9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing
BELLONA COLONY
“The virus, it’s gone active!”
Megan slammed her fist into her husband’s shoulder, nearly pushing him out of their bed and onto the floor of their apartment.
“What?” muttered Ben as he pulled himself up and avoided falling out of bed.
Megan threw her Link across the room landing it into her desk, before throwing herself off of the bed and onto the floor.
Ben watched still half asleep as his wife crawled across the floor pulling herself along towards her computer console. He had learned that trying to help her in any capacity in regards to her legs usually led to him being hit with something, and given that her new height without the prosthetics it was not something he wanted to try just after waking up.
The vent in the ceiling of their apartment burst open and several Tanuin bodies tumbled out. Ben looked at them for a moment still trying to wake up.
“The virus has been activated!” squawked the Tanuin as it began to jump up and down. It took Ben a moment to place the voice as that of the Tanuin who had picked up human computer programming more quickly than any other, Yern.
Ben’s Link buzzed on the night stand next to him and glaring at it for a moment he leaned over and picked it up.
He looked up absentmindedly as the vents rattled yet again and Night stumbled out of them. The young Tanuin looked frazzled, an odd expression given their normally impassive faces. They communicated emotion much more through tone.
“The virus is active!” shouted the voice of Yern’s human partner, who Ben couldn’t remember the name of.
“So I’ve been told,” growled Ben. Swinging his feet and stepping out of bed the engineer blearily stumbled over to join Megan at the computer console.
She had already managed to pull herself up into her chair and was madly typing at the console, watching as computer logs and information streamed past.
“The activation command was sent from the Fort,” said Megan.
Ben shrugged, “no big surprise there. You can reroute most functions through the Fort. We catch the reroute?”
Megan frowned, “That’s the thing, it wasn’t sent from the Fort communication systems. It was sent from an independent communication system.”
Ben blinked his mind finally clearing.
“An independent system? We’ve got everything integrated, local comms route through the Fort’s communication systems.”
It took them both only a half second, and that was because they had just woken up.
“The Russia. The message was rerouted through the Russia,” said both.
“The very communication systems that we have been reprogramming and building Tanuin communication protocols into!” said Yern as he hopped up and down in excitement.
Ben glanced down at the alien and nodded, “That at lease rules out our engineering teams. They knew about those new protocols; we didn’t file the paperwork with command though.”
“Still who would have access to the communication systems, to not only send a signal to the ship but have it reroute and retransmit something?” asked Megan.
“Higher military command, anyone with the remote operations keys, and the Council.”
Ben stood up and walking across the room, absentmindedly picked up Megan’s legs as he did so joined her at the console to look at the data.
“Were we able to decrypt the directives of the virus’s command?”
“Working on it,” said Megan as she took the legs and twisted them onto the carbon nanotube rod that extended from the bone of her remaining legs. The electronics engaged and the mechanics of the replacement limbs whirred to life. Ben watched this somewhat hesitantly, she had up until now been very reluctant to show him the connection process.
Megan winced slightly but otherwise continued to work at the console in front of her typing away and sorting through all of the garbled data.
“The main methods of the instructions are blocked, but it’s still got to interface with normal systems to access the colonies and the Forts public functions. It’s going for the power distribution systems, the station keeping thrusters of the Fort, the rotation systems for the gravity wheels and,”
Megan paused and Ben leaned forwards.
“And the main defense gun, along with the targeting systems.”
Ben paled and turned away from the terminal.
“Can you get into the targeting information?”
“No, does it matter?”
“Guess not.”
“Night! Let’s go!” said Ben as he strode towards the entrance of his home.
“Understood!”
“Megan!” said Ben as he grabbed his jacket off of their kitchen chair and threw it on, checking that the gun and extra magazines were in place.
Swearing Ben looked down and quickly tore the jacket off and striding over back into the bedroom tore off his clothes and reached into the wardrobe, pulling out his old ship suit.
“I’ll raise hell down here, you’re going up to the Fort?” asked Megan.
“Yep.”
“We’re going to need to switch to our encrypted channel,” said Megan. She held up her Link.
