The Genevian Queen: The Complete Series, page 52
But a fighter like that….
“What of their fleet?” he asked. “The one they jumped in with. How many of our ships did those destroy?”
“A dozen or so,” Imahota replied. “Half the home defense fleet is chasing them, and of those left behind, nearly half are gone. It’s a miracle they haven’t broken and run.”
The captain’s words rankled, and Hammond had half a mind to dismiss the man. “We’re Nietzscheans. We’re not going to break and run.”
“Of course not,” Imahota said quickly. “The empire is eternal.”
“The empire is eternal,” Hammond repeated absently as he reviewed his options. “Our best bet is to make the jump gate at L1. We can get out of Pruzia and regroup.”
“As you command.”
The captain issued orders to helm, and the ship shifted hard to port.
“We’re ten minutes out.”
The admiral nodded. “We’ll make for Nylund. We can rebuild there and return to Pruzia. The mechs might have a few powerful ships, but they can’t hold a hostile system. But first, I want the fleet to fire on Valhalla. It’s entirely in enemy hands, and they’re going to use hostages to force our people to surrender. I won’t allow that.”
“Sir?” Imahota’s eyes widened.
“I’ve sent you the order over the Link.” Hammond ground out the words. “Send it. Fleetwide.”
The captain nodded, his face a mask of resignation as he carried out the order.
Silence reigned on the bridge for a minute until a polite cough broke the silence.
“Captain,” the scan officer’s brow was knit as he glanced at his superior officer. “We’ve lost that fighter. It’s not registering.”
Imahota strode to the officer’s console, scowling at the display. “That’s not possible, they were right next to—”
His words were cut off by an alarm that blared three short bursts, followed by the ship’s security NSAI’s voice.
“Alert, alert, alert. Intruders on command deck. Alert.”
“Shut that thing off,” Hammond demanded. “It has to be a malfunction.”
“No,” a voice said from the bridge’s entrance. “Your little NSAI is quite right.”
* * * * *
Everyone on the bridge froze at the sound of Rika’s voice, Hammond turning slowly to face her. The other seven Nietzscheans present did likewise, none speaking.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“I’m here to accept your surrender, Admiral Hammond. The surrender of Nietzschea to Genevia, along with a declaration that will end this war.”
Hammond’s mouth worked in silence before he managed to say, “You? Alone? Are you insane?”
Rika took off her helmet, wanting the Nietzscheans to see her face, the face of their conqueror. It was breaking a cardinal rule of combat, but she was confident the grav shield she held around herself would do the trick.
“I’m not alone. But trust me, you want to treat with me and not her.”
“I don’t know how you got aboard, Rika, but tricks aren’t going to win the war. Genevia cannot defeat Nietzschea. You and your Marauders are the cream that’s risen to the top, you’re on par with us Nietzscheans, but the bulk of your people? They’re chaff.”
“I don’t follow,” she said. “Even if that were true, what does it have to do with anything?”
“You can’t hold Nietzschea. If you think your uprising against us was swift and effective, you haven’t seen anything. Nietzschea would immediately throw off any yoke, our entire people would go to war. Genevia would be utterly destroyed.”
“Stars, Hammond,” Rika couldn’t resist a laugh. “I mean, I knew you really bought the Nietzschean press, but not to that extent. Your people are just people. You’re not special.”
“We’re willing to make sacrifices,” the admiral replied. “The fleets are moving on Valhalla…it’ll be gone inside of five minutes. Your people there will all die.”
A chill ran through Rika, but Tangel’s voice came into her mind a moment later.
~Jessica is almost here. Keep him going.~
Trusting that the ascended woman had things in hand, she continued her push. “It’s all talk, Hammond. You can’t—”
A weapon’s discharge echoed through the bridge, three sharp cracks following a moment later as the rounds smashed against the shield protecting Rika.
She turned to see one of the bridge crew staring at her in disbelief. “You probably don’t want to do that again,” Rika said. “You’re liable to hurt someone else in here.”
“What are you?” Hammond whispered. “You don’t have a grav-field generator that strong on you. You’re too small.”
Niki commented with a laugh.
“I don’t need a generator.” She stretched out a hand to touch a nearby console. As her fingers grazed it, she leached the energy from the molecular bonds, causing the plas components to disintegrate.
The side of the console fell off, crashing to the deck, and shocked gasps came from around the bridge.
Rika took a step forward. “You’re so outmatched you don’t even realize that we’re not playing the same game, Hammond. The time of empires, of fiefdoms, of oppression without penalty is over. Nietzschea used the isolation at the end of the FTL wars to come to power, but now the galaxy is interconnected like never before. There will always be people like me to come for people like you—ensuring you pay for your crimes.”
The admiral’s expression had begun as one of shock, but as Rika spoke, her words had the opposite effect she intended.
