Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) Read online

“They won’t find out,” promised Mitchell, confidently. “There’s no evidence we were ever involved.”

  Kelly nodded. After discussing a few more details with General Mitchell, he stood up and left the office. He needed to take care of the promotion of Commander Adamson to admiral as quickly as possible. He knew it would be pleasing to a number of people who'd already mentioned to him that Adamson was deserving of such a promotion, they just hadn’t had a fleet for him. Now it appeared that they did.

  -

  Ryan grimaced as one of his soldiers fell and another icon turned a glaring red on his HUD. Eight down and twelve remaining and they were only halfway to the top of the damn mountain. “Grab Private Swen’s energy weapon,” he ordered as everyone waited to begin moving forward again. “Private Parker and Adams move up, but take your time. We’re going the rest of the way in single file and we’ll be stepping in each other’s footsteps.”

  Lauren sent a confirming reply over her suit’s com and began moving forward very slowly. Alexander was about four meters behind her, scanning to their left and right with his suit’s sensors while Lauren used her energy weapon to burn a narrow path directly in front of them. She was burning a swath about twenty meters wide, and whenever her energy weapon’s charge became exhausted, another energy cannon from one of their fallen comrades was passed forward.

  Twice she narrowly missed being struck by stunners, and once several railgun rounds hit next to her metal encased feet, showering her with dirt. She took a deep, steadying breath and continued firing her energy cannon ahead of them. She moved it in a gentle arc, burning through everything. Trees, brush, and even the ground burned as the deadly blue beam annihilated everything before her. Occasionally a small explosion, a bright flash, and a pillar of rising dark smoke would indicate where the beam had struck a hidden popup weapon.

  Behind her, Alexander had exchanged his energy cannon for an RG rifle and was using its explosive rounds on any popups that appeared on their flanks. Whenever he missed, it invariably meant another soldier would be hit by stunners or painful RG rounds. Alexander was trying his best not to miss!

  Corporal Hunter was following closely behind the two scouts. She found it remarkable that neither had been hit since they were leading the platoon up the steep slope of the mountain. Like Private Parker, she was carrying an RG rifle set on explosive rounds and was watching intently for any hidden weapon emplacements Alexander might miss. So far, she'd taken out eight of the painful weapons, though she and Alexander had missed a few, which had resulted in them losing eight soldiers so far. Each was lying in a Type Three battlesuit behind them, immobile until the drill was over. Lieutenant Nelson made it a point of taking the fallen soldier’s weapons each time one was hit.

  -

  Major Winfrey looked at the viewscreens, which were showing numerous views of Charring Mountain and the platoon of Type Three battlesuits that was slowly advancing toward the top. It was beginning to look as if Second Lieutenant Nelson was once again going to reach the summit. The latest computer estimates predicted he had just enough power in his energy weapons to get to the top. The question remaining was how many soldiers would he have left?

  “Definitely Colonel Nelson’s brother,” commented Major Stevens with a grin. “The son-of-a-bitch is going to make it to the top of Charring on his second try.”

  “Looks that way,” replied Dylan, thoughtfully. No one had ever made it to the top and deactivated the embedded weapons this quickly. At the moment, he didn’t see how he could stop the young lieutenant. “He made it to the top on his first ascent, but the stunners around the pedestal took him out.”

  “I would never have thought of using the energy weapons that way,” Mark went on impressed by what he was seeing. “They’re clearing out a narrow path directly ahead, which means they only have to be on the lookout for the weapons on the perimeter. As soon as they pop up, their sensors detect them and they’re using their RG rifles to take them out.”

  “Most of them,” Dylan replied as he watched two more of the popups being destroyed. “The question is, how many soldiers will Nelson have left when he gets to the top? He’ll also need an energy weapon or some explosive rounds to take out the stunners protecting the deactivation button.”

  “Are you going to let him win?” asked Mark, feeling curious.

  “I don’t think I can stop him,” Dylan replied with a long sigh. “In all the scenarios we’ve run on Charring, no one has used energy weapons quite the way Lieutenant Nelson is. There’s always been a propensity to use explosive rounds when advancing up the mountain.”

