people had been chosen to enter the bunkers. All other civilians are to remain in their homes or their own personal shelters.” Landryal knew a large number of community and private shelters had been built over the last few months. Not enough to protect everyone but a major portion of the population should be able to ride out this attack, if the surface was bombarded.

“Evacuation alarms should be sounding now,” reported the communications officer.

“All ground defenses have been activated,” reported the tactical officer. “Crews are reporting to the attack interceptors. They will launch at your command.”

All General Landryal wanted to do was prevent any bombardment of the surface. “Have the crews stand by. They will probably launch sometime in the next thirty minutes to an hour.”

“Morag ships have stopped dropping out of hyperspace,” reported the sensor officer. “Final count is 4,128 warships.”

General Landryal felt his heart skip a beat. He had never expected a fleet like this. “Send a hyperlight message to Fleet Admiral Marloo and give him the numbers. Do we know how many battleships and battlecruisers we’re facing?”

“The computers are still working that out. We should know in a minute or two.”

“Wait until you have that information before you send a message to the fleet admiral,” ordered General Landryal.

“Ten minutes until they are in combat range of our orbital defenses,” added the tactical officer.

General Landryal leaned back in his command chair and took in a deep breath. All they could do now was wait. Once the defenses were gone, he would offer to surrender. He hated that order, but it would help decrease civilian losses.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx had placed his fleet into a massive wedge formation, aimed directly at the planet. Stand by to open fire as soon as we’re in range. This would be Voxx’s first major battle, and he was looking forward to it.

On the viewscreens, his warfleet was visible for as far as his eyes could see. Battlecruisers and battleships were all aimed at the planet. He wondered what the enemy commander was thinking when seeing what he was up against.

Defenses around the planet and upon its surface have powered up, reported the sensor officer. The energy shields around the space stations, and particularly those around the shipyard, are extremely powerful.