January 8, 2356
Imperial ground units finally eliminate the Verger HQ element of the ground forces that have stubbornly held out for so long. The elimination of the HQ means that only mopping up is left and negotiations begin with the Verge government.
January 12, 2356
The Hard Scrabble completes salvage of the large alien ship destroyed in the Kuiper 79 system. The salvage teams have managed to recover two CIWS, five drive systems, a fire control, an ECM-5 system, and seven fusion reactors, along with a scattering of resources. The Hard Scrabble and its accompanying freighters will move on to the next target.
January 21, 2356
The last intact Verge infantry unit, the Director’s Own Guard, formally surrenders.
January 22, 2356
Two Imperial Survey Command units appear in the Wolf 1061 system to begin survey efforts. Admiral Craig clears them to begin work as active fighting is all but over in the system.
January 28, 2356
The government of Verge formally surrenders to Admiral Craig. Based on evidence developed during the ground campaign, Admiral Craig orders the immediate arrest of Director Althus and the bulk of his extended family for crimes against the citizens of Verge. The arrest is based on violations of both Verge and Imperial law. The status of Verge is unclear at this time, as technically it is/was an Imperial colony in rebellion against the legitimate Imperial government. The population, while cautious of the new rulers that have replaced the old ones, still celebrates the news of the arrest of the former despot and his family.
With the collapse of the Directorate, Admiral Craig is able to take stock of the new Imperial colony. Verge has a population of 151 million, but its research, mining, and industrial sectors are severely underdeveloped and, for the most part, appear to have been run solely for the benefit of the ruling family.
Admiral Craig now must make a decision. He decided early on that he would not send word of the conflict back to the home system until the conquest was completed, for several reasons. First, he believed that he had all of the resources he needed to complete the conquest of Verge without reinforcements. Second, he feared getting other branches of the government involved, as they would confuse the issue and perhaps prevent a complete conquest of the former colony. Now, though, with the conquest complete there was no reason to hesitate. His marine and infantry battalions were exhausted and depleted, and fresh reinforcements were needed immediately. Admiral Craig did not want to leave the system unprotected, though, so after consulting with Captain Cox he decided to leave his light cruisers in-system along with the bulk of the Guard detachment, while the rest of the 3rd Battle Group returns to the home system along with their attached troop transports.
Captain Cox will remain in the Wolf 1061 system as temporary governor; however, she is sending back the captured assault destroyer under the control of Guard officers, along with extensive reports for her superiors. The DDA has been largely repaired by Imperial maintenance crews, however, the armor damage and some of the internal damage is too extensive to repair in the field. In addition, the capture of the old-tech ship is a coup of the first order and Captain Cox is eager to get the unit back to Terra.
February 8, 2356
The Hard Scrabble completes salvaging the second, smaller, wreck in the Kuiper 79 system. A thermal sensor system, missile fire control, two drives, seven missile launchers, and a magazine were salvaged, along with some resources. Its job done, the Hard Scrabble sets out for the next wreck.
February 16, 2356
The 3rd Battle Group returns to the Solar System. Admiral Craig immediately sends his mission report to Admiral Tannenbaum, who reports the new developments to the Regent.
February 17, 2356
Imperial Senate Chambers, floor of the Senate
The Regent entered through the main doors, after being announced by the Sergeant at Arms. The Senate was restless as no one knew exactly what this public address from the Regent was about. They all assumed that it had something to do with the return of the 3rd Battle Group to the Solar System, however, none really knew.
The assembled Senators rose in a standing ovation as the Regent entered, and then quieted as he reached the raised dais at the front of the chamber. The Regent looked over the assembled Senators, and then directly into the holo-pickups that were set up in front of the dais. The room fell silent as he cleared his throat. “My fellow citizens of the Empire, I have momentous news! Just over three months ago the 3rd Battle Group and the 2nd Guard Detachment jumped out of the Ross 154 system through a previously unexplored warp point. The new system they found themselves in was quickly identified as the Wolf 1061 system. This discovery caused quite a bit of excitement on board the ships of the two groups as the Wolf 1061 system was known to the old Empire during the first interstellar era. In fact, the Empire planted a colony there, on Wolf 1061A-III. Back then the colony was known as Verge. Shortly after entering the system the Guard ship Far Eye’s sensors confirmed that there was a high-tech population still present on Verge.”
