Chapter 9; The Empty Trap
On the day of the vote to mutiny, Admiral Maori had returned quickly to his own stateroom aboard the flagship “Zia”. He was sickened by what he had just witnessed. Yes, he had voted with the others as his orders had specified, but he knew the cost of that vote. Many men and women would die on what ever day that Heren “the Hammer” decided to march down that Jeweled Path.
Heren, my friend, how did we get so far from our vows. We were the best that the Academy had ever produced. Right out of school, in the Taurian uprising, you had first shown your ability. We were a green lot, lacking experience but filled with zeal. We were after a pirate named Kirzon Delpht. He had been an Admiral assigned to a back water sector of space called the Taurian sector. He had convinced many of his crews to mutiny and formed a tiny empire of his own.
I remember how excited we were to be assigned to the bridge crew of Flag Ship when the two fleets faced off. You took command when the flag bridge was destroyed and our Admiral and two commanders were killed. You lead us to outmaneuver the pirates with your tactics and saved the lives of more men than any of the other commanders. You were knighted on the spot by comm-link with the Emperor himself. Kirzon escaped and managed to rule almost thirty years.
By the end of that four year campaign, you were a Vice-Admiral in charge of your beloved Fleet Marines. They would have gone through the fires of hell for you. Some day, they will. So many glories we have shared together, campaign after successful campaign. Yes, this Emperor was soft on defense, cutting the Navy budget year after year, and each year more border uprisings to deal with. But, in the last thirty years, we have seen the word that I would have through good times and bad. Traitor is the last word that I would have thought anyone would ever call you.
And as for what to do now, I must signal the General. He typed his whole report into the Super Scrambler. Its internal programming would then compress the message into a tenth of a second blast of ions that would have the same pattern as a toilet flushing so as not to alert the Security Screens around the Fleet.
He carefully put the scrambler back in its hiding place. In General Z’s office on the surface below, a short blast of information went to the descrambling computer in General Z’s office. A comm-tech took the information and ran to find the General. He found him at lunch with his oldest daughter, Lea. They were in one of their usual heated discussions. The suppressor that the General had created made their discussion silent to anyone not touching the General. Buck could tell that they were yelling at each other, as usual.
He touched the General’s sleeve. The older man jumped as if he were shocked. When he was fighting with Lea, the whole world seems to go away. Buck loved looking at Lea, those tawny locks and freckled face that he had admired from afar for all these years. She was still the only one who could go head to head with the old man and hold her own.
“Still, I love to be the one that gets that fire blade,” he thought.
“What is it, Buck?”
Buck just pointed his finger at his ear and shook his head. The General had forgotten to turn off the suppressor. He laughed and hit the kill switch. “What is it, Buck?” he repeated.
“I have a message here for you,” Buck replied.
He handed the message to General Z. As the General read the message, his mouth formed a thin line. The comm-tech had seen that look way too many times for comfort. Something was very wrong. The General hit the suppressor button on his collar, touched his daughter and said in a voice that no one ever questioned, “Maori says, Red!Red!Red! The Admiralty is in revolt. Get our crew jumped to Base Two. Then, alert the Guardian office. Call your mother and your sisters. They have about one hour to hit the nearest Jump Tube. Your mother knows where to go. I must warn the Emperor. Tell them that I love them all, and I know that they will be good little soldiers and do what Mum tells them.”
He touched Buck’s arm next. “Buck, the call is Red! Red! Red!.Order the Secret Alert. The Admiralty must not find out that we know what they are doing.”
“Yes, sir! Right away Sir!”
Lea jumped to her duties. Walking quickly but calmly, she went immediately to the offices of the Tech-Body. She found her crew already hard at work.
“Red Alert,” was all she said. People couldn’t have scrambled more if she had thrown a grenade. They had their orders. Red Alert meant hit the Jump Tube running.
Lea watched as room by room they pushed their work projects into the oversized Tubes and flashed off to Base Two, a secret location known only to the Heads. They were allowed one call to their families. Just as they had been warned to do, they had their families ready to jump at a moments notice. Within a few clicks, their families were scattering to jump tube locations all over the city. When the last person was gone, Lea set the detonator and headed for the slide way to their home.
On her way home, Lea stopped off at the office of the Junior Guardian Commander. Without a word, she dropped one red Button on his desk. He only stared at it for one second, mentally going over the steps that he had memorized since getting this command a few weeks ago. He stood up, shook Lea’s hand, mouthed a silent “Good Luck” and headed for the school.
He walked into the Headmaster’s office and silently, as before, laid the same red button on his desk. What the Loyalists had done was break the Brigade into squads, carefully calling out Admiralty children into their own squads.
The Headmaster pushed a button on his desk and said, “Blue Fire Alert.”