  “They provide the biggest bang for the buck and can clear a wide area,” commented Mark, recalling his own attempts at Charring. Well did he recall just how painful the stunners felt; he grimaced and frowned at the recollection.

  “What the new battlesuit recruits don’t realize is that after each attempt we reduce the number of weapons slightly to gradually allow them to get higher up the mountain until on the fifth or sixth try they have a reasonable chance to make it,” spoke Dylan as he watched another of Nelson’s soldiers fall from a stun beam. The stunner was quickly taken out by an RG explosive round. “Lieutenant Nelson isn’t quite playing by the rules.”

  “They volunteered for the new program,” Mark said. “They’re supposed to the toughest and the brightest. Also, in this war there are no rules.”

  “Think you can handle them?” asked Dylan, turning his head to look at Mark. “It’s your program.”

  “The new Type Four battlesuits are ready to go; we just need the men and women to operate them.”

  Dylan nodded. The Type Fours were supposed to be far more deadly than the previous models. Earth’s military scientists along with the Kiveans had spent several long years perfecting the suits to where they were now ready to be deployed. They would be needed in the war against the Kleese, particularly now that the Zaltule were a part of the mix. Dylan shifted his gaze back to the viewscreens. He was curious to see how this turned out.

  -

  Ryan groaned silently to himself as he saw Private Adams go down with an echoing cry of anguish over the suit’s com. Lauren had been hit by an RG cannon, which had popped up on the right flank and opened fire on her before Private Parker could sight in his RG rifle and take it out with explosive rounds. Corporal Hunter made short work of the offending weapon as she blew it apart with an explosive round. On his HUD, he saw Lauren’s green icon flash over to red. He gestured for the others to come to a halt as he checked to see who remained with him. He still had Private Parker, Corporal Hunter, Private Rios, and himself surviving. All were uninjured and the summit was less than one hundred meters above them.

  “Weapons check!” Ryan called out.

  He had a full magazine of RG rounds, but they were nearly useless against the popups. It was necessary to hit them dozens of time to inflict any appreciable damage and by then they would be returning fire, which was nearly impossible to avoid. He had six explosive rounds left.

  “I’m out,” Private Rios reported as he checked the readouts on his RG rifle.

  “Four rounds left,” Corporal Hunter responded.

  “Ten percent charge on my energy cannon,” Private Parker added. He had stepped forward and picked up Lauren’s energy cannon as his RG rifle was empty of explosive rounds.

  “Damn, I’m not sure that’s enough,” Ryan spoke as he considered their options. He looked at the steep slope ahead wondering just how many more popups there were. The ground was rocky with a few large boulders scattered about, some short bushes, and only a few trees. They would be highly visible the rest of the way.

  “Let me go first,” volunteered Rios. “I’ll run up the slope as fast as I can. The rest of the hidden popups between here and the summit should try to take me out. Once they pop up you can destroy them, and that should get you to the summit.”

  “You’ll get taken out,” warned Ryan.

  “It’ll only hurt for a few moments,” quipped Rios, try
ing to sound nonchalant.

  He knew if he were hit by a stunner it would hurt like hell and there were bound to be a few surviving stunners between here and the summit. When he took off running, every embedded weapon left would target him and begin firing. He knew he wouldn’t get far, but it would be worth it if it meant they could win.

  Ryan was silent for a few moments as he considered their options. He knew what Private Rios had suggested was their best chance. It should cause most if not all of the remaining weapons to reveal themselves. He took a deep breath and then looked directly at Rios standing a few feet away in his battlesuit.

  “Okay, Rios,” Ryan finally said. “If you can get all the remaining weapons to fire on you, there’ll be a steak dinner for you tonight in the mess hall.”

  “Medium-rare,” Rios answered, grinning. He could already taste the steak; it almost made the pain he was about to go through worth it.

  “Anytime, Rios,” spoke Ryan. “Private Parker, save your energy weapon for the summit. Corporal Hunter and I will take out the remaining popups.”