Ben nodded in agreement and quickly grabbed her suit tossing it to her as she began to strip out of her night clothes.
“You want the big guns?” asked Ben looking at the technically illegal weaponry that was sitting up against the metal in the back of the wardrobe.
“Yes.”
Ben extracted the weapon and making sure it was charged carefully set it down on the desk next to Megan.
“Good luck,” leaning down Ben moved in to kiss her.
She shook her head and put up a hand stopping him.
“After.”
Ben smiled, “After.”
Turning he once again strode towards the exit to the apartment. Night scrambled after him and leapt up onto his jacket hanging onto his back as he moved. One body moved up so he was riding on Ben’s shoulder near his ear.
Yern followed the two for only a moment before once again diving into the air ducts of the base disappearing from view.
“You’re going to want to evacuate your nest, I’m betting that’s where the gun’s aiming.”
“The message has already been passed, few will leave though.”
Ben groaned, “You can rebuild, but not if you’re dead!”
“That is not the reason, we have been sleeping for thousands of years simply to survive. This base, and the hospitality of your species have given us the first opportunity to multiply. Most took that opportunity.”
Ben slowed for a half moment to look at Night, “You know the Council’s not going to like this.”
“And if you are correct one of your council members is going to try and kill us in any case.”
Ben nodded and continued moving through the base out of the apartments that housed most of the population and into the tunnels underneath the surface of the icy moon. They were deserted for the most part, it was after all the middle of the night for the colony. A few automatic transport drones were the only traffic to contend with.
“I don’t suppose you can move your kids?” asked Ben.
“We cannot, not without killing them. Most are within their first steps of cohesion.”
“Meaning?” asked Ben as he dodged out of the way of a drone.
“It is the stage where the individual bodies of a particular clutch form a single mind.”
Ben frowned trying to sort everything out from what he had said, “So we move them now your kids would go savage like on the fort, disconnected from one another?”
“Similar. I don’t think now is the time to be discussing this though.”
“I guess so yeah.”
Ben’s Link buzzed and he quickly answered it.
“Where are you?” asked Megan.
“I’m almost to the bay, why?”
“An emergency has just been declared on the Fort. Several of the Russia’s nuclear warheads have armed themselves. At the moment it’s being chalked up to system failure for code authentications. The ship isn’t responding to commands to disengage mooring clamps and move away from the Fort, so the evacuation alarm has sounded.”
“A nice distraction from anything else going on, and it destroys the last link in the communication chain for hacking into the gun controls.”
“My thoughts exactly,”
“God damn it, who would want to blow up our next ship just to cover their tracks!?”
“An asshole.”
Ben grunted in agreement and closed the Link communication.
Coming up to the main landing bay for ships going back and forth from the surface up to the Fort Ben was instantly absorbed into the throngs of pilots and emergency personnel who were starting to respond to the emergency that had been declared on the Fort.
Ben looked around hurriedly and swore, most of the small shuttles were already powering up and emergency crews were piling into them. Leaving no ships available for him.
Swearing again under his breath Ben paused and turned his eyes back to the pilot and emergency crew leaders who were getting onto the shuttle at the end of the row.
He knew them both, although only because the day he had met them both was ingrained into his memory.
“Red!”
The pilot paused and turned, “Ben?”
The man who had stepped onto the shuttle in front of the pilot and was in the process of donning a heavy duty emergency suit looked out.
“Hey!” said James.
Ben looked at the two for a moment, and then at the rest of the chaos.
“What are you doing here? With one of our new friends in the middle of an emergency call no less?” asked Red pointing at Ben’s shoulder.
Ben put a finger to his mouth and stepped up into the emergency shuttle. Red and James looked at one another before turning around and following him inside. James hit the ramp closed console. The entire shuttle shook as they closed and the outer doors to the surface of Bellona opened sending a nasty gust of cold air from Bellona’s atmosphere stabbing into the shuttle for a brief moment.
“This is a distraction; someone is hijacking the main gun on the Fort. No idea why, but the virus being used is the same one that brought down my shuttle a few months back, and caused the Fort dry-dock to decompress and make the Tanuin go crazy.”
