Chapter 56

The Imperial world of Pillin was a quiet backwater. If you asked the AIs to designate the average Imperial world; Pillin would probably top the list as the prime example. It was a pretty typical example of a terraformed world; hence it had no dangerous predators, no particularly outstanding ecological or geological features nor any particular claim to fame. Yes, it was technically a border world, but it was a ‘friendly’ border with the Diadem Republic, who were insular in that they didn’t trade with the Empire. But they did allow Imperial vessels to transit through to the trading confederation of the Gullen, an alien race of entrepreneurs who occupied the space between seven different Realms and acted as a clearing house for various products they wanted, even if they currently weren’t ‘on speaking terms’ with each other, a term often enough used as a euphemism for various states of hostility between the bordering Realms.

Neither ImpSec nor FleetInt thought Pillin to be an ‘at risk’ world, but neither of those organisations were aware of the fact that the Diadem Republic was a vassal state of the Hegemony and was used as a buffer state to keep other Realms from being able to approach too closely to the Hegemony, as the Republic was believed to be in a state of hostilities with another Realm, the Chancery of Klith, and who warned all shipping to avoid its border with that Realm.

Between the Chancery and the Hegemony was another ‘buffer’ state, the Himath Kingdom, who, the Republic also warned, were in a state of hostilities with the Chancery. And so, as far as the various intelligence services of several Realms were concerned, the area covered by the three warring Realms was to be avoided, though was not a serious concern as the war was not spilling over and threatening any other Realm’s activities.

Pillin was naturally not defenceless. No Imperial world was these days. However the nearest fleet base was two systems over for the 14th Fleet whose main job was to keep an eye on the far more volatile border with the alien Realm of the Honth, who couldn’t seem to grasp the concept of borders and who would attack any vessel approaching theirs, over it or not. As an Imperial trade transiting lane passed close to the border, (the Empire guaranteed safe passage to any vessel so long as they stuck to a transit lane in XD space) the Honth needed to be kept an eye on. Any Realm who did not use the transit lanes was liable to be forced out of XD space (by a grav-generator pulse) and subjected to a customs search. This force usually required a great deal of skill and effort on the part of the interdicting flotilla as the grav-pulses needed to be kept perfectly in sync on the offending vessel as it was dropped out of XD space, which was why piracy was almost impossible in XD space and generally not worth the effort either, unless you were skilled in doing it, something Imperial flotillas practiced constantly.

Hence the sensor monitors in the Pillin system were caught off guard when the Hegemony’s Grand Fleet emerged and started boring down on their planet, destroying everything in their path.

The orbital space station, as all stations since the attack by Cillort on Trialis, had some impressive weaponry, but it had never been designed to cope with the sheer volume of firepower heading towards the planet. However the men and women knew their duty as they recognised the Hegemony ships, though were unable to get around the communication jamming being used which prevented them from getting a message out to plead for help, relying instead on a brace of ultra-fast Imperial couriers to try to get beyond the interdicted XD transition point.

On the planet itself people were racing towards the various bunkers/shelters. The planetary Governor had his crisis management team in the planetary defence centre. It became obvious the Hegemony had no desire to communicate or stop destroying almost a hundred Imperial years (280 Earth years) worth of orbital construction and mining facilities on the outer planets and twin asteroid belts.

“Open fire as soon as they come into range,” Commander Wasson ordered his small command staff based in the defence centre of the station. “We outrange them from what reports I’ve read.”

“Yes, sir,” his second-in-command, Captain Seecun, barked out. “Civilian evacuation almost complete,” he added.

“Good, let’s hope they have no intent on the planet, though that bunch laying waste to the inner asteroid belt will undoubtedly be able to bring in some of the debris for orbital launching.”

“It’s been an honour serving under you, sir,” Seecun replied, knowing there was no way they were getting out of this alive.

“Thank you; it’s been an honour to command you. This goes for all of you. We had a quiet life here, but you all did your jobs well. Now it looks like we need to attempt to do some damage to the approaching barbarians and teach them that Imperial lives do not come cheap!”

“Yes, sir!” all the command staff yelled out.

“The Empress commands!”

“And we obey!”

Supreme Oramiral Coolon of the Starlit Hegemony observed his command staff as they went through the actions of reducing the outer works of the scum Imperials who had so enraged his Autocrat of All under the Firmament of the Stars.

“Leading elements of the Rainbow Grand Fleet are approaching the vermin world, your supremacy,” senior Laksamana Huruut reported.

“Advise caution. The Imperial scum have disturbed the tranquillity of the Starlit Hegemony before,” Coolon ordered.