There were loud exclamations around the chamber as the Senators took in the fantastic news. Everyone had known that humanity had spread widely under the old Empire, and thus it would be only a matter of time before they found other humans, but still, this was the first such discovery and thus was exciting.
The Regent let the hubbub go on for a short time then gestured for silence. When the chamber had calmed he continued. “I think it’s safe to say that the men and women of the two Imperial task groups in the Wolf 1061 system reacted just as you did, with excitement and eagerness to meet our long lost siblings.” The Regent’s face fell, and all present noted that he appeared deeply sad. “Unfortunately, our joy at the reunion was not felt by all. Admiral Craig immediately dispatched a message to the colony on Verge informing them of the return of the Empire to their system and requesting permission to approach their planet. The Verge government responded with a request for the Imperial forces to hold station on the warp point and stated that they would dispatch a ship to establish contact with them. Admiral Craig felt that this was merely a prudent level of caution on their part, as they really had no idea who had entered their system, and so agreed. Five days later a Verge ship approached the combined Imperial forces. The sensors on board the Guard scout Far Eye confirmed as the ship approached that it was an old Empire warship, an Assault Destroyer identified in the old Imperial databases as the Ensign Sandra Anderson. Both Captain Cox and Admiral Craig were concerned about the approach of this ship, as it appeared to be old Empire technology and thus could be quite dangerous, however, the Verge government had pledged friendship and had quite clearly stated its desire for close relations with the Empire while the ship was traveling to meet our forces, so they allowed it to approach.”
The Regent paused and looked around the chamber, noting that almost everyone present was hanging on his every word. After taking a second to collect his thoughts, he continued. “We are very fortunate, Senators, that there was a person aboard the Verge ship who placed his loyalty to the mother planet, which spawned us all, above his loyalty to the debased dictatorship that ruled his planet.” There was a stir in the chamber at the Regent’s harsh words. The speech had taken an unexpected turn, and many were beginning to suspect where it would lead. “This man, Captain Gibson, took it upon himself, at considerable risk to his own safety, to warn Admiral Craig and Captain Cox about the background and plans of his government. He had been sent to meet with the Imperial forces not to greet them in friendship but to deceive and attack them, to drive them from the system and destroy or capture as many ships as he could.” The Regent paused, his eyes searching the chamber. There was a gasp as the representatives took in the fact that the Empire might be at war yet again. They turned to their neighbors and began discussing the situation in low voices.
The Regent held up his hand and silence reigned again. “Captain Gibson told Admiral Craig and Captain Cox that he could no longer serve the illegitimate government of his own world, and offered to assist Imperial forces if they would relieve the suffering of his people. Captain Gibson made it possible for Imperial marines to storm his ship and take it back for the Empire!” A heartfelt cheer rose around the chamber and one by one the Senators rose, clapping.
Once again the Regent was solemn. “Unfortunately, while Captain Gibson made it possible for the assault to succeed, there were too many government agents aboard his ship, and too many of the crew were misguidedly loyal to their corrupt government for the assault to be bloodless. Many Imperial Marines and Verge crewmen lost their lives in the assault, but in the end the ship was recovered for the Empire!” Once again a cheer sounded around the chamber.
“In the aftermath of the assault, Imperial intelligence teams sifted through the databanks of the Verge ship, and debriefed the heroic Captain Gibson and those of his officers who followed him. From all of this information they were able to put together a horrible picture. The INSS Ensign Sandra Anderson was trapped in Wolf 1061 when the warp network collapsed, and spent the next six weeks searching for any sign that the warp points might return, and performing search and rescue to assist other ships trapped in the system. In fact, they performed their duty in the highest standards of the Empire and the Navy, and I intend to submit the names of the officers and crew of this ship for consideration for a citation commensurate with their bravery under difficult circumstances.” The Regent paused and again the chamber was silent. “Those heroes of the old Empire were betrayed and murdered by the rebellious scum who had taken over Verge in the chaos after the collapse. Unknown to them, the rebels had overthrown the legitimate Imperial government of Verge and were busily setting up their own perverted, debased dictatorship when the destroyer returned to Verge. In fear, knowing that there was only one punishment for the crimes they had committed, those rebels deceived the officers of the warship and lured them down to the planet, where they were captured and ultimately murdered.” There was a stir that ran across the room at that, and an ugly murmur. After the events just prior to the return to interstellar space there was absolutely no sympathy or mercy for rebels in the Senate.