The two fellow Terran’s looked at one another and then at Ben.
“So what do you need?” asked Red.
“I need to get to the Russia, to deactivate the nukes which are probably under control of the same virus, and Night here is going to work on sabotaging the Fort’s main weapons array.”
James glanced at Red and shrugged, “Well we technically have to help with the evacuation of the Fort anyway.”
Red nodded in agreement, “technically.”
Walking forwards into the cockpit of the shuttle Red settled into his seat, next to the panicked looking much younger co-pilot.
Ben blinked and looked around the shuttle, emergency personnel all of whom were all around the same age as Diana looked back at him.
“Shit,” muttered Ben.
James leaned over to him, “You do hold the rank of Captain right? Just order them to remain silent.”
Ben rolled his eyes and wrapping a hand around one of the anchor points as the shuttle lifted off the ground. “That’s more honorary than anything. I was a Lieutenant on the Yamato. Then I was on the Ark and doing that.”
Ben put a hand to his face, “Since then I’ve been focused on teaching and building, the Fort, the Canada, the Russia, the China. I’ve not been doing much military commanding.”
James chuckled, “All I’ve been doing is teaching them how to fight.”
“And how to do recovery operations and evacuations I hope,” deadpanned Ben as he looked around at them.
“Of course.”
The Shuttle shot upwards and Ben grunted as the g’s dragged on him, his hand around the anchor point tightening to keep him stable. Night’s grip on his jacket tightened and one of his bodies apparently not moving quickly enough fell away and landed on the closed rear hatch.
Ben winced at the solid thunk.
“You alright?”
“Ow,” muttered the Tanuin and several untranslated words filtered through the cabin.
“I’m going to assume that Alpha wouldn’t want you using those words?” asked Ben.
“No.” hissed Night as the acceleration forces died down and his bodies all let go of Ben floating slowly to the floor a gravity continued to drop off.
“So someone hacked into the Russia, you sure that’s all they’ve done?”
Ben frowned, “No, that’s all I know about.”
“If it were me I’d make sure I had some people on the ship to make sure everything goes to plan. Especially if theirs suspicion that someone knows something.”
James looked at Ben for a moment, “Does someone know something?”
Ben averted his gaze, “Probably. Alpha and the Tanuin have a hard time understanding subtlety.”
James nodded and turned away from Ben.
“Equipment switch, full tactical assault!” shouted James.
Their was only a brief paused as the younger men and women, outfitted and getting into emergency evacuation and suppression gear switched to start packing it away into the sides of the shuttle and extract weapons.
“James?” asked Ben.
“We might as well help out, there are more than enough evacuation shuttles and better trained teams moving up to help. I doubt the bomb defusal guys are outfitted to take on another combat team, if they’ve been sent at all.”
“I can’t.” began Ben and he paused wincing, “alright,”
He turned to look at the men and women inside the shuttle who were all trying to look as if they weren’t paying attention to the conversation despite the utter lack of any other noise in the back of the shuttle. Ben recognized several of the faces from the classes he had taught. To his left was one boy who had never paid attention and had barely passed. Next to him was a girl who had passed with flying colors and grades. Across from them was the kid who had managed to blow up half of the advanced physics lab.
All of them had the same expression of poorly masked fear, and excitement.
“I have evidence that someone very high in the government, possibly on the council has been using a computer virus to carry out sabotage on Bellona. To what end I have no idea, I have no idea who I can trust, and I have no idea how many conspirators there are. It could be dozens, or it could be the actions of one talented programmer.”
Ben paused and looked at Night.
The Tanuin glanced at him and all of his bodies hopped up and quickly scrabbled up to the ceiling gripping it and handing on.
“The same human is might also be connected to the attack on my species last leader.” He said his voice coming out slowly but well enunciated from the translators.
“I have military authority, but I’ve not reported my suspicions to any of my superiors. I have had no idea who to trust, only my engineering team and the Tanuin have had any idea of this. Now the same virus we have been tracking is the one that has activated the bomb on the Russia and is in the process of arming the main Fort gun.”
