Conquest (Rise of the Empire Book 9) Read online

  CONQUEST

  Rise of the Empire series

  IVAN KAL

  Copyright © 2017 by Ivan Kal

  Art/Cover Copyright © 2017 by Nikola Nikolic

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Table of Contents

  Glossary

  Timeline

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Interlude I

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Interlude II

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Interlude III

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Interlude IV

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Interlude V

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Interlude VI

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Interlude VII

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Interlude VIII

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Epilogue

  Timeline

  November 2103 – A faction of humanity – Olympus – leaves to colonize a planet in a star system 600 light years from Earth.

  February 2159 – An alien race called the Ra’a’zani conquers Earth.

  May 2164 – Olympus arrives at their destination; they name the planet Sanctuary. They get involved in a conflict against an alien race called the Sowir and ally themselves with the Nel of Nuva.

  March 2170 – Resistance from Earth contacts Olympus on Sanctuary, asking for aid.

  December 2171 – Olympus and The Sowir Dominion make a pact of non-aggression.

  January 2172 – Olympus fleet arrives in the Sol system, engaging Ra’a’zani forces. The battle for Earth results in narrow human victory, but the cost is Earth. The Ra’a’zani weapon makes the planet uninhabitable.

  March 2172, Year 1 of the Empire – Tomas Klein, leader of Olympus, creates the Empire.

  December, Year 30 of the Empire – Sowir attack Nelus system, homeworld of the Nel. Empire breaks the non-aggression pact with Sowir by simultaneously sending aid to Nelus and invading the Sowir territory. Clan Leader Adrian Farkas overuses the Watchtower command interface, and falls into a coma.

  January, Year 31 of the Empire – Adrian Farkas wakes up and hears the telepathic beacon from the sphere left by the originator of the human and Nel races, unlocking all the knowledge and technology contained inside.

  March, Year 36 of the Empire – The Empire wins the war against the Sowir.

  Year 36-Year 54 of the Empire – The Empire is at peace, focusing on exploring, developing technologies from the sphere of the People, and expanding their borders to reclaim Sol.

  June, Year 54 of the Empire – The Empire meets an alien star-nation called the Erasi.

  July, Year 54 of the Empire – Lord Sentinel Adrian Farkas meets Dai Sha Anessa of the Shara Daim, the third race created by Axull Darr. Anessa attempts to capture Adrian; the fight ends in narrow victory for Adrian and his people. They take the Dai Sha prisoner.

  January, Year 55 of the Empire – Shara Daim Elders recall all of their forces for an attack on the Empire, seeking the device left by Axull Darr.

  June, Year 55 of the Empire – The Lord Sentinel releases Dai Sha Anessa.

  August, Year 55 of the Empire – The Empire defeats the Ra’a’zani, leaving their people abandoned on their worlds with no way of getting back into space.

  September, Year 55 of the Empire – Three Shara Daim Legions attack Sol. The Lord Sentinel defends, defeating the invading forces, allowing Dai Sha Anessa and her remaining forces to leave Sol.

  December, Year 55 of the Empire – The Erasi invade Shara Daim territory.

  September, Year 56 of the Empire – After finding out about a conspiracy by the Elders of the Shara Daim, Dai Sha Anessa removes them from power, taking the rule of the Shara Daim for herself, claiming the title Kar Daim.

  March, Year 57 of the Empire – The Shara Daim reach out to the Empire, inviting the Lord Sentinel to their homeworld Shara Radum for diplomatic talks.

  June, Year 57 of the Empire – The Empire’s diplomatic task force is ambushed by the Erasi on their way to Shara Daim homeworld. One battleship is destroyed, but the rest of the taskforce manages to escape.

  July, Year 57 of the Empire – The Empire and the Shara Daim reach an agreement, forming an alliance. The Empire becomes obligated to help the Shara Daim against the Erasi invasion.

  November, Year 57 of the Empire – A large Erasi force is detected at the border of the Shara Daim: more than one hundred fleets move to reinforce the Erasi invasion.

  July, Year 58 of the Empire – The Erasi attack the Empire embassy on Tarabat.

  September, Year 58 of the Empire – The Shara Daim begin operations to retake their territory back from the Erasi. An Erasi stealth taskforce infiltrates Empire territory.

  November, Year 58 of the Empire – The Shara Daim, the Empire, and the Erasi meet on neutral ground for negotiations. The Erasi break the truce and attempt to assassinate the Kar Daim and the Lord Sentinel. As a result the Empire joins the conflict fully on the side of the Shara Daim. At the same time, the Erasi taskforce in the Empire territory executes an attack on Sanctuary, killing millions of civilians and damaging the Hades Yards. The Star-Guard station is used for the first time, destroying the Erasi fleet.