“With the officers captured and murdered on the ground the rebels launched an attack on the destroyer which ultimately succeeded, although it left the warship heavily damaged. With no organized opposition left the rebels went on to establish their ‘utopia’.” Once again there was a stir and more harsh murmurs around the chamber. After a few seconds the Regent held up his hand for silence. “I know there has been much debate in this very chamber over what course the Empire should take when human settlements are inevitably rediscovered. There are those here that believe that the Empire is the only legitimate government for humanity and that all such rediscovered colonies should be immediately reincorporated into the Empire, voluntarily or not. Others here believe differently, and the debates have been heated. It is true that the old Empire did not tolerate any other competing human governments, which is understandable given the chaos that formed the Empire in the first place. However, there is the reality that the warp points have been open for some time, and we may be a late-comer to the interstellar scene, so our desire to incorporate other human ‘colonies’ into the Empire may be misguided, depending on the circumstances. I have stood back from these debates, as has my father, in the hopes that additional information discovered out there would help us form our policy. That hope has been rewarded. I think the events in the Wolf 1061 system illustrate that the need for the Empire still remains strong.” Once again there was a cheer as the representatives surged to their feet.
After letting the cheer run its course, the Regent continued. “Captain Gibson confirmed that their utopia was in fact a petty dictatorship run by a single extended family that was little more than a group of gangsters. In fact, the entire planet of Verge appears to have been run for the benefit of that one extended family, the descendants of the rebels, and everyone else was little more than slaves. There was very little in the way of freedoms and rights, and everyone, from the highest to the lowest, lived in fear of the government’s secret police.” There were cries of ‘shame!’ around the chamber. The Empire had a long tradition of guaranteeing basic human rights to its citizens, although those rights were tempered against the need to maintain public order and welfare. Such a complete abrogation of the basic tenants of the Empire was shocking, and the representatives voiced their displeasure.
“Admiral Craig and Captain Cox agreed with you in every respect. After the Ensign Sandra Anderson was secured, they set out for the inner system to call the government of Verge to answer for their crimes against the citizens of the Empire!” Once again cheers broke out across the chamber and many of the Senators spontaneously surged to their feet, yelling “Yes!” at the top of their lungs.
Once again the Regent’s face was somber. “As the combined Imperial force approached the planet they came under missile attacks from Verge planetary defense centers.” Once again catcalls rang out across the chamber as the representatives voiced their displeasure. The Imperial Navy had long been viewed as the protector of humanity in a dangerous universe, and for a human colony to attack it was near to sacrilege. Once again the Regent held up his hand for silence. “It gets worse, friends, much worse. Our valiant forces weathered the missile attack without loss, and Admiral Craig and Captain Cox wisely decided to refrain from answering in kind. They made this wise decision because the criminals in charge on Verge had placed their planetary defense centers on Verge itself!” The Senators were instantly on their feet, most yelling for blood.