Ben paused taking a breath and looked around the cabin.
“So we have to stop the bomb, stop the gun, find the traitor, not blow everything up and not die?” asked the kid Ben was fairly sure his name was Tom, who had nearly failed his class as he slid a clip home into his gun and let it hang from the front strap on his armor.
“Basically.”
“All of this without approval, from the council one of the members of whom might be behind this?”
“Yes,” said Ben a smile on his face now.
“I’m in.”
Ben snorted and turned back to James, “They always so willing to mutiny?”
James shrugged, “We’ve been training them to think like insurgents more than soldiers, although I had hoped the first real battle they fought in wouldn’t be against other Humans.”
Ben nodded and turned back to the cockpit of the ship, “Red how close are we?”
“five minutes! I’m pulling us into the Russia’s dry dock’s airlock. You have the override codes or am I going to have to do a slam dunk?”
“I can’t remote into anything; my codes have been scrambled. I’m going to have to disable the nuke manually, slam dunk away.”
The younger pilot turned to Red, “Slam dunk?” he asked.
Red smiled, “not one of the maneuvers they taught you in your approval courses then?”
“uh no.”
“What’s your name kid?”
“Jord.”
“When did pass flight qualifications?” asked Red as he turned back to his panel and began to quickly disable all of the safety features, alarms, and warnings that would blare in several moments. Ben looking around the cabin of the shuttle quickly found a seat and sat down bracing himself.
“A month ago.”
“Night, brace.” Said Ben.
The Tanuin’s many bodies all jumped up from the floor and into the laps of various people in the back of the shuttle wiggling into the restraints of multiple people securing himself.
“Well Jord, I need you to keep everything roll pitch and yaw at .1 m/s once I’ve got us lined up. I’m going to be handling the throttle.”
Red frowned and twisted back in his seat, “Ben, the airlocks on the Fort. Are they Martian or Terran based?”
“Martian!” said Ben.
“Why’s that important?” asked Jord as he swallowed and quickly began to follow the orders of the senior pilot.
“Different locking tolerance velocities. See even when an airlocks closed with the computer systems the mechanisms are still in place. If you can hit the mechanism with just the right amount of speed you can force it to engage. It’s messy and the tolerance levels are narrow, either you go barreling through the airlock or you bounce off the airlock completely ruining it if you go to slow.”
“Oh, wait we’re running into the airlock?” asked Jord.
“Yep, meaning we get to fly ass back.”
With that Red flipped the small shuttle around, jerking everyone in their seats.
“Thirty seconds, keep us lined up!” said Red as his hands continued to move smoothly over his controls.
Jord’s eyes widened and his hands began to frantically play across his panel as he quickly began to null out most of the forces acting on the vessel.
“Helmet’s on!” said James as he pulled his off an empty seat and shoved it onto his head.
Ben did the same, hoping that if the atmosphere did breach it would be slow. Night didn’t have a suit.
“Slow down!” said Jord.
“We’re going the right speed, any slower and we bounce.”
“We need to slow down!” repeated Jord as his gloved hands continued to frantically fly over the controls.
“You’re enjoying this far too much.” Said Ben looking up at James as he grinned through his helmet.
“I am.”
Ben closed his eyes and tried to force himself to relax, tensing before an impact was never beneficial.
The shuttle slammed into the Fort airlock and ben grunted as his head was wrenched to the side of the seat which although being padded did little to disrupt the impact. Several dozen loose objects that had been floating in the weightlessness slammed into the ramp with dull thuds and Ben heard most of the younger human soldiers grumbled out curses.
“Everyone up!” shouted James.
“You did good; we were a little off but within the capture point.”
“I got you within a third of a meter!” protested Jord.
“I said you did good.”
Jord spluttered several more things out but Ben ignoring the man followed the order James had given and undid his restraint floating up into the air.
“Ben?” asked James.
“First step is get to the weapons control system, if that gun fires into the center of the colony that’s a hell of a lot less loss of life if the nuke goes off. I would prefer we split the two and disable them simultaneously though. If we disable the gun whoever rigged the nuke could just detonate it.”