His eyes hardened and his jaw set. “It’s going to take more than you and your Marauders to do that…. Where are your allies now? Our fleets are bearing down on Valhalla. We’re willing to sacrifice our government’s seat to destroy the invaders, and then it will just be you, Rika—you, alone, desperately flailing. Yes, your tricks are impressive, but you’re just one woman.”
~They’ll be here,~ Tangel reassured them. ~I promise.~
As Hammond’s final words hung in the air, a white glow filled the bridge, emanating from behind Rika.
A smile settled on her lips, and she couldn’t help a small laugh as she said, “I’m not just one woman.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Tangel in all her glory drift onto the bridge. The raw energy streaming off her was so intense that Rika could only make out a woman’s silhouette, tendrils of light waving around her in a diaphanous halo.
~She’s not.~
Tangel spoke into the minds of everyone on the bridge—something made evident by the universal expressions of awe and fear the Nietzscheans adopted.
“Admiral Hammond, meet Tangel, one of the Alliance’s leaders. Tangel, this is Hammond.”
“You can’t cow me with more tricks,” Hammond said, standing his ground as Tangel drifted closer. “The Nietzscheans are pure humans. We will never align ourselves with abominations.”
~You may do as you choose,~ Tangel replied. ~But either way, your empire has come to an end.~
The admiral took a step back and gestured at the main display. “If you’re so powerful, stop the fleet. You have only thirty seconds before they open fire on Valhalla.”
Rika bit the inside of her cheek, drawing blood as she gazed at the green markers approaching optimal firing range.
~If that is what you want, very well.~
In the next instant, thousands of red markers appeared on the display, one denoting an especially large ship directly in front of Valhalla.
~Do you want to take it from here?~ Tangel asked Rika privately.
The magnus nodded. “Tell them to stand down. If you don’t, your fleet will be destroyed.”
One of Tangel’s limbs stretched out and touched a nearby console. The tactical display was replaced by a view of Capitol.
Valhalla was on the left side, with a ship that Rika suspected was either the Carthage or the Starblade directly above it. Arrayed in a convex half-sphere around it were thousands of ISF ships, all poised to strike.
Hammond shook his head. “No. If Nietzschea falls, it falls fighting.”
Rika turned to the captain, half pleading, half demanding. “Give the order. Save your people!”
The man bit his lip. “I would if I could, I really would.”
Tangel sighed, sounding like dry leaves blowing in the wind. ~If you will not save your people, I will.~
Hammond managed to get the word ‘How’ half out before the tendril of light that had touched the console, touched his forehead.
~There. It is done.~
~I didn’t touch his mind,~ Tangel replied. ~I merely lifted his ident keys from his Link and broadcast a stand down order on his behalf.~
Rika nodded, her lips still pursed as she watched the display.
The enemy ships began turning away from the ISF fleet; though not all. Several hundred opened fire on the I-class supercarrier protecting Valhalla.
“What fools.” Rika couldn’t believe they’d sacrifice themselves against a clearly superior force when their own commander had sent a stand down order.
~I’ve reached out to Jessica aboard the Carthage,~ Tangel said, her voice heavy with disappointment. ~She’s going to be as non-lethal as she can.~
Rika nodded, watching enemy beams and weapons splash against the Carthage’s shields, dealing no damage to the ISF ship. Once the initial barrage was unleashed, the supercarrier fired back, its weapons striking just hard enough to penetrate shields and take out critical systems.
The few hundred Nietzschean ships that had disobeyed orders were rendered drifting hulls in seconds.
~It’s finished,~ Tangel intoned. ~Nietzschea is defeated and will sign the accords.~
“We’ll do no such thing.” Hammond ground out the words. “If you think—”
Tangel’s ephemeral arm stroked the admiral’s forehead, and the man dropped like a bag of rocks.
~Stars, I’m tired of him.~
“Captain,” Rika addressed the senior Nietzschean in the room. “You are to place Admiral Hammond under arrest and secure him in your brig. We will instruct you when to transfer him to Valhalla to answer for his part in this coup. If he is not transferred for any reason….”
She let the words hang, able to see in the man’s eyes that he understood the penalty for disobedience.
He swallowed loudly. “Yes, ma’am.”
~Good,~ Tangel said. ~We should go, Rika. We have much to do.~
~Stars…so much,~ the magnus said with a laugh as they walked off the bridge. ~Who do I contact to put in for a vacation?~
The ascended woman laughed. ~I don’t know, but let me know if you find out.~
FINALITY
STELLAR DATE: 06.22.8950 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Valhalla, Capitol
REGION: Pruzia System, Nietzschean Empire
Rika stood at the head of the High Council’s table with Tangel at her side, watching as every surviving councilor signed the accord, adding their personal ident mark to the digital copy of the agreement.
While the strictures laid out for Nietzschea were long and involved, it had taken less than a week to reach a final wording—mostly because Rika had insisted that it remain simple.
The empire was to vacate all systems in Old Genevia via a scheduled withdrawal that ensured the systems would not dissolve into lawlessness. They were also to leave all other systems on the empire’s periphery that they had conquered in the last two decades.