The Regent stood back from the podium for a second to let the hubbub die down. Attacking the Imperial Navy was one thing, but placing PDC’s on an inhabited planet was quite another. The Empire, which was formed during and after the chaos of the twenty-first century, had a deep inhibition against the use of weapons of mass destruction against or around civilian populations. This was largely because of the numerous wars that caused the formation of the Empire, most of which used one form or another of such weapons, whether they were nuclear, biological, chemical, or genetic. This deep inhibition still existed to this day, and the inhibition was particularly deep in the Navy. No naval crew would obey an order to fire on a planet inhabited by humans, and would likely mutiny if ordered to do so. This attitude led to a conundrum for planetary defense designers. By placing PDC’s on inhabited planets they virtually guaranteed that the planets would be bombarded if attacked, if only to eliminate the PDC’s. Therefore the Empire mandated that no PDC’s could be placed on inhabited bodies. All of Terra’s PDC’s were located on the Moon, Mar’s PDC’s were located on Phobos, and the PDC being built to defend the mines on Titan was being built on Rhea, another moon of Saturn. This left Imperial designers with problems on planets with no natural moon or nearby bodies, but problems like that were viewed as challenges in the old Empire, rather than insurmountable problems. By placing their PDC’s on the surface of Verge, the Verge government was, in effect, holding its own planetary population hostage.
Judging that the Senators had been allowed to vent long enough, the Regent yet again held up his hand. “As I said, Admiral Craig and Captain Cox wisely declined to respond to this perfidious attack. Instead, after countering the attack, they moved into orbit over Verge and began landing troops. At this point, after attempting to betray and destroy the Empire’s ships at the warp point with false messages of peace and friendship, and then attacking with planetary missile bases protected by their own population, the murderous leaders of Verge contacted Admiral Craig in an attempt to negotiate their continued survival and control of their slaves. In their arrogance they thought that they could convince the Empire to put the stamp of legitimacy on their rebellion!” Yet again the chamber rang with cries of “Never!” as the Senators gave voice to their outrage.
“Admiral Craig and Captain Cox acted on their own authority, but they acted secure in the knowledge that they were acting in the best interests of both the Empire as a whole and for the people on the surface of the planet who were, although they did not yet know it, still citizens of the Empire. As such they were entitled to the rights and freedoms of every Imperial citizen.” The chamber echoed as the Senators cheered. “The landings were led by five battalions of Imperial Marines, who were soon reinforced by four battalions of infantry. The fighting was hard. The deluded subjects of the illegitimate rulers of Verge fought bravely; for all that their rulers were cowards. It took the Army and Marines six weeks of hard fighting to finally subdue the defenders of that government, however, in the end, they could not stand up to Imperial might. On January 21 of this year the last organized military unit loyal to the rebellious government on Verge surrendered. Their ammunition depleted and now with no ground support, the PDC’s defending the surface surrendered shortly thereafter. Admiral Craig immediately arrested the leaders of that government on charges of rebellion and numerous crimes against their own citizens, and has transported them here. They are on their way in-system even now!”
Once again the chamber broke into cheers that grew to thunderous proportions. The Regent let the cheers go on and on. Finally, several minutes later, the uproar subsided. “My friends, we now rule on Verge, and we will make sure that the citizens there receive all of the rights and responsibilities of an Imperial citizen. Also, I’m going to take this opportunity to praise both Admiral Craig and Captain Cox, who behaved with honor and in the highest traditions of their respective services. Both will be recommended for high awards, which I hope you will support.” The renewed thunderous cheers made the Senator’s feelings clear.
“Now that we’ve met some of our fellow humans out there, I would like to take this opportunity to give my feelings on the issues relating to this situation which have been debated here. First, while technically all of our former colonies now living on their own are in rebellion against their legitimate government, I think we must take a realistic view that takes into account their actual situation. The collapse was an event that happened to everyone, and was not their fault or ours. By forming their own governments they were merely reacting to a situation that they had no control over, and that reaction was legitimate, taken for their own survival. They should not be punished for that!” There was applause, but it was not thunderous by any means, or universal. There were those that disagreed, and they wanted to use the technical violation of the law to force those colonies to rejoin the Empire. The thought that those colonies might have grown beyond the home world, even beyond the old Empire hadn’t occurred to very many of them, but it had to the Regent.
“Still, while we should not be punitive over actions taken to survive, we cannot ignore massive violations of the rights of the citizens of these colonies. The citizens of Verge live as little more than slaves, denied food, education, and heath care, all things the average Imperial citizen takes for granted. They are our siblings, and are descendents of Imperial citizens, so they are still our responsibility. We cannot let them down!” Again there were cheers, and this time more of them.