  “I’m gone!” Rios shouted as he suddenly stood up to his full height and bounded up the steep slope. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming.

  He hadn’t gone more than twenty meters when the first RG rounds slammed into his suit, making his icon change from green to amber. He managed to stagger forward another ten meters before a pair of stunners struck him, sending his battlesuit tumbling to the ground.

  Ryan and Casey were firing as rapidly as they could, taking out the remaining weapon emplacements. They couldn’t afford to miss; each round had to count.

  “I’m out,” Casey called out as her RG rifle failed to fire on the last popup.

  “So am I,” Ryan yelled as he saw the stunner swiftly turning toward Casey. It suddenly exploded as Private Parker blew it away with a blue beam from his energy cannon.

  “We should be clear to the summit,” commented Private Parker as he walked over to Casey and handed her his energy weapon. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “Parker!” yelled Ryan as Alexander began running up the slope toward the summit.

  Parker zigzagged but no weapons fired. When he reached the summit, he hunkered down behind a large boulder and looked back down toward Ryan and Casey. “I think we got all of them.”

  Casey shook her head. “We got lucky,” she spoke as she began walking up the slope toward Parker. His actions and what Rios had done confused her as she still didn’t fully understand why Humans acted as they did. She still had so much more to learn.

  Ryan followed Casey up the slope and soon all three were crouched down behind the large boulder. Looking around it, Ryan could see the pedestal and the pylon, which held the tantalizing red button that would deactivate all the weapons on Charring Mountain. If he could just push that damn button then they would never have to come up this infernal mountain again.

  Casey handed the energy cannon back to Private Parker. “You’re a better shot with this than I am,” she explained. Casey took a deep breath and turned to face Ryan. “Private Rios had the right idea, and I volunteer to do the same thing. Once I step out onto the summit, the stunners around the pedestal should activate.” Her eyes focused on Private Parker. “Alexander, don’t miss!”

  “I won’t,” promised Parker, nodding his head solemnly. “I’ll take the stunners out.”

  “Casey, wait,” Ryan said, reaching out his metal arm and touching her shoulder. “I should be the one doing this, you can press the button.”

  “No,” replied Casey, shaking her head. “You’re the commanding officer of our platoon; in a battle it will be essential that you survive. It has to be this way.”

  Casey tapped Alexander on the head and then standing up to her full ten-foot height, charged out onto the summit of Charring Mountain. Instantly, six popup stunners appeared, four around the pedestal and two twenty meters to the side. Casey went down almost immediately with a loud scream of anguish as she was hit with multiple stun beams. She lost consciousness instantly from the intense pain.

  Alexander sighted carefully and calmly blew all six of the offending stunners to oblivion. When the last one was a pile of smoking wreckage, he looked down, seeing that his energy cannon still had a two percent charge.

  “Stay here,” ordered Ryan as he stood up. “If any more popups make an appearance take them out and then go push that damn red button!”

  “Yes, Sir!” responded Alexander as he watched Ryan stand up and step out onto the summit.

  Ryan walked determinedly toward the pedestal expecting to be hit by a stun beam at any moment. With surprise, he stepped up onto the pedestal, and then after looking around for a brief moment, he pressed firmly down on the red button. Instantly, a voice came over the com channel in his suit.

  “Congratulations, Lieutenant Nelson,” Major Winfrey said. “You have set a new record for conquering Charring Mountain. Your soldiers are now officially Space Marines!”

  Ryan allowed himself to relax and breathe out a long sigh of relief. They would be celebrating in the barracks tonight. He looked around at Corporal Hunter’s still form and Private Parker, who was stepping out onto the summit carrying his energy cannon. He was proud of his people; they'd done what was necessary to conquer Charring.

  -

  Major Winfrey looked over at Major Stevens. “Well, there’s your first bunch; are you ready to start their training?”

  “Damn right!” uttered Mark with a smile. “If they thought Charring was hard, just wait until they start the training for the new suits. It’ll make Charring look like a newborn kitten.”