  December, Year 58 of the Empire – The Lord Sentinel Adrian Farkas executes an advanced attack on the massive Erasi force, hoping to reduce their numbers before their invasion of Kaleras system. The attack is successful, but not enough. The Erasi force moves against Kaleras with overwhelming numbers. The defending Shara Daim and Empire forces fight a losing defensive battle. After days under siege, help from the Empire arrives in the form of the World-ship Enduring, the personal ship of Axull
Darr. Adrian pilots the ship and destroys the Erasi force.

  January, Year 59 of the Empire – The Lord Sentinel uses the threat of the Enduring to force the Erasi out of the Orion spur. The Erasi agree to the truce under those terms and abandon all of their territory in the Orion Spur, ceding control to the Shara Daim and the Empire.

  Year, 59-563 of the Empire – A period of peace and advancement; the alliance between the Shara Daim and the Empire grows stronger, and both increase the sizes of their territories.

  May, Year 563 of the Empire ­– One of the Enlightened, Aranis, arrives in the Empire and assumes the identity of one of its citizens.

  November, Year 563 of the Empire – A joint attack by the Hand of the Empire and the Fleet on a pirate base suspected of colluding with the Erasi is carried out. Plans for the invasion of the alliance are discovered. On the rim, Lord Sentinel Adrian Farkas makes contact with an enigmatic and powerful race called the Krashinar.

  February, Year 564 of the Empire – A preemptive attack on the Erasi is executed by the Shara Daim, the Empire, and the Krashinar. The invasion of the Erasi territories begins.

  Prologue

  Gena system – Erasi capital

  Vorash, O’fa of the Erasi, sat in the council meeting and listened as O’fa Valanaru argued her plan. The mood in the room was sour; the Shara Daim and the Empire had hit them hard, and along with their Krashin allies it was only a matter of time before the core systems of the Erasi came under siege. Many of the other O’fa were willing to do anything in order to win, not caring at all about their people, and so they were swayed by Valanaru’s words as she attempted to convince them to use the Crescent against their enemies. But Vorash was not yet at the point where he was willing to allow the use of such a weapon in their own systems.

  Eventually she finished with her presentation and the council began their vote. Vorash hesitated for a moment, glancing at Valanaru, who had returned to her seat and was casting her vote. He turned his eyes back at his own console and cast his own vote. A moment later the holo in the middle of the room flashed on with the results. Five to four, against O’fa Valanaru’s plan to use the Crescent–as Vorash had made sure it would be. He studied Valanaru as she saw the results, and saw the rage behind her eyes. It disappeared quickly as she calmed and turned her sights on Vorash. She knew, of course, that it had been him that had made sure of the outcome. He was the only one who had enough political power to do so.

  They sat through as the speaker brought their meeting to the end, and then he stood and exited the council room. He had not made it more than a few steps into the empty corridor when Valanaru caught up with him.

  “Vorash,” she said, seeming calm, but he could hear the barely contained rage behind her facade. The old Valanaru would have never allowed anyone to notice her inner emotions, but she had not been herself since her and Vorash’s brother’s encounter with the Lord Sentinel of the Empire. Now, she was barely able to keep her emotions in check–rage and hate was always bubbling just below the surface. She was but a pale shadow of the Weaver.

  “Valanaru, how may I help you?” Vorash said.

  “Don’t feign innocence with me, Vorash. I see right through you. Your actions border on treason.”

  “Treason?” he said with a tilt of his head. “Is it treason to act for the good of the Erasi people?”

  “We need the Crescent if we are to turn this war around, and destroy our enemies!” she said.

  “The Crescent is not operational,” Vorash commented.

  Valanaru opened her mouth to respond but Vorash raised one of his upper hands, halting her. “Oh, I know what your reports say. You are very good at what you do, Weaver, I’ll give you that. Those reports might fool the others, but I am not them. Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out? You did only two tests with the Crescent, and only one was a success, if you can call losing a covert moon base a success. And the other… Well, I doubt that anyone would let you use the Crescent if they knew what happened.”

  “It is a risk,” Valanaru admitted. “But we have no other choice. Any losses we suffer would be a small price to pay for stopping the invaders.”

  “I will not let you use that monstrosity over the heads of our people, Valanaru. The lives of the Erasi people are not sacrifices for you to get your revenge.”

  Valanaru’s eyes narrowed in anger, and she shook her head. “Garash would’ve been disgusted to hear you now. You are weak, Vorash! You spit on your brother’s memory.”