Those actions would be supervised by outside observers, and any violations of the accords would be noted, and the perpetrators prosecuted.
The empire was also to pay reparations to the people of Genevia, an amount equal to half of Nietzschea’s federal income over the course of twenty years. There were more details, of course, but the remaining members of the council had accepted most without protest.
Rika suspected that their capitulation was in part due to the knowledge that the Marauders and ISF had saved the Nietzschean leadership from death at the hands of their own military.
She knew firsthand that going through something like that tended to shift perspective.
When the signatures were all collected, Tangel gave a speech regarding how humanity and its scions were destined to be a united people, building one another up rather than destroying each other in pursuit of resources, or in enforcement of one group’s ideals on another.
Rika barely heard it. Her eyes were on her Marauders, the leaders who had been with her from the beginning, back when the idea of even striking out at Nietzschea felt like little more than a dream.
Now here they were, standing in Valhalla, accepting their hated enemy’s formal surrender.
In a way, it was anticlimactic. Despite any hope she’d held for capitulation, Rika had always expected to fight the Niets system by system until they were all but eradicated.
Her eyes met Silva’s, then Kelly’s, and she couldn’t help but smile. They were, and always would be, the mother and sister who had saved her during the war.
Equally important was Chase. He had saved her heart and spirit so many times, Rika had lost count. If not for his steadfast friendship while working in Hal’s Hell on Dekar, Rika knew her life would have gone in an entirely different direction.
Beside him stood Barne and Leslie. Both wore huge smiles, and when her eyes met the Marauder general’s, he mouthed the words, ‘Thank you’.
Of course, few were as instrumental in guiding her as Niki had been, but the AI always knew how grateful Rika was for her.
She took in the rest of the Marauders, still smiling as Tangel finished her speech.
“Magnus Rika, do you have anything you’d like to add?”
Rika had prepared her own words, but in the heat of the moment, they all escaped her, and only one thing came to mind.
“Marauders. It’s time to go home.”
THE END
* * * * *
With this story, the Genevian Queen series has come to a close. However, Rika’s adventures are far from over. Pick up Scions of Humanity to learn how Rika branches out and joins the broader conflict against the galaxy’s greatest enemy.
1st MARAUDER FLEET
This is a partial list and does not contain the full fleet roster.
Fleet Commander: Colonel Heather (SMI-4)
Pinnacle
4100-meter dreadnought
420 fighters
Ship’s AI: Piper
Captain: Captain Heather (SMI-4)
Navigation: Chief Warrant Officer Garth
Weapons and Scan: Chief Warrant Officer Ona
(Note: Ona and Garth frequently switch roles)
Republic IV
1100-meter cruiser
44 fighters
Ship’s AI: N/A
Captain: Lieutenant Travis (AM-4)
Undaunted
1130-meter cruiser
34 fighters
Ship’s AI: N/A
Captain: Lieutenant Ferris
Chief Engineer: Chief Warrant Officer Lara
Asora
544-meter destroyer
Ship’s AI: N/A
Captain: Lieutenant Klen (RR-4)
Weapons and Scan: Chief Ashley (LHO-4)
Chief Engineer: Chief Glen
Capital
612-meter destroyer
Ship’s AI: N/A
Captain: Lieutenant Buggsie
Dropship Pilots
- Chief Warrant Officer (CWO-3) Charles ‘Mad Dog’
- Chief Warrant Officer (CWO-2) Halley
THE QUEEN’S GUARD
Head of the Guard: Captain Chase (AM-4)
Guard Members
- Lieutenant Kelly (SMI-4)
- Corporal Keli (SMI-4)
- Corporal Shoshin (AM-4)
1st GENEVIAN MARAUDER BATTALION
In the shuffle where Rika became the Genevian magnus, the Marauders were reorganized to have General Barne at the head of the military under the commander in chief.
‘HQ’ COMPANY
Battalion Commander (CO): Colonel Silva (SMI-4)
‘R’ COMPANY (M&M)
Platoon Commander – Lieutenant “Bondo” Carson
- Corporal Stripes (AM-X)
Other company commanders
Captain Meagan – SMI-4 (O Company)
Captain Gytra – RR-4-F (R Company)
Captain Crispin – K1R-4-X (S Company)
Captain Penelope – RR-4-F (T Company)
‘M’ COMPANY
Note, not all personnel in the Company are listed.
Company HQ
Commanding Officer (CO): Captain Karen (FR-4)
First Sergeant: Tex (RR-4)
Gunnery Sergeant: Aaron (AM-4)
First Platoon
Platoon CO – First Lieutenant Chris (AM-4)
Platoon Sergeant – Staff Sergeant Kristian (RR-4-M)
First Squad
Sergeant Crunch (AM-4)
4 Fireteams (19 mechs)
FT 1-1
- CPL Ben (AM-4)
- PVT Al, ‘Whispers’ (AM-4)