“And now, finally, my father would like to address you.” The chamber fell silent. In spite of the vast size and the number of people present you could hear a pin drop at that point. The Emperor hadn’t been seen in public in years, and rumors of his imminent demise were near constant.
Behind and above the Regent a hologram of the Emperor appeared and, after a few seconds, solidified. The holo showed the head and upper body of the Emperor, who was seated in some sort of life support chair There was a gasp around the chamber as those present saw how dreadfully the Emperor had aged since he had last been seen in public. In truth he looked horrible, as if in the last stages of some horrible wasting disease, which wasn’t far from the truth. After a few seconds the image cleared its throat and spoke. The voice was thin and breathy, and terribly weak. Still there was the ghost of the old Emperor’s vitality, like a fading memory of the past. “My friends, I speak to you now on this momentous occasion of our reunion with our siblings from the old Empire. I call upon you now, as you debate the future course of the Empire, to remember the unifying goal of the Empire. Remember its purpose. We can still fulfill that purpose! We can be about something other than our own wealth and power! The Empire was originally formed in chaotic times, and was seen by nearly everyone as a bulwark against chaos and destruction. The Empire saved mankind then, from its own folly. Now, today, we can do that again. Mankind is once again fractured into numerous nations, and if there is anything that we have learned it’s that when mankind has multiple governments, constant and destructive war will not be far behind. We must act to prevent that, for the good of everyone. We bear the mantle, the legitimacy, of the old Empire with us, unlike any successor states that may have arisen among the stars in our absence. We can bring just and legitimate government to all, just as we did before. We cannot force legitimate government on them, though, unless it is a last resort in a desperate situation, as it was on Verge. We must make every effort to convince other colonies to rejoin us voluntarily, not militarily, not unless necessary.” The ancient figure struggled forward, towards his audience. “We must be about something, or we are nothing, just another contender for power among the stars. We must be about…” The figure fell back, apparently exhausted, and several red lights appeared on the life support equipment. The holo then faded out, much to the consternation of the Senators. Once again murmurs began sweeping the chamber as those present speculated as to the health of the Emperor.
The Regent stepped forward again. “My friends, my father recorded that message this morning. He is very frail, and speaking to you today took all of his energy. As you could plainly see, he is not well, which is one of the reasons I act in his stead. In fact, after recording the message he collapsed. The doctors are with him now, and we hope that he will recover. In the meantime, consider his words, and his wisdom, when you debate the fate of Verge and all of the other colonies that we may encounter. Thank you for your time, and your courtesy.”
The public coverage of the speech ended there, and the news casters began their endless speculations as to the motives and intent of the various people involved in the momentous speech they had all just witnessed.
The Senate was left to debate the issues surrounding the conquest of Verge and the likelihood that this situation would arrive again. The Regent had made the original reports from Admiral Craig and Captain Cox available to all of the Senators, and they had much to debate. In fact, the debates about the future of the Empire would go on for months, until they were pre-empted by the discovery of yet another former colony.
Meanwhile…
The Imperial Army is tasked with putting together a relief force and occupation force for Verge. This event has come at a time when the Army is overextended providing forces for out-system possessions, and in the end the Army decides to send the 88th Composite Brigade, a force composed of garrison and mobile infantry battalions, and the 3rd Imperial Guard Brigade, a garrison force deployed to Mars at the end of the rebellion. That will leave Mars defended by the 3rd Imperial Infantry Brigade.
The conquest of Verge will lead to several significant changes in the research and building priorities of the Empire. The Imperial Army’s requests for increased funding will be honored by the Senate in light of the need to provide forces for so many out-system duties. Admiral Craig had several proposals as well, based on his experience in the Verge system, and the Regent will champion those in the Senate.
February 18, 2356
The Emperor dies in his bed at the Imperial retreat in Europe. The Crown Prince is the acknowledged successor, and he is quickly confirmed. The coronation takes place five days later and the Empire has a new Emperor.
February 21, 2356
The Hard Scrabble finishes salvaging the third wreck in the Kuiper 79 system. The salvage ship obtains significant scientific data on advanced ECCM systems, as well as a missile launcher and some resources. Its work done, the Hard Scrabble sets out for home with its bounty.
