For Glory, page 1
For Glory
G.P. Hudson
Thavma Press
Copyright © 2024 by G.P. Hudson
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29
Also By
Chapter one
Miira Kev, the Dvorkan Empress, sat on a bench and watched her son play with his toys amid the lush gardens and historic sculptures of the Winter Palace. Nursemaids hovered busily around the prince, ensuring all his needs and wants were met. Miira smiled as her son’s expression reminded her of her husband, the late Emperor Kriss. The Emperor had been assassinated almost two years ago by one of his generals. That murder made Miira Empress of the Dvorkan Empire but also left her alone among the Palace wolves. It was then that she learned that her husband had given her one last gift. A child. With Devar’s birth, the Empire had an heir, and Miira gained some legitimacy as Empress.
Miira never wanted to be Empress. She was an academic who had spent her whole life studying the Antikitheri, the god-like aliens who had built the jump gates. But when Jon Pike arrived and asked for her help, her life took a dramatic turn. In an instant, she went from someone who spent most of her time in the university to someone who would travel across the galaxy, actually meet the Antikitheri, and watch Jon Pike defeat the many forces arrayed against him. During that time, she also met the handsome Emperor and fell in love. She never wanted power. All she wanted was a happy life with Kriss. But that was not meant to last, and she had to learn how to wield power at the same time that she learned how to be a mother.
If not for her father, she might have ended up as nothing more than a puppet of the Imperial Council. While she knew nothing about power and intrigue, her father, through his many businesses, was an old pro. So, Miira made him her adviser and gave him a seat on the Imperial Council, which he soon dominated. Miira was not blind to her father’s faults, and she knew that he was power-hungry. She also suspected that he was behind the failed assassination attempt against Jon Pike. But he was family, despite his flaws, and in a world where she didn’t know who she could trust, he was all she had. As such, she was prepared to turn a blind eye to his many power plays and intervene when he went too far. It was a compromise, but with her father around, no one dared move against her.
To his credit, despite being her father, Rangar Kev accepted his daughter’s decisions, even when they ran counter to his wishes, and he enforced those decisions faithfully once they had been made. Take the alliance with Admiral Pike’s UHSF against the forces of the Maeficus. Her father had argued against the idea and displayed open hostility toward Jon Pike, but once she had made her decision, he fell into line and supported the alliance. He still did not like Jon, but he abided by the agreement all the same.
As Miira watched her child, she noticed something out of place. One of the nursemaids had a strange expression on her face and had slipped a hand under her shirt. Alarm bells went off in Miira’s head, and she jumped to her feet. The nursemaid acted as well. Producing a small blade, she lunged for the little prince.
Energy bolts tore through the nursemaid’s neck and torso as Taymati Imperial Guards decloaked all around her. The other nursemaids screamed, and two were cut down in the crossfire as a third moved to put herself between the assassin and the prince. The blade narrowly missed the third nursemaid as the assassin lashed out before succumbing to her wounds. The Taymati did not shoot the third nursemaid but took her down and restrained her all the same.
By this time, Miira had reached her child and hoisted him up in her arms as more Taymati appeared and surrounded the two royals protectively. An instant later, the Taymati were rushing them out of the garden. Miira managed to glance back at the dead assassin and gasped at the sight. The Blue Dvorkan nursemaid was no longer there. Instead, a lizardlike creature lay on the ground in the nursemaid’s uniform, and Miira instantly recognized the species. It was a Dran shapeshifter, servant of the Mistraan and the Maeficus.
A portal suddenly appeared directly in front of them, cutting off their escape. More Dran surged through the portal straight into Taymati energy bolts. The Taymati rushing her out changed direction while continuing to fire into the portal. One of them tossed a plasma grenade into the portal, and the group ran for an alternative exit. Taymati soldiers behind them rushed the portal, pouring energy weapon fire and a few more plasma grenades into it for good measure.
Alarms sounded as Miira and her Taymati guards raced into the palace. To her surprise, another portal appeared, and energy weapon fire hit the two lead Taymati. They stumbled, but their combat suits’ armor protected them from the blasts. The Taymati responded with energy bolts and plasma grenades while changing direction yet again.
More portals appeared, stopping the group in their tracks just as reinforcements arrived. The Taymati formed up around their Empress and fired in all directions. When a bomb flew out of one portal, a Taymati dove onto it, protecting the others at the cost of his own life.
All around was mayhem, and Miira ducked down, shielding her son with her own body as much as possible. The fighting was intense, and she kept her head down, not daring to look around. When an armored hand grabbed her elbow and pulled, she didn’t hesitate. Breaking into a sprint, she ran in the direction the Taymati guard pulled her, as other Taymati shielded her and their weapons blazed with relentless flashes of blue energy.