James nodded, “we split up then?”
“Yep.”
“how were you planning on doing this without me and my kids?” asked James.
Their were various calls of protest at that, but both men ignored them.
“Night and I were splitting up to handle both of the objectives. He can get into the weapons controls systems easily enough.”
“How so?”
“The air ducts are Tanuin sized, we haven’t had time to go through every vent and secure them yet.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
James nodded, “I’m going to go to weapons control and disable that, I’m taking Night and two thirds of my squad here. Like you said more important that we disable the gun. I’m also assuming that worse comes to worse I can just blow up the gun and it won’t fire?”
Ben winced at the damage that would cause but nodded, “Yep.”
“Then you get to deal with the nuke, have fun with that.”
Ben rolled his eyes.
“Tom, Jean, Hal, you’re all with Ben. Everyone else we’re moving for the main gun of the fort. Remember to check your aim and for fucks sake do not fire until you’ve got a shot. You spray and pray and I’ll give you something to pray about!”
James hit the airlock release and the door snapped open with a squeal, the shuttles emergency systems forcing open the inner doors. It was a safety feature to ensure that even in the midst of a power failure a shuttle would still be able to dock. Given that the computer wasn’t disengaging security no doubt a half dozen alarms were sounding on the station.
Ben glanced back at the three soldiers, it was the three he had been looking at earlier. Tom the slacker, Jean who had passed with flying colors, and Hal who had managed to blow up the lab.
Ben looked at all of them for a moment each of them looked back at him nervously for a moment.
Ben shook his head and drew his personal sidearm from his jacket, “Let’s go!”
The Imperial Home World
“[Vann].”
Startled [Vann] opened his eyes and blinked looking around, [Charles] was sitting next to him in the briefing room and had just shaken him awake.
“Tired?” asked [Charles] a small smile in his voice.
“Writing reports is tiring [Charles].”
“You were perfectly at ease keeping your log during the patrol weren’t you?”
[Vann] laughed slightly, “About that. You know I have to submit those to the Senate and military command, and anyone with the appropriate security clearance is able to read them. It’s not like I could hide the fact that I’ve got a class C specimen, after [Marcus] found out. Especially since I’ve not killed it yet.”
“They wouldn’t have ordered you back to the capital for that.” Said [Charles].
[Vann] shook his head, “no, they wouldn’t. I was told that this meeting was for a mission debriefing.”
[Charles] leaned back in his seat, “He wants the human.”
“Badly enough that he would throw enough political weight in the Senate to have me recalled from a patrol? I could easily turn this on him. He might wield power but I am still the Emperor, to order me around to satisfy his whims..” [Vann] trailed off.
“This is a human that escaped on that ship of theirs, and has presumably lived on whatever colony it is they set up. He’s thrown everything he’s got into reproducing their engine technology despite the setbacks. This human might be able to provide him with information he needs to complete that research. He’s going to throw everything he has behind this.”
“You make it sound as if this is all he cares about, it’s just an engine.”
[Charles] chuckled, “An engine that would allow the Empire to expand far more quickly than we ever have before? The man responsible would be lauded for generations. It’s also so impractical that no one would ever think a class C species had developed it, so he gets even more of the credit.”
[Vann] pursed his lips, “That’s a lot to bet on one class C. From what you’ve told me and from what I’ve gathered talking with it he won’t get any information.”
[Charles]’s eyes went unfocused for a moment and he rubbed at his chest and the scars on it.
“They’re not monsters. They can withstand torture well enough, but most of them will break if you threaten enough of their kin.”
“for that to work [Marcus] would have to have other C1764’s.”
“He might have some, there was an incident involving the 4th fleet a few years ago near the human’s system. I never saw anything official though. He could have humans, or really [Marcus] could harm some class B’s or other class C’s he might have in custody.”
[Vann] turned to look at the man, “The humans would be convinced to give up information to stop the torture of someone not even of their own species?”
[Charles] laughed. It was a small thing but it was one that he couldn’t control. “I wouldn’t presume to know what a human will do, but for some of them yes. For others no, you could torture their mother and father in front of them and they would watch not telling you anything.”