Immediately, all over the school, a preconceived disaster drill was put into effect. Certain squads were assigned different duties. The Admiralty squads were sent to assemble at Admiralty HQ. The Loyalist children were immediately sent to Base Two for safe keeping. According to the plan, when these parents did call into the office to inquire as to the whereabouts of their children, they were told that they were on a “Blue Fire Alert” and could not be reached. These parents then knew that their children were already on Base Two and got busy getting there themselves. They were very glad to by under the watchful eyes of the good General Z and his wife.
Lea had already alerted her mother. Pedra, the youngest, was waiting for her when she arrived. Over the last few weeks, all their bags had been sent to Base Two. Hand in hand, the three women went into their private Jump Tube to flash off. The Tube was preset for one Jump and then automatic self destruction.
As the Captain of the Guard watched the General’s family disappear, he cleared his men out of the area because he knew from his orders what to expect next. They set up a defensive perimeter around the house and prepared to give their lives for the man who had saved their families.
What the Admiralty didn’t know was that Capitol City would be nearly empty, except for chosen death squads that would fight to delay their finding this out, by the time the Fleet Marines landed. This delay would allow the further scattering of the Crown’s forces. Without their escape, there could never be eventual victory over the rebelling Admiralty.
The General went to his office in the Palace. He opened a channel to the office of the Emperor on a secret, scrambled line. Marx, the Captain of the Guard and personal Guard of the Emperor, drifted into view on the screen.
“Condition Red,” said the General.
“Acknowledge,” replied Marx. The line was cut dark.
Aldo Menzi came back on the line almost immediately. Z noted that it was not yet noon and the Emperor was stinking drunk and hysterical. The Emperor blubbered, “How could they do this? What shall we do? We should have assassinated those men years ago.”
With all the reserve that Z could muster, he said, “Sire, everything is being handled by the proper authorities. Please go with Marx. He knows where Base Two is. I will see to our family, and Marx will take care of you.” To himself, he thought, “maybe we should leave him here to face his own mess with the Admirals and save the sons. Any one of them would make a better Emperor. No, no, we pledged our oath to all the Menzis and all must be saved
.”
Marx was already setting the detonators in the Guardian offices to go off when the door of each office was opened. Then, he grabbed the slobbering Emperor and half towed, half carried him into the Jump Tube. He set the controls, and they flashed away.
As with so many other tubes that day, when its mission was accomplished, it blew up. Within five clicks the rest of the personnel was done booby trapping their offices. They headed for Base Two to meet their families.
General Z entered the Country Palace. He had called ahead, and he could see that many people were already gone. He could tell that by dawn, when the Marines were scheduled to land here, this place would be nearly empty. Coming in, he had swung his flitter around the perimeter. The Batteries were in place and everything looked normal. He was saddened at the lives that would be lost later that day, but he could see no other way to make good their escape and defend the Crown.
Baraz at this time was six years old. He was the youngest of Aldo’s brothers. He awoke with a start. People were running through the Palace. Women were crying. Baraz reached for his clothes and saw that they had been replaced by a Palace Guardian uniform and his tiny laser sword.
He spoke to the man helping him dress, “What is happening here? Why have you disturbed our sleep?”
The man who had brought his new clothes said nothing. He appeared to be speechless from fear. He simply turned and ran out of the sleep chamber making strange noises.
Baraz jumped to the floor from his bed as his grandfather came into his room wearing full battle raiment.
“Good, you are awake, my prince. We were unable to stop the coup. Heren didn’t even tell the other Admirals his time table and we were caught unaware. Admiralty troop ships are on their way here. We must escape now.”
“Where is my father? Why don’t we stand and fight? We could crush these scum, couldn’t we?” he asked as he dressed.
“Your father awaits us in a secret base that we established when we first got wind of the growing power of the Admiralty’s position in the government. Now, we must get moving. The Royal Guardians are out numbered ten to one by Keeth’s Fleet Marines. We must escape before the Marines get here. As you are my ranking officer in the family, I want you to stay at my side to help me organize the escape.”
“Yes, grand father…ummm, sir.., ummm General. What shall I do first?”
“I think you should finish dressing, son. We must hurry to the nearest Jump tube. Hurry up now, my prince.”
The General was glad to see the boy brighten, stand straighter and begin to look the part that he must play if they were to pull this off with their heads intact.
Baraz’s mood was better. He knew that his grandfather made no jokes of this sort. He was thrilled that he had been chosen to be the aide. He was determined that his family would see how well he could do under these conditions. He had heard the stories of Admiral Heren’s abilities. He was studying his tactics at the Academy. Heren was known to be a tough, very well organized opponent. There would be many battles and chances to lead. Baraz wanted to show his family that they could rely on him.