She heard the battle rage behind her and understood that the attack was far from over. The Taymati were the greatest warriors in the Empire, and if anyone could hold off the attackers, it was them. The only question was, were there enough of them.
Miira and her guards burst through a hidden door and entered a waiting lift. The lift dropped at high speed, and Devar cried at the sudden change. Miira was surprised to realize that this was the first time her child had cried during the attack.
When the lift came to a stop, the door opened, and the same Taymati grabbed her arm and said, “This way, Empress.” Miira followed, and they ran down a corridor through another waiting door. Once through, the door closed behind them, and the Taymati said, “Initiate fortress protocol.”
Loud bangs rang out outside the room, and Miira remembered her briefing on the protocol. The Taymati had taken Miira and Devar to a bunker under the Winter Palace. It was specially built to withstand even multiple nuclear strikes.
“We will be safe here, Empress,” the Taymati guard said. “The bunker is shielded, which will prevent the Dran from using their jump technology to get inside.”
Realization dawned on Miira as she finally had a chance to think. “The Dran have the personal jump system technology.”
“It would seem so, Empress.”
“But how did they get it?”
“I do not know, but my guess would be espionage.”
That made sense. The Dran were genetically engineered shapeshifters and could use that ability to get inside restricted areas and steal tech secrets for their masters, the Mistraan. While they had scanners that could detect the Dran, it was clear that nothing was foolproof. Their masters, the Mistraan, also had extremely powerful psychic capabilities, which they could use to gain secrets from a captive, for example.
Miira settled in for what might be a long stay in the bunker. The Taymati busied themselves around her, triple-checking everything and ensuring there were no lapses in security. The Taymati were an army unto themselves, independent of the Dvorkan military. They answered only to the Empress and would now turn the Winter Palace into a fortress, protecting it from land, air, sea, and space.
Feeling safer, Miira checked her son, looking for any sign of injury. She found none. Devar squirmed in her arms, and she noticed he still held on to one of his toys. Miira breathed a sigh of relief and set the boy down so he could resume his play.
After some time, one of the Taymati approached her and bowed before speaking, “General Kiith wishes to speak with you, Majesty.”
“Very well,” Miira said, wanting to hear what Kiith had to say. General Kiith was the leader of the Taymati Imperial Guard and, as such, one of the most powerful men in the Dvorkan Empire.
General Kiith appeared on a holodisplay and bowed before Miira. “Majesty, I am grateful to see that you and the prince are both safe.”
“We are in good health, General, thanks to the Taymati’s diligence,” Miira said. “Do you have an update for me?”
“Yes, Majesty. I do not know how the assassin managed to evade our security, but it appears that they likely used a personal jump system to infiltrate the Palace. I would like to scan all Palace personnel to ensure t
“Agreed,” Miira said. “Scan everyone. No exemptions.”
“It will be done, Majesty, though I’m afraid you will need to remain in the bunker until all scans are complete.”
“I understand,” Miira said. “Do you know where the Dran jumped from?” Miira knew that a personal jump system had a limited range of at most five-hundred-thousand kilometers.
“Yes, Majesty. We immediately flooded the space around the planet with ionizing radiation and discovered a Mistraan warship operating near the planet. After an initial skirmish, the warship escaped into jumpspace.
“How did a Mistraan warship get so close to the Imperial planet?” Miira said, her anger rising. A ship that close could have bombed the Winter Palace from orbit before the Taymati could stop the attack.
“I apologize for the lapse in security, Majesty. I take full responsibility for this and have ordered a thorough investigation to uncover the errors. If you will allow it, I would like to submit a few exceptional officers for you to select my replacement.”
“Your replacement?” Miira said. “Don’t be ridiculous. My husband had full trust in you, and so do I. Just find the security hole and fill it.”
“Yes, Majesty.” The General bowed once more and vanished from the holodisplay.
Miira played with her son while she waited for the Taymati to finish their scans. Devar laughed, enjoying the time with his mother. When he grew irritable, Miira knew he was hungry and took him into her arms so she could nurse him. When Devar was born, she had been offered a wet nurse but declined and took the unusual step of nursing her own child. While that was acceptable for a regular Dvorkan, it was not something an Empress did. Miira scoffed at the custom, considering the idea of another woman nursing her child absurd. He was her flesh and blood and would be fed with her milk. When those around her protested, she put her foot down, and the matter was closed.
That did not stop news of the decision from spreading throughout the Empire, however. The Zealots saw it as yet another heresy, of course, but Miira cared little for what those extremists thought. Some in the Empire said it was because Miira was not from royal blood, while others hailed the decision as a sign of progress. Miira knew that as Empress her every decision would be scrutinized, but nonetheless saw it as a personal decision and nobody else’s business. It was a perfect example of how her life had changed. Had she not married Kriss, no one would care how she raised her child. She also knew that had Kriss not been killed, few would dare question her decisions for fear of offending the Emperor. Apparently, people were not as fearful of her ire. That was something that needed to change.