[Vann] frowned again, “They’re unpredictable.”
“You haven’t gotten that through your head yet?” asked [Charles].
[Vann] opened his mouth to say something else but quickly closed it as the doors to the room opened again and several dozen people quickly streamed in.
[Charles] muttered something under his breath that sounded similar to something the human prisoner seemed to repeat fairly often. Senators, Generals, and other important people in the government all walked into the room.
At the tail end of the crowd were two women, [Syn] and [Sam] both of whom looked haggard and very annoyed. Behind the two of them was [Reece] looking as calm as ever.
For a moment [Vann] wondered why it felt like something was missing but then realized that [Yuka] was absent. The class B was obviously not allowed into the government buildings, especially a higher level briefing like this one.
“What’s going on?” asked [Vann] leaning over to his spy.
[Syn] sighed and shaking her head sat down next to him.
“I don’t know. Everyone went silent an hour ago, and I mean everyone! Even my entire port ring has gone silent!”
“Port ring?” asked [Vann].
“the guys who grab things from shipments for me, and you. When things might not be readily available on the market.”
[Vann] was again at a loss for words for a moment.
“No more Thinn spirits then?” asked [Charles] with some levity.
“No.”
[Vann] turned to his body guard, “[Reece]? You know what’s going on?”
“I know you are safe.”
“That’s not an answer.”
The bodyguard shifted on his feet and said nothing else as he took his place standing next to where the leader of the Empire sat.
[Vann] looked up at him to continue asking questions but the last of the individuals who had been streaming into the room entered. [Marcus] stood at the door for a moment, and instead of his normal smile his face was carefully neutral.
Slowly the Consul walked forwards towards the slightly raised stage. The noise in the room quickly died down, and [Vann] watched. His presence would in public meetings, and appearances illicit a similar response. In the higher echelons of the government however it was observed only out of proprietary.
When he walked into the room the mood was annoyed, and wanting to return to work. When [Marcus] entered as he was now the mood was grim and threatening.
[Marcus stopped in the center of the stage and looking down slowly pushed the podium in front of him away and towards the back of the platform. It took him a moment to move it, turning back around he let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.
[Charles] chuckled but didn’t say anything else. It was plain to everyone that he was merely playing his role. Still the fact that everyone knew, and no one dared to stop him was in of itself threatening.
“We are facing a threat, one that many of you know about. One that we have been unwilling to discuss, one that we have always feared and thought impossible. The class C races are beginning to advance, and are starting to become threats faster than we are able to purge them from this Galaxy.”
There were murmurs in the crowd and a few gasps from people in the crowd, [Vann] resisted the urge to look around and see who was actually surprised. He had figured it out on his own, but then it was par for the course. All that his father should have informed him of, was now the responsibility of the Consul to relay.
After which he was expected to stand down and return to the Senate.
The Consul would loathe to give up any type of power.
“We face this threat which has been one festering in the background for generations, one that our previous rulers have ignored out of ignorance and pride. The Imperial line has known about this threat for generations and done nothing, until now.”
[Marcus] turned to looked down at where [Vann] was sitting. All eyes in the room turned to him.
“Our current Emperor has grown up without his parents who were despite my admonishments to their line great leaders of the Empire, and personal friends of mine. Growing up without his family, the Emperor has grown up on the ideals of the Empire as his only guide and taken them to heart.”
[Marcus] paused, and took a deep breath a look of fatherly pride spreading over his face.
[Vann] remained still his eyes staring daggers at the man.
“In fact, he might have taken those principals too literally. Several weeks ago, our Emperor when responding to a distress call of a patrol vessel encountered the sins of his forefathers past. He encountered a class C species, one that has demonstrated the ability to fight us on near equal footing.”
The room went deathly quiet almost oppressively so, and [Vann] felt some measure of relief. The fact that class C species had escaped eradication in the past was hundreds of years old. Everyone in the higher echelons of the Empire had to know about that. The fact that everyone was surprised about his encounter with the class C ship was more of a relief.
But once again raised the question of how [Marcus] knew about it in the first place.