March 1, 2356
The Senate passes the Colonial Reintegration Act, commonly known as Emperor Michael’s Act. The vast majority of the Senate voted for it, and while critics complained that the Act passed on the strength of emotion over the old Emperor’s death rather than reasoned debate, but the truth is that the Senate was strongly in favor of actively reintegrating former colonies into the Empire before the Emperor’s death. The Act authorizes the Emperor to take all measures necessary to reintegrate colonies into the Empire, including lethal force. The authorization is subject to several limitations that require the Empire to exhaust all reasonable non-violent avenues prior to resorting to force, however, if egregious violations of the rights of the human citizens of any independent world can be substantiated then the Emperor is required to act as soon as possible to end the violations.
March 27, 2356
The Imperial troop transport group arrives over Verge and begins unloading the 88th Composite Brigade and the 3rd Imperial Guard Brigade. After unloading the occupation units are on the ground, the transports load up the Imperial Marine and Army units that conquered the planet. They will be returned to Terra for rest and refitting.
Administrator Joshua Farrell, formerly an officer in the Imperial Guard, arrives with the troops to take control of the Verge government as the Imperial Governor. Farrell is known within the government as being particularly humorless and is a strict authoritarian. He was selected by the new Emperor, and confirmed by the Senate, most of whom saw Farrell as exactly what Verge needed in these difficult times.
May 17, 2356
The Regent pays a visit to Mars to the opening of the vast new Imperial Army training complex at Tharsis Tholus. This new complex almost doubles the capacity of the Army’s training facilities.
May 21, 2356
The trials of former Director Althus of Verge, along with the bulk of his family, ends on this date. Althus, along with thirty two of his extended family members who had been instrumental in running the government on Verge, are all found guilty of numerous violations of both Verge and Imperial law. There is only one sentence for this level of crime, mind-wipe. The sentences will be carried out within six months, after the mandatory review by the Imperial Superior Court. The rest of the extended family, most of which is family members of the convicted people, are banned from returning to Verge for life, and have been stripped of all wealth. They will be resettled on the colony in the Luyten system, where they will be dispersed throughout the population.
June 10, 2356
The 3rd Battle Group returns to Verge. The 3rd escorted the colony’s new defense group, composed of a Planetary Defense Wing of eight gunboats and a brand new Essex(C) Command Ship. The Navy had been somewhat resistant to the idea of posting one of its new and very rare command ships at Verge, but the Regent was insistent that until the jump gate network was extended to the system the defense force must have a jump capable warship to rely on. Once the gunboats are established, the 3rd collects the light cruisers it left to guard the planet and departs for the Altair system, where it will join a troop transport group and the 2nd Guard Detachment and begin to probe the system’s six unexplored warp points.
August 11, 2356
The 3rd Battle Group and the 1st Troop Transport Squadron is joined by the 2nd Guard Detachment in the Altair system. Once the Guard has prepared the two groups jump through the first of the system’s six unexplored warp points.
The new system is identified as the EV Lacertae system. The system primary is a M3-V red star and there are four rocky planets, two gas giants, and thirty five moons. The probe of the system will take approximately six days and then the Imperial ships will depart for the second jump point in the Altair system.
August 21, 2356
The combined Imperial force jumps out of the Altair system into a binary M5-V/M6-V system with a grand total of one rocky planet orbiting the B component. The planet is reminiscent of Venus in its original form as it has a surface temperature of 1414 degrees and an atmosphere pressure of 66 atmospheres. Admiral Craig decides that no probe is needed and so the combined force heads to the next warp point. The scientific complement of the force soon identifies the system as the V1581 Cygni system.
September 2, 2356
The combined force jumps out of the Altair system through the third unexplored warp point. The new system is quickly identified as the Kruger 60 system, which was known to the old Empire. The system is a binary system with an M3-V primary and an M6-V secondary star. The primary is orbited by a single planet, which was known during the days of the old Empire as New Victoria. It had been settled long before the Collapse, but was known as something of a backwater.
