I was sleeping in my quarters when an urgent call came over the intercom, “Sir! Come quickly!”
“On my way,” I drowsily replied. I hurried to the bridge, where the message had come from.
“Sir! The probe is under attack!” was my friendly greeting from one of my team members.
“What?” It took me a moment to realize what I had just heard.
“Sir, look there.” I looked where he pointed and saw for myself. A beam of energy or light struck the probe dead center. This was apparently the last strike necessary to eliminate the probe.
“Sir, I think the probe is gone.”
“It would appear so. Where in the Emperor’s name did those blasts come from?”
“They came from beyond the range of the probe’s sensors.”
I could have guessed he was going to say that. “Any data on those beams, at least?”
“Checking.” Lights and pictures flashed across the screen as he searched through the last ten transmissions. “Sir, they appear to be plasma bolts of some sort.”
“I want to see these reports myself. Send copies of the data to my office. I want blue and yellow teams to work on this.”
Plasma bolts were not a good sign. It was a relatively new weapon our army was developing. If the Magi had this weapon, it could mean they were more advanced than we were. That could be a problem.
While my men worked on the reports, I studied them myself in my office away from the noise and activity of the teams working the data, hoping to find out that they were fakes, or that our initial conclusions about the attack were wrong. I let my teams worry about what the data said. I was looking for something deeper. Even if I could not find proof that the data was faked, then maybe I could find some thumbprint implied by the circumstance that would shed a light on the people behind the attacks.
“Sir, the report from yellow team is in,” came a call over the intercom, disturbing me from my intense study.
“Finally!” That gave me less than four minutes to get my own report together. I was relieved that I would not have to give my report without the information from the yellow team.
One look at the report made me reconsider the feeling of relief that I’d just had. I gathered up all my notes and the new report and headed to the senior staff meeting. I must have taken longer than I meant to review the data, as the captain was already in his chair when I arrived.
“Welcome, Commander Vydor,” greeted the captain. “Is your report ready?”
“Yes, sir, but I wish it weren’t.”
“That good?”
“Well, sir, the probe was destroyed by a series of plasma bolts, three of them to be exact.”
“What?” called out Zalith. Apparently he too was hoping the plasma bolt theory was wrong.
“Yes, Zalith, plasma weapons are a reality now.”
“We have been trying for decades with no real success. That’s the final straw, we must stop these probe games and attack,” said Zalith. “They are playing us like fools!”
“Zalith, let Vydor finish his report,” ordered the captain.
“I have requested and received permission to disclose information regarding the Empire’s research into the plasma weapons.” I paused to begin handing out the briefing papers I had received. “There are only two plasma weapons in the Empire, and both of them have about a seventy-five per cent failure rate.”
“Just what are these weapons?” questioned Larath.
“They are at present the most powerful weapon we know of. Right now, we only have two prototypes, and no battlefield-ready units. Still, the two prototypes are ten times more powerful than any single weapon on this ship.” I let that sink in for a minute, and then I continued.
“The data we retrieved from the probe shows it was hit by three bolts in rapid succession. Each bolt was exponentially more powerful than the first. The final bolt that hit the probe was of a magnitude that could disintegrate a small destroyer. That is three shots in less than thirty seconds. Our prototype plasma weapons can’t come close to that rate of fire.” That drew a lot of shocked looks and muttering.
“Why would they fire three shots? At that range there is no way they could have known that the first shot failed to destroy the probe, at least not that fast … unless they knew the first two shots would not destroy it in advance,” began Zalith.
“Sounds like a fear tactic to me. Once again our enemy is proving they have the upper hand. They know a lot about us and are using that information to put us on edge,” the captain answered.
Time for my biggest bombshell yet. “It gets worse. Intelligence estimates that any race capable of the feats that our Magi have accomplished are a hundred years or more ahead of us.”
“One more thing, Captain,” said Zalith.
“Yes?” the captain responded.
“I have been poring over the reports from the probes and have found something that Vydor missed. The Magi apparently do not have advanced sensor technology.”
“What leads you to that?”
“Well, both of the probes were picked up right around two hours from the planet, which is about the range of the planet-based sensor array that was there before they took it over.”
I jumped and grabbed a copy of the reports. “Captain, he is right,” I began. “Even the digital pattern matches. These probes were scanned with our own planetary-based equipment.” I blew it. I should have caught that.
Everyone must have been wondering what this meant. I certainly was. On one hand, the enemy’s plasma weapons made them look extremely advanced, but on the other hand, they apparently didn’t have their own advanced sensor technology.
“If they are using our equipment then we can jam it,” stated Zalith. “This gives us the opening we need. Captain, let me take some of our battle cruisers and teach these aliens what it means to mess with the Empire.”
“Zalith, as much as I can sympathize with that plan, it is not something we can do at this time. I called this meeting because I received classified orders from High Command. I was hoping Vydor’s report would make me feel more comfortable about them, but it has not. This is not how I would choose to run this mission,” began the captain.
“High Command has ordered that we are to position the fleet in the asteroid belt and begin collecting large asteroids for bombardment operations. From that position we are to send a small squad to the planet to attempt to penetrate their defenses. Once there, they are to collect all possible information on the situation and establish an advanced base to operate from. The orders go further than that. They state that Vydor will lead the mission.” The captain paused here, as if to decide whether he should continue, then went on.
“We are approaching a known hostile planet. We should be trying to make contact from the fleet, not sending good people to a place that has killed many people already. High Command has informed me that the Emperor himself decreed all the parameters of this mission. This is the first time in my career in the Imperial Navy that this has happened. Something very strange is going on here. My orders are to have Vydor lead a squad to investigate and make the mission a code-one stealth mission. The only control I have is choosing the soldiers that will join him.” The captain paused again. Taking a breath, he continued, “Quite frankly, I don’t like this at all. I have every reason to believe that High Command estimates their safe return to be unlikely.”