“Our young Emperor encountered a ship which had the ability to disable the shield of the Imperial, one of the most advanced ships in the fleet. He was unfazed, and continued to fight the class C vessel even as his ship and his men were viciously attacked. This is the type of leadership that we need, and it is something inside our Emperor which would remind anyone of his father.”
Again [Marcus] smiled a looking like a weary old man, “The Emperor then did something, if I might be so bold. A little foolish. Perhaps he was caught up in the adventure, perhaps he wanted to rid the Empire of a threat which we have never faced before it could instill fear in the public. He tried to find this class C vessel and eliminate it, as you would a virus.”
[Vann] could see where this was going, he could see what [Marcus] was going to do. Fist clenching [Vann] moved to get up to his feet.
Reaching over [Charles] put a single hand on his forearm. Stopping him.
“Like you would with a virus our Emperor even managed to collect a sample of the particular class C species which brutally attacked the patrol vessel, his own ship, and no doubt planned to attack the planet they were orbiting.”
[Marcus] turned and gestured at the large holographic screen behind him.
An image of a burly war torn looking man, with a feral growl on his face dominated the image. [Vann] instantly recognized it as a member of species C1764. Beside him [Charles] tensed and muttered something under his breath.
“This threat is species C1764, one which was supposed to have been eradicated [ten years]. Several dozen primitive ships, utilizing some crude form of tachyon propulsion and beacons managed to escape their system and survive. Like a disease they have festered and grown strong in the dark of space, they have even managed to intermingle with other class C species that have managed to escape.”
[Vann] looked up at that, letting a look of surprise spread across his face for only a moment.
“Our Emperor tried and failed on his own to eliminate this threat, and now we must follow his example. The scheduled elimination of class C races must be accelerated, and we must use all resources at our disposal to destroy them! Not only those who might someday be a threat, but those who are a threat now!”
[Marcus] paused and looking into the assembly slowly began to walk to the side of the stage.
“I will be announcing all of this to a closed Senate tomorrow, and proposing the accelerated schedule for all class C species elimination.”
Walking off of the stage [Marcus] moved to stand in front of [Vann].
“You need to be both congratulated, and admonished for your deeds. You meant well, but the Senate needed to be informed of this far sooner. Especially in regards to the class C specimen you have. I have already taken the liberty of sending a transport to the Imperial for it. All they need now is your access codes to the cell it is being kept in.”
[Vann] looked at [Marcus] and slowly stood.
“Consul, you are overstepping your bounds.”
[Marcus] bowed his head slightly, “I am sure it feels that way Emperor but you are still young, and no one in the room or the entirety of the Empire would doubt your convictions. Still your age, it is a factor that must be considered. We have not had an Emperor in nearly 2,000 years who took up the mantle as young as you did. Others have had time to gain wisdom, experience. It is something you need more of, and although I do not wish to do this I could bring this in front of the Senate.”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
[Marcus] nodded, “Good, then you won’t protest your reassignment of personal vessels either. The Imperial is the most advanced ship in the fleet, we need it to help in the elimination of class C species. For her to be effective she needs a more experienced commander, something you will no doubt be in the future. For that reason, you have been reassigned to an older vessel. So you might gain that experience.”
[Vann] opened his mouth to protest, and not knowing what else to say slowly closed it.
He had the title, and the people.
But [Marcus] had the power.
[Charles] stood up then and looked at [Marcus].
The two men stared at one another.
“So you’re not removing any of the Emperor’s powers? Simply telling him to wait?”
[Marcus] considered him for a moment, “Yes, I’m hoping this opportunity to learn also encourages him to reevaluate those he considers as his advisors.”
“Right.”
[Charles] turned away from [Marcus] before quickly spinning and rolling up his three fingered fist planted it in the side of [Marcus]’s face sending him to the ground.
The room was silent for a moment, and [Reece] taking several steps forward placed a hand on the disgraced Captains’ shoulder.
“That’s for everything.”
Slowly [Marcus] got back to his feet, and putting a hand to his cheek looked coolly at [Vann].
“Like I said, a chance to mature.”