Chapter 179: (Empire) (1/2)
The system was another heavily defended system, full of Executor and Military Council ships, factories, resource storage, training facilities, and shipyards. Two gas giants, an asteroid belt, two planets in the Unified Council Green Zone, four in the Terran Green Zone, five in the Confederate Green Zone. There were five other planets, two closer to the star, close enough that one had lost its atmosphere and the other was a boiling hellscape planet (Red Zone for the Unified Council, Amber Zone for the Confederacy).
It was also on the edge of what Executor Intelligence Services was calling ”Imperial Space”, a zone of rapidly expanding Terran influence.
Most High Dramo'op looked again at the Executor Intelligence and Mlitary Intelligence summary for ”Imperial Space” and ”Imperial Forces.”
It chilled him.
The massive wedge shaped ships were not only tougher than they had any right to be, they were multi-role vessels. They carried enough armaments to destroy even an entire fleet. They carried swarms of the light fighter vessels. Their shielding was tough enough to shrug virtually any weapon that the Executor Council could field. Even with the shields the amount of point defense and anti-ship systems were daunting.
And that was just the biggest problem.
Those swarms of fighter craft were seemingly endless. There were the little multi-role ones with the hexagonal wings, then three others. One dedicated bomber, a dedicated interceptor class, and an FTL capable scout. All of them were just as agile and adept at combat in atmosphere or out.
Then there was the landing craft. Four legged, two legged, hover-cycle, ground vehicles. Multi-role and dedicated systems both. A dropship was used as a fire support vessel, close air support unit, and in some cases, a tank.
The troops were just as annoying to Dramo'op. White armor that looked flimsy but was well put together. Fully environmental, onboard medical systems and combat computer systems, communication systems, enhanced visual systems.
To Dramo'op it spoke of an armor that had gone through generations of upgrades and improvements.
The soldiers wearing it, to Dramo'op, were the final annoyance. Highly trained, extremely disciplined, skilled in many different aspects. There were more than just infantry, the soldiers filled a myriad of roles that the Lanaktallan military forces had long ago turned over to corporations, robots, and VI's.
Their weapons used a compressed, focused, magnetically aligned particle beam in a 'bolt' rather than a long beam. Accurate and destructive. That was just the infantry weapons, not counting crew served weaponry, shoulder fired weaponry, and vehicle weaponry.
Most of their vehicles mounted battle-screens.
Dramo'op closed the file and clopped around to look out his window. The parade ground was full of Lanaktallan troops, dressed in their blue armor, doing rifle drills. They shone with precision and meticulous attention to detail.
Dramo'op had to admit... he didn't know if that was going to be enough.
Terrans fought like they were insane. An injury that should kill from sheer wound shock alone didn't seem to bother them. He had reviewed files where Terrans had lost a limb and kept fighting until their hearts pumped all their blood from their bodies and they collapsed.
The 'victory' over the Terran infiltration team that had been broadcast through GalNet to all of Council Space was something he had reviewed over and over.
He knew it wasn't skilled infiltration soldiers that the LawSec were bragging about killing. He had enough data to know all those bungling idiots had done was kill a group of children and their two adult guardians. Children who could take a hit from a vehicle mounted laser weapon, able to shoot through civilian grade plasalloy, and keep right on coming, just screaming through the pain. He had managed to look up ”Galaxy Scouts” and seen it was little more than a learning group intended for immature humans.
He snorted to himself. Those idiots had killed children on a field trip that the Council had issued permission for before that Mantid was hauled out of the Council Chambers spitting curses.
”Most High, what is wrong?” The Corporate Most High asked.
Dramo'op hated Tu'ulmo'o with a burning passion. While he only had contempt for the other Most High in the room, Bumpho'o, the Military Most High, Dramo'op considered both of the other stallions to be little more than petty time servers.
Dramo'op had clattered his way to his position by starting out on the Neo-Sapient's Systems. He had learned to view things from beyond the Intelligence briefings.