“Yes, your supremacy.”

Despite the warning the front edge of the leading fleet was already within range of the hyperbeams of the station which lanced out in a deadly blast to gut three of the Hegemony’s Dreadnaughts. They then proceeded to try and take out as many of the capital ships as they could with, from Coolon’s point of view, a disturbing degree of success.

Unfortunately the station was relatively immobile, unlike an Imperial fleet, and the sheer numbers of Hegemony craft rapidly closed the distance and were able to use their disruptors to damage the station. Nor did the station reduce fire at the capital ships to defend itself from the smaller craft trying to crush it and wipe it from existence. Eventually though the Hegemony was able to reduce the resistance to nothing. The crippled and burning station began a slow drift out of orbit and down to the planet, though not before taking over two hundred and fifty vessels with it.

Out of range of the station though, Hegemony vessels had seized the high ground and manoeuvred a planet killer from the nearer asteroid belt and released it to go plunging down from orbit to smash into the largest land mass and set the very air on fire as the impact set off earthquakes and scorched the surface clean of all life, along with the shelters of everything but the planetary defence bunker.

This was but a temporary delay for the few survivors as another smaller asteroid was dropped from orbit directly on top of the lone construct remaining, wiping all life from the planet, leaving only a molten ball of slag behind.

“Victory!” Huruut exulted.

“Indeed,” Coolon nodded, though inwardly he was now a very worried man as the casualties on the Hegemony side were far larger than expected and this from a single station. “Re-order the fleet and bring us about to the next Imperial world. Let us continue with our chastisement.”

Admiral Teev was aghast when reports came through about Pillin and rapidly despatched several scouts to report and then track what was reported to be a huge Hegemony fleet which had apparently travelled unharmed through the Diadem Republic. In the meantime he was in contact with FleetInt as well as preparing to take the 14^th Fleet off in pursuit of the Hegemony vessels just as soon as he knew where they were.

“The Empress desires a word, sir,” a Comms officer spoke up.

“Put her through, though I have precious little to report as yet,” Teev sighed as the conversation he’d been dreading was about to take place.

There was a flicker and Amantil’s head appeared in a tri-dee cube in front of him.

“Serenissima,” he greeted her.

“Admiral,” she nodded slightly. “Initial reports?”

“The one courier vessel to escape reported over fifty thousand vessels,” he replied.

“The planet?”

“Jamming has now stopped, but there are no responses. The scouts should be there in a hundred rotations. Frankly, Serenissima, it does not look good. The planetary defence bunker is designed to survive pretty much anything other than a planet killer.”

“I understand,” she nodded, her eyes flashing with suppressed anger. “Use caution. Remember your obligations to this sector. I rather doubt they’ve simply gone away.”

“Yes, Serenissima.”

“1^st and 5^th Fleets have been despatched to assist and the Gershonian 2^nd Royal Fleet is diverting from its transit to the Zelnot sector to join you.”

“Thank you, Serenissima.”

“Go with the gods.”

“Victory!” crowed the Hegemon at a hastily called meeting of the Command group.

“Indeed, yes,” Senior Controller Kli of the Jade Green Path nodded. “What is your will now, O Most Radiant of the Heavens?”

“Why to continue to chastise this arrogant, puny Empire.”

“And what of potential retaliation?” Kli asked carefully.

“Our planetary defences are strong, unlike these degenerate scum. We will teach them the lesson that the Starlit Hegemony is both supreme and sacrosanct!”

“This Empire reduced our diversionary attacks in the Zelnot systems easily. We should be cautious,” Senior Commander Hirk of the Lightning Blue Depths cautioned. “Ganvil is currently exposed to them.”

“Our vassal state, the Diadem Republic, have also voiced concerns of the Grand Fleet passing through their territories. They fear Imperial reprisals,” Kli added.

“Cowards! Move the inner defence guard out to Ganvil. As for the Diadem Republic, that is their problem not ours. I doubt there will be much left of the Empire in that sector once we have finished with those curs!”

“A brilliant strategy, O Most Radiant of the Heavens,” Senior Advisor Menl of the Soothing Rainbow Nebulae nodded.

“Yes, indeed it is,” the Hegemon exulted.

“Report, Admiral,” Amantil ordered Vuspic at a Security Group meeting called when FleetInt had more details on the Pillin atrocity, as the newsies were reporting it, even if, so far, few details other than the total destruction of the planet were known.

“We have found several hundred survivors, mostly from the asteroids, though also a few ships who went dark and drifted away from the Hegemony fleets,” he replied, looking both tired and pale.