Admiral Craig decides to not send a message to the colony of New Victoria, mostly because of what happened on Verge. Instead, he decides to head in-system with his entire force in the hopes of over-awing the former Imperial subjects.
Unknown to Admiral Craig, the natives of New Victoria had already detected his sensors and were preparing for his visit.
Six hundred minutes after entering the system the Imperial Group received a message from the planet. This was an impressive turn around time, given the fact that the radiation from their sensors would have had to travel 2.5 billion kilometers to the planet, and then the message from the planet would have to travel a like distance to reach the ships.
After the message was swept for hostile programming it was routed to Admiral Craig’s office. After bringing his department heads in, and linking Captain Cox in, he set the message to play.
The wall mounted viewer lit to show a man dressed in archaic Imperial formal wear. Eyebrows raised around the table as they took in the man’s appearance. When no one seemed willing to comment Admiral Craig started the message.
“I am the Hereditary Imperial Representative to New Victoria. We have detected your sensor, which matches the profile for an Imperial Guide class medium scout. Be warned, this is an Imperial Colony and as such, is under the protection of the Empire. If you are here as friends, you are welcomed. If not, leave now or face the might of the Empire.” The message ended there.
Admiral Craig looked around and saw that the others were just as much at a loss as he was. “He appears to be stating that New Victoria is still a member of the Empire. This may be easier than we feared.” The others started talking about the implications of the message while Craig tried to get to the bottom of his nagging doubts. Something about the Representative’s obviously archaic clothing was making him think about Verge and their dreary dictatorship. Also, as several of the other officers pointed out, there was no such position as an “Imperial Representative”, hereditary or not.
Finally, after allowing the others to talk the situation to death and consulting with Captain Cox, Admiral Craig had decided on his response. He decided to transmit from the bridge, which would send the proper message to the locals, he felt. After setting up, he began to record. “I am Rear Admiral Sir Sam Craig, commanding officer of the 3rd Battle Group of the Imperial Navy. We are glad to hear that the Empire still holds sway here. The Emperor will be glad that New Victoria still honors the Empire, and we will be glad to relay any message that you may have for him when we return to the Solar System. In the mean time, we would like to meet and discuss the situation on New Victoria. We will arrive there in nine days and thirteen hours.”
Six hundred minutes later the response came. Admiral Craig again received the message in his office with his senior officers in attendance. Once again the elderly man in the archaic formal wear faced them, but this time he was all smiles. “Well, this is wonderful. Just wonderful. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. To think, all these years I’ve been the representative of Terra here and I’ve never actually been there. And now that might change!” The man visibly pulled himself together. “Well, as I said, wonderful.” He paused and looked off-screen for a moment. “Yes, yes, I know, I know.”
Craig looked at the others. This seemed to be addressed to someone off-screen, not them.
“Well, at any rate, welcome to the planet of New Victoria! If it were up to me I’d say that you should come down immediately, but, well, that might not be advisable. The situation here is, well, somewhat delicate. Things will have to be negotiated. I’m sure we can work things out. Absolutely sure! Yes, everyone will want to me real people from the home world. Still, it might be prudent for you to keep your distance when you arrive. It wouldn’t do to make anyone nervous after all. Not all, especially not now. I think, if you don’t approach any closer than, say, 10,000 kilometers, everything will be all right. No one should get too upset about that. At least, not right away.” The old man stopped and looked to the side again. “Yes, yes, quite right. While you are approaching it might be nice if you send some information about Terra and the Empire. It has been so long since we’ve had any news about anything since the collapse. Well, I look forward to hearing from you again, Admiral.”
Admiral Craig looked around the room, once again at a loss. Captain Powell of the Stalwart shook his head. “Sir, they want us to stand off at 10,000 kilometers? That’s ridiculous. That’s point blank range! We might as well be in orbit. Hell, the Inchon’s drop ships could cross that in a third of a second. What do they think they are gaining?”
“But do they know our capabilities? Look, we don’t have the technology that the old Empire had, maybe they have even less?” Commander Holloway, CO of one of the groups escorting Frigates, suggested.