She thought about General Kiith and wondered what Kriss would do. He had offered her his resignation, as was proper considering the security lapse, but she had declined it. Did that make her soft? Would Kriss have replaced the man? She realized that she wasn’t sure. As her husband, he was always gentle, but as Emperor, he could be as hard as steel. Perhaps she should take a page out of her late husband’s book.
As she nursed Devar, a comm came through from her father, and she accepted.
“Miira, what is the meaning of this?” her father protested.
“What is the meaning of what, father?” Miira said.
“The Taymati will not let me see you until I consent to a scan.”
“Did you not hear of the attack? We need to make sure there are no other Dran in our midst.”
“But I am no Dran!”
“Then a scan will not be a problem.”
“It is humiliating.”
“Sorry, father. There are no exceptions. If you want to see us, you must submit to a scan.”
Her father was silent for a few beats, and Miira knew that he was fuming. “Fine, I will allow the scan,” he said finally.
“Thank you, father.” Miira closed the comm and shook her head. Her father had always valued status and often considered simple security procedures as personal affronts. Miira wished he could change but knew that was a long shot.
Her mind then turned to her ally and friend, Admiral Jon Pike. He would need to know about this, and she would have to contact him as soon as the threat had passed and she could leave the bunker.
Chapter two
General Tallos stood on his flagship’s bridge, staring at the fiery madness of jumpspace on the main viewscreen. Jumpspace referred to a subregion of space that could be used to travel thousands of light years, making the jump gates all but obsolete. Jon Pike had kept this technology from Tallos for a time and tried to use it to invade Juttari star systems and gain an advantage against Diakus. It was an act of deception unworthy of an ally. In fact, it was a downright insult.
Tallos’s relationship with Jon Pike had often been strained, and Tallos did try to have Jon killed early on. But all that changed once Jon had taken Tallos to the Temple to meet the Great See’er. There, Tallos learned that Jon was “Of the Temple,” making him nothing short of holy in Tallos’s eyes.
The Juttari, through their gods, the Erinyie, had perpetrated a holocaust against the Diakans, destroying the Temple and killing the Great See’er. The Juttari then occupied Diakan space, killing any remaining Diakan.
With Jon’s help, Tallos took back every star system they had lost and then committed Diakus to a holy war against the Juttari. For what they had done, the Juttari deserved nothing less than eradication, and Tallos was committed to making that a reality.
Jon did not agree with this decision, which was fine. But to withhold vital technology from Tallos was a betrayal. Jon eventually gave Tallos the technology, but the damage had been done. He had concealed the technology and had used it to take territory that would have otherwise belonged to Diakus. He had even tried to use the traitor, General Vakos, as justification for the deception. Was this how someone who was “of the Temple” acted?
The Great See’er had steered the Diakan civilization to greatness for millennia. That was what it meant to be “of the Temple.” Yet Jon worked to undermine and block Diakus from its rightful destiny. How could Tallos ever trust him again?
The destruction of the Temple had changed everything. It had unmoored the Diakan civilization, leaving them adrift and without purpose. This holy war changed that. Diakans had a purpose again, and they would see it through to the end, with or without Jon Pike. Unfortunately, Tallos now believed it would be without Jon Pike. Perhaps even in spite of Jon Pike.
“Portals activated,” the Diakan AI announced. “Preparing to enter normal space.”
Diakans were gifted with superior eyesight, and Tallos easily spotted the tears forming in the chaotic fabric of jumpspace. Through them, he made out the velvety blackness of normal space.
The fleet advanced until they crossed through the portals into the target Juttari star system. The Juttari were a fragment of the powerful empire they had once ruled. With their forces decimated, they could barely offer a defense against the hulking Diakan battleships. It was pathetic.
Several Juttari warships jumped to within range of Tallos’s fleet and opened fire with everything they had, but it was not enough. The Diakan battleships responded with nuclear jump bombs, quickly taking out the Juttari shields before more nuclear strikes ripped through the now undefended hulls.
The Juttari warships blew apart in blinding explosions, but the Diakan battleships were already gone, jumping deeper into the Juttari star system to engage the main defenses. In this instance, it included a Juttari battle station and more warships.
“Activate cloaks,” Tallos ordered as the fleet appeared in an undefended location of the star system.
“Cloaks activated,” the tactical officer said.
“Jump within range of the battle station.”
The battle station was a Juttari trademark and usually a fixture in Juttari systems. As its name suggested, it was armed to the teeth and the star system’s primary defensive weapon. A battle station was usually situated between the system’s jump gate and the primary planet. The warships stationed there would use their guns to amplify their firepower.
Jumpspace technology diminished the value of that battle station’s position. Nonetheless, it still posed a threat and needed to be dealt with.