  Dylan nodded. He knew that tonight Second Lieutenant Nelson’s people would be celebrating and feeling exhilarated over their victory. He would let them have their enjoyment; they deserved it. In a day or two, he would inform them of the new hell they had just qualified for.

  Chapter Five

  Newly promoted Admiral Karl Adamson stood in front of the mirror in his personal quarters admiring the admiral stars on his shoulders. He breathed out a long sigh as he realized just what the promotion meant. Fleet Admiral Kelly had informed him he was being promoted and placed in command of the newly created Seventh Fleet. He was due to meet with Colonel Nelson and Marken shortly to discuss the mission his newly formed fleet would be going on. Knowing Nelson and Marken as he did, Adamson was certain the mission would be full of danger and intrigue.

  Straightening his shoulders, he exited his quarters and took the turbo lift, which would take him to the command level. Moments later, he stepped out and walked the short distance to the Command Center hatch. The two marines on duty looked at the newly promoted admiral, their eyes widening upon seeing the stars on his shoulders. Adamson was immediately allowed entry as one of the marines stepped inside.

  “Admiral on deck!” the marine’s powerful voice rang out.

  Everyone jumped up from their consoles and turned, coming to rigid attention. Several allowed satisfied smiles to spread across their faces when they saw who the admiral was.

  “As you were,” spoke Adamson, feeling a little embarrassed by the crew’s response. He had known most of these people for years.

  “Congratulations,” spoke Sandra Shepherd, the executive officer. Sandra had transferred over from the battlecruiser Phoenix several years back.

  Adamson grinned as he reached into his shirt pocket and took out two small silver stars, which designated the rank of a ship commander. “You’re the new commander of the Constellation, Sandra,” Adamson said as he handed her the two stars with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Sandra’s eyes widened as she took the two small stars and gazed at them in awe. She'd always dreamed of becoming a ship commander. It was one of the reasons she had transferred over to the Constellation.

  “I will treat her right, Sir,” Sandra answered as she smartly saluted.

  “Admiral,” Colonel Nelson and Marken have arrived and are being escorted to briefing
room two,” Lieutenant Emma Travers reported from Communications.

  “Commander Shepherd, if you will accompany me, maybe we can find out exactly what’s going on and why Fleet Admiral Kelly has formed Seventh Fleet.”

  “Seventh Fleet?” asked Shepherd, looking confused. “I thought we only had six active fleets.”

  “I’ve been given command of the new Seventh Fleet, which will consist of the Constellation, the three new battlecruisers nearly completed here in the spacedock, sixteen light cruisers, and two hundred assault ships.”

  “Two hundred assault ships?” uttered Sandra, coming to a stop in the corridor and looking worriedly at the newly promoted admiral. “Are we going into combat?”

  “I suspect so,” Adamson replied in an even voice. “We’ll know more when we speak with Colonel Nelson and Marken.”

  -

  Wade watched as newly promoted Admiral Adamson and Commander Shepherd stepped into the briefing room. He'd suspected that Adamson would promote Shepherd to commander. She was an excellent choice and Wade had full confidence in her abilities.

  “Congratulations on the promotion,” Wade said, rising to his feet and walking over to shake Adamson’s hand.

  “It’s well deserved after everything you've done for my people,” added Marken as he also stood.

  Marken was a Kivean. His skin was a light red and his arms were slightly longer than a normal Human’s with long, narrow fingers on his hands. His face was humanoid with slender eyes, no eyebrows, a wide nose, and small ears. His most unusual feature was there was no hair at all upon his head.

  As they all sat down, Adamson and Shepherd turned their attention to Colonel Nelson, curious to hear what he had to say about this mission they were going on. From the size of Seventh Fleet, they strongly suspected they were going deep into Kleese controlled space.

  “I don’t know if Fleet Admiral Kelly told you or not, but we strongly suspect the Kleese-Strell war is coming to a close if it isn’t over with already.”

  “I don’t suppose we got lucky and the Strell won?” asked Adamson, arching his eyebrow.