Zalith broke into what I was sure was vulgar language, but in his anger he used the Zalionian tongue of his youth. I knew him well enough by now to know that he much preferred a direct frontal attack and despised the games, as he called them, that High Command would play. A fierce gaze from the captain silenced him, but judging by his posture his silence did not change his opinion of the situation.
No else one piped up. This was very bad. Code-1 stealth meant that once we launched there would be no communications with anyone for any reason until the mission succeeded. There was no provision for failure. It seemed as if High Command was very afraid of something. But why wouldn’t they tell us? Why not just destroy the planet and be done with the Magi? Nothing made sense any more.
“Captain, you could override the order; that is your right as commander of the flagship,” stated Dr. Rannor.
When I first learned of this provision, I thought it was odd that an officer was able to override the order, but it was explained to me that due to the large size of the Empire, sometimes local conditions would not be fully known by High Command, and the various captains would have to make a judgment call on any orders they received.
“Well, Doc, I thought of that. But in a mission of this apparent magnitude they would strip my command and find someone else to lead. They have made this clear to me. Whatever we are on the edge of here is big. My hands are tied on this matter.”
The room erupted into various discussions after that. The captain sat quietly by, as if he were just letting them talk out everything he had already debated in his mind. I too kept quiet; I had nothing to add. All their talk centered on ways out of the orders. It seemed that no one thought the orders were a good idea. I had absolute faith in my Emperor, but this was trying that faith to the limit. There was no logic behind this that I could see. So many things did not make sense; it was as if the foundations of my beliefs were being chipped away.
Someone suggested I should merely refuse the order, which would have led to me being thrown into the brig, but would have made the mission impossible. I did not like that option at all. As Chief of Intelligence it was not normally my honor to lead a vanguard mission like this, but I wanted to meet the Magi in person. The more I studied them, the more I felt an attraction of some kind. I could not understand it, but I knew it was my destiny to meet them face to face. But why did the Emperor choose me for this? Since he chose me, I must have been the best choice, but I was one of the least experienced members of the crew.
I decided it was time to speak up for myself. “Good sirs, if I may speak on my own behalf? I do not need a way out of this. If these are the Emperor’s wishes, then I will proudly serve.”
The room fell silent at my remark; a look of surprise fell across everyone, except Larath and the captain. Larath was as stoic as ever, and the captain just smiled as if that was exactly what he had been waiting to hear.
“I would prefer not to take my team, though. None of them has any real combat experience and most are only trained in processing reports, not frontline data collection,” I continued.
“So be it then,” stated the captain. “Zalith, I would like you to hand-pick a team for Vydor. I want to be sure he has the best possible chance of success, and I know you are the best person to assure that.”
“Absolutely,” stated Zalith. Something about the way he said this told me that he already knew who to send.
“So what do we really know about the Magi? Other than that they appear powerful enough to scare the entire Empire. Do we have any unofficial leaks on them?” questioned Commander Jones.
“None of my normal contacts have told me anything. Heck, I cannot get half of them to talk to me. They are all running scared. I have one … umm, unofficial is a good word … source who says, ‘The secret to the powers of old is hidden on that planet.’ That is it, nothing more. I don’t know what he means by it,” answered the captain.
“The powers of old? What in the Emperor’s name is that supposed to mean? Are we going to find old projectile handguns down there?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That was his last message to me. He is dead now; apparently his space cruiser had a freak accident. Vydor, you have complete authority over this mission. You have excelled in all your tasks and have certainly proved able to carry your own weight, but I suggest you lean heavily on your more experienced crewmates. You will have two weeks to create a secure foothold. If you fail, our orders are to bombard the planet and ensure nothing survives.”
Planetary bombardment was a very drastic move, and one that was expensive on resources. This was not something that the Empire would order lightly, and was only used when total genocide was determined to be the sole option. Once we reached the asteroid belt, the fleet would gather the largest space rocks it could find, and fit them with powerful engines. Once the deadline was reached, these massive rocks would be sent towards the planet at extreme speed.
The tremendous force generated by the impacts would liquefy the crust of the planet, ending in its complete destruction. Nothing had ever survived this, not even in computer simulations. There would be no safe haven, not even deep underground. In addition, the Dragon Claw and its fleet would be nearby to destroy any craft that attempted to escape. The destruction would be complete and there would be no chance of survival.
This prompted me to ask, “Sir, should I assume that we are at war with the Magi?”
“For now, assume this to be a diplomatic mission. I know they destroyed our probes and possibly our task force, but until we know their intentions, I will not send the Empire to war. But, I expect your squad will meet resistance, and it should be dealt with as needed,” responded the captain.
“Sir, you’re sending troops on to soil they presumably claim as their own at this stage, and establishing a base. That would definitely be seen as an act of war by most cultures,” commented Commander Jones.
“I know, Commander Jones. That is why the instant Vydor succeeds you will be sent to take over communications with the Magi,” said the captain.
It was customary that the first contact was the honor of the ship’s Alien Relations Officer. He doubled as an emissary in times like these. We were lucky to have such a highly experienced officer. He had been in five first contacts and, of those five, three joined the Empire after their meeting with him.
“Sir, it would be better if I went with him …” began Commander Jones.
“I know that, Commander Jones, but it is bad enough that I must send one of my top officers on this suicide mission; I will not make it worse by sending two.
“This mission is to be considered classified. Only the people in this room and the men who will be on the mission are considered to have a need to know. The operation will be codenamed Quiet Storm. People, we are making history here. Let’s make sure it’s a good one. Bring the fleet into position and engage level-one defense screens. Zalith, see what you can do with the plasma weapons research. If they can do it, so can we,” said the captain.