  “There had been a time when my brother’s only desire was to save his people. It saddened me to watch him become the man he was at the end. All I do is in the name of the promise I once made to him: to protect our people.”

  “And how are you doing that? By allowing invaders to take what is ours? Hundreds of systems in our outer territories are either under attack or in open rebellion–they see the invaders as a sign that we are weak. If we do not stop this soon, we will see the Erasi break apart long before we are conquered.”

  “The core fleets are yet to meet the invaders in battle. I am confident that we will slow their advance.”

  “Slow, not stop.”

  “Find another way, Valanaru. The Crescent stays where it is. I will not stand by and let you spill Erasi blood, no matter how bad the situation gets. Show me that you can channel the Crescent without risk to our people and I will see to it that the council allows you to use it.”

  He watched as she fought with herself. He could see that she wanted to push more, but eventually she shook her head and turned around, leaving him alone in the corridor. He gazed after her for a while, and suddenly found that the weight of all of his secrets and plans were threatening to crush him. Valanaru was the biggest threat in his way, the one element that he could not predict. Every year since her injury she had grown more and more unpredictable, prone to outbursts and irrational actions. And he dared not attempt to push her out; she wielded far too much power, even with all that he had done to change that. He needed her occupied, and no matter how sick it made him feel, the war was his best option. As long as her sights were fixed on getting her revenge, he could maneuver without fear of her finding out his own plans.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a person approaching him. He turned to see a tall Ssarath slithering toward him.

  “Skmeh,” Vorash greeted his assistant. “You did as I asked?”

  “Yes, O’fa. The transport ship is ready for you,” Skmeh answered.

  “Good,” Vorash said, and the two of them started toward the landing bay.

  “She did not take the vote well, I assume?” Skmeh asked.

  Vorash grunted. “No, she did not. Have our agents keep a closer eye on her. I wouldn’t put it past her to act regardless of the council’s decision.”

  “You think she would disobey?”

  “She is broken. There is only room for hate and the desire for vengeance in her soul.”

  “I’ll see to it,” Skmeh said.

  As they walked, he could not help but think back on the founding of the Erasi, when Garash and he had arrived in this area of space. When they had made the deal that eventually became the Erasi. They had only wanted to protect, to make sure that no one else suffered the same way that the Union did when the black ships arrived and took from them their homes.

  The Erasi had been supposed to be something greater than the Union, something that was to have shone brightly and guide all around them. But somewhere along the way, protection turned to oppression. Vorash was not sure that he could even point to the exact moment it happened. Every action they took seemed valid at the time.

  But the thing that hurt him the most was his brother’s fall. Garash had once been his idol, an example to all of their people of what they could be. But shouldering the safety of their people, and then of the Erasi, had turned him away from his values. In the end, he had not been any better than the Weaver.

  His death saddened him, and he hated those who had ended Garash’s life, those who
had robbed him of the chance to be redeemed. The way the Erasi spoke of the Heart of the Mountain, one might think he was the biggest monster there was. Vorash knew that it was Valanaru’s propaganda. He might hate the Heart of the Mountain for taking Garash’s life, but he understood that it was war. Vorash would not allow his pain and revenge to blind him and guide his actions. His only goal was to protect his people, to keep the people of the Erasi safe.

  “How are the preparations going?” Vorash asked.

  “On schedule, O’fa.”

  “Good. I want you to send a courier ship to the meeting place with a message that all is going according to plan.”

  “As you say, O’fa.”

  They reached the landing bay and made their way toward their transport. The Erasi might be at war, but he still had much to do.

  Chapter One

  Year 565 of the Empire – Erasi territory

  A piece of shrapnel hit Ryaana in the head, bouncing off her helmet and not slowing her down at all. She jumped over the Erasi line and threw down a powerful kinetic blast that crushed their plasma turret, sending pieces of it flying around and into the Erasi soldiers operating it as well as those standing nearby. She landed among the wreckage and the turrets on her shoulders fired at any survivors. She saw her team climbing over the fortification on her HUD, and they opened fire with their own weapons as they came close to her. Vas stepped close to her and raised a Sha shield over her, protecting her side just as a plasma shot fired from her right. It splattered harmlessly on his shield and he raised his rifle firing at their attacker. Her team moved through the point, disabling the massive anti-air turrets that were pointed toward the sky.

  In minutes they cleared the last of the defenders and started setting up their positions and settling in to defend–the Erasi would not let them keep the point for long. Ryaana opened a channel to the fleet in orbit.

  “Sentinel Ryaana reporting: anti-air turrets are down. Send in the pods.”