He had studied Terrans from the moment the exploration vessel had encountered the Digital Sentience who's body was a space station. He'd even scanned their GalNet for the brief year and a half it was connected to the Council's.
”The Terrans are coming. This 'Empire' will, through military strategic necessity and logistics importance, target this system for elimination and/or occupation,” Dramo'op said.
Bumpho'o snorted in disbelief. ”We have hundreds of thousands of ship, tens of millions of troops. They would have no chance.”
”We also have no, what they would term to be, non-combatants for them to worry about,” Dramo'op said. ”There's nothing to restrict their warfare.”
”Non-military personnel would hinder us more than the Terrans,” Tu'ulmo'o said. ”Although it would be a financial gain if we used neo-sapients in the factories and shipyards.”
”What about our fellow Lanaktallan workers?” Bumpho'o asked.
Dramo'op curled his tendrils in irritation and closed his rear and mid-facing eyes to give himself a moment to calm himself.
”The workers may make a difference, but...” Dramo'op started.
”Bah, we'll arm the workers, make the Terrans take each street by force,” Bumpho'o proclaimed. ”That will slow them down, allow my soldiers to pick their battles.”
Dramo'op inflated and deflated his crests in annoyance as the other Lanaktallan kept speaking.
”We'll wear them down with battle-fatigue. Our men have trained extensively for long term combat operations. A Terran isn't going to have the same ability to withstand constant pressure that our species does,” Bumpho'o looked smug, his crests inflated and tendrils curled. ”Once they start making mistakes after our fodder has exhausted them, that's when we'll bring in our trained troops to put them down. We'll crush this 'Empire' right here.”
Dramo'op briefly thought of boarding a vessel and leaving.
”Do you understand the capacity for Terran military troops to withstand combat?” Dramo'op asked.
Tu'ulmo'o signaled pleasure. ”Very well. I have reviewed all of the Corporate Intelligence appraisals,” he fluffed his crests a few times. ”I am privy to information that you are not, Executor Most High, and you would do good to remember exactly who is...”
Tu'ulmo'o trailed off as he realized he was staring into the barrel of the neural pistol that Dramo'op had withdrawn from his satchel.
”BANG!” Dramo'op yelled.
Tu'ulmo'o let go of his bowels with a splat.
”Despite your corporation's claims over the last six centuries, this system is Executor Council property, and you would be well advised to remember that fact,” Dramo'op said.
Tu'ulmo'o staggered backwards, his knees shaking as his hooves clattered on the polished tile floor. He nearly stepped on the cleaning robot that had just picked up his patty.
Dramo'op replaced the neural pistol back into the satchel.
”If you are privy to so much information, then tell me, what is the significance of the fact that the seized systems are being renamed as part of the Harmony Empire and the capital planet is named Melody?” Dramo'op asked.
Both Lanaktallan made motions signifying a negative.
Dramo'op brought up a star-map. It had the Great Gulf borders delineated on both rimward and coreward sides. He made a few motions and various lines started moving from Council Space to the Great Gulf then into the ”Presumed Confederate Territory” with starbursts showing up as each planet was attacked.
With a few motions Dramo'op brought up close system statuses and information.
”This section of space here the First and Second Waves were almost completely unopposed. Even then, resistance was sporadic and uncoordinated and in a lot of systems the locals would turn in to authorities those who undertook violent action,” Dramo'op stated. He pointed out other systems. ”These systems wiped out the Second Wave forces without exception.”
”What does this have to do with the Empire?” Bumpho'o asked.
”Simple. According to Harmony Empire broadcasts by Darth Harmonus, he is doing this to protect non-combatants after the death of his sister by our forces,” Dramo'op said. ”Terran pack and family bonding is nearly off the scale for an intelligent species. If the forces of the First or Second Wave killed his sister, then we need to look at something that every other Most High has overlooked.”
”Pfft, what is that?” Tu'ulmo'o asked, trying to regain his composure.
”Somehow a single Terran was able to gather the resources to build this fleet, hire this many soldiers, all in the name of his sister. This is not a Terran military force. This is a single Terran and his companions,” Dramo'op said.