He worked long hours at his grandfather’s side. They ran here and there getting palace personnel into the Jump Tubes to get them to safety. Grandfather’s plan was to make sure that they would survive to run the Empire when the revolution was put down and the Jeweled Throne was returned to its rightful owners. The Royal Jewels were scattered amongst the family as well for the same reason.
As all but the last of the Jump Tubes were reduced to smoking rubble, the laser batteries started their regular firing patterns signaling the arrival of the revolting forces. Baraz and his grandfather stepped into the last Jump Tube for the trip to meet his father at the place designated for rallying the Loyalist forces. As with the other Tubes, when the lights had turned from red to green, allowing the next transfer, detonating devices went off blowing them to bits. There would be no way to trace the location of their exits now.
One by one, the batteries were overwhelmed and the barges of Fleet Marines began to land. Tail ports opened and the marines began to fan out securing vast sections of the Royal Command. They were very efficient about their duties, rounding up every person that they could find and herding them into the grand ballroom where they began the interrogations.
The ones left had volunteered. Most often, it was the oldest members of the house hold staff. They had not wanted a life on the run. To ensure the success of the escape, the people left behind had not been told the location of Base Two on purpose. Even under torture, they were unable to crack the secret.
Outside, the command barge landed with a soft thump. Crack Admiralty Marines hustled out of the under ports and formed a cordon path. When all was ready, Admiral Keeth made a stately procession into the Grand Ball Room area of the Palace. Entering the ballroom, he went to a table and chairs on a small dais to set up his command post.
“Commander’s report,” he said.
A small throng parted uneasily. A Captain of Admiralty Security stepped forward, visibly shaken. “The Palace is secured, sir. We are unable, at this time, to locate any member of the Royal Family.”
“What do you mean no members of the Royal Family?”
A fresh faced boy stepped forward, new yeoman bars on his shoulders. “They must have escaped, Father. They must have been warned. We were only held up eighteen ticks getting past the batteries and only six ticks securing the grounds. Except for the battery-teks, there have only been twelve Royal Guardians captured and they are all in sick bay.”
Keeth looked from one to the other. He then concentrated on his son standing below him. He knew why he had intervened. He was so much like his mother with his dark eyes and dark hair. Protocol dictated that he could not protect his son now.
“Have you informed the new Emperor?”
“No, sir, we were just double checking when you arrived,” said the Captain.
“I will speak with him when you have delivered your report and your resignation.”
The Captain’s face blanched and he took a step back, almost falling off the dais. He turned and practically ran over to the comm-base that had been set up at the far end of the ballroom. Keeth turned back to his son saying, “You should not have talked out of turn. No one was speaking to you. As you are now commanding this outfit, you will put yourself on report, forfeit one weeks credits, and I am delaying your promotion to Captain. That is all!”
His son saluted, turning on his heel and stepping smartly off to assume command of his father’s guardian unit. The men were glad to have Danil there at that time. Who know how many heads would have rolled if he had not taken the wrath of the Admiral. The Admiral had reason to be upset. Without the Royal Family Crown, there could be no legitimate ascension. Short of that; there were also no hostages to bring in the old Emperor. Worst of all, there would now be a major civil war to fight. They had hoped that the entire mess would be cleared up tonight.
Danil walked up to his command post just as the busted Captain was finishing his report to the new Emperor. His face was completely white, and his eyes looked dead. He walked out into the hall where no one was standing. All of a sudden, in one motion, he snatch a photon grenade from his side and dove on it. He disappeared in a cloud of fragments that blew a three foot round hole in the wall, knocking over the huddled crowd of captives.
People were screaming and crying. Dust was everywhere. Danil looked over to see if his Dad was alright. He saw one of the Security Mates helping him to his feet and back into his chair. Keeth caught his son’s eye and they exchanged thumbs up. Then, they both went back to their duties wondering what they might have done if they had lost their commissions and their life’s work.
Back in Capitol City, Admiral Chun’s forces were finding a similar lack of people at the Tek-Body Headquarters of General Medio’s wife. On his comm. link, he heard the other reports about tacit, death squad resistance being found at Z’s house. Other reports from his home were coming in describing how
he and his family had fled the night before. Reports were filed about the hundreds of secret jump tubes found everywhere across the city. These jump tubes had been used and destroyed. The data that would have told the pathway of the jumps was destroyed with the units and the location of the end of the jumps was untraceable. The continuous input of reports from Fleet Marine squads doing house to house searching for any member of the Royal Family had, so far, proved fruitless.
Admiral Heren went crashing around in the Palace as the reports came in. He was beside himself with anger, throwing dishes and assorted crockery. How could they have known? He sent for all the Admirals to meet him in the Jeweled Throne Room. He had each of their staterooms searched thoroughly. He promised, “I will find the traitor and fry him myself slowly in his own juices over a real wood fire.