Admiral Craig stood. “Well, in any case, we have nine days to gather as much information as we can. Put the intel team on this. I want the information we send to the ‘Imperial Representative’ to be very carefully vetted. And, I want to make sure that we get something back from him about New Victoria.”
September 13, 2356
The combined force approached New Victoria and stopped at the specified distance. During the approach the group’s sensors revealed new details about New Victoria. The planet was fairly heavily populated, with nearly 500 million citizens. Also, there was a near complete lack of energy signatures that would be expected to be found on any populated planet using trans-newtonian technology. The group’s scientists had developed a theory. After consulting their reference materials they determined that New Victoria’s resource deposits were considered moderate at best under the old Empire, it was likely that if they had over-extended their economy during the period after the collapse they might have depleted their resource base and had had to resort to older technology to survive.
Shortly after they arrived the Guard troop transport dispatched one of its drop ships to pick up the Hereditary Imperial Representative, at his request. The drop ship docked with the INSS California shortly thereafter.
An honor party stood to attention in the docking bay as the Hereditary Imperial Representative came on board. A junior lieutenant met the Representative at the air lock as he was piped aboard, and then conducted him to where the Admiral and his officers waited. After formally greeting the Representative, Admiral Craig conducted him to a nearby conference room.
After they were all seated the Admiral got right to business. “Sir, perhaps you could explain just what, exactly, a Hereditary Imperial Representative is?”
The old man chuckled. “Never heard of one, huh?” Heads shook all around. “Well, it’s like this. My grandfather was the last Imperial Governor of New Victoria. He tried to keep things together for as long as he could, but within ten years of the Collapse New Victoria had effectively fragmented into several regional powers, not all of which got along. My grandfather had no real resources to oppose this, as this was a staid, long-colonized world at the time of the Collapse, and there were no Imperial military forces here, just a complement of Peaceforcers. As things got worse, my grandfather moved into a mediation role, offering his services as a neutral intermediary when problems between the various new nations arose.” The old man smiled fondly. “He was a master negotiator, and managed to parlay his position as the last legitimate representative of the Imperial government into the effective head of a loose coalition of nations interested in keeping the peace. His alliance lasted for a long time, but in the end it passed, as did he.”
Admiral Craig frowned in thought. The ‘Imperial Representative’ seemed far less befuddled in person than he had during all of their previous contacts. “And your father, and then you, continued on as he had, right?”
The old man shook his head. “We’ve tried, but to be honest our ability to actually effect changes or even influence the various nations has decreased steadily.” He shook his head again. “At this point I’m afraid I’m only a useful fiction for the various nations contending for power these days.”
Admiral Craig looked across the table at Captain Cox, who grimaced but said nothing. After a second he spoke. “Sir, we’d like to know more about the situation as it is today on New Victoria, if you could tell us?”
The old man sighed, and then turned a shrewd look on the Imperial officers surrounding him. “Before I get to that, I’d like you to answer a couple of my questions, if you would.” After the officers nodded, he continued. “You’ve managed to convince me that you are from Terra, based on the information you’ve sent me during your approach. At this point, what I’d like to know is your intention towards my planet.”
Admiral Craig frowned. “This is a very complex situation. Official Imperial policy is and remains that the Empire is the only legitimate government for humanity. However, we do recognize reality, and we have no interest in forcing former colonies to rejoin the Empire if they do not wish to, although we reserve the right to try to convince them that it would be in their best interest to do so.” Seeing the Representative relax slightly, he paused, and then continued. “There is one thing, though. The Empire cannot and will not tolerate wholesale violation of basic human rights, as traditionally defined in the Empire, by human or alien governments. We will act to guarantee those rights, if necessary.”
Now it was the Representative’s turn to frown. Finally he spoke. “This is a complex situation, and I hope that you will not act hastily.” He paused and looked around, but received no hint of their thoughts from the Imperial officers. Finally he sighed and continued. “Things are very delicate right now. Approximately one hundred years ago the trans-Newtonian resources began running out. The results of that depletion sparked a series of wars sixty years ago that resulted in the death of my grandfather and my family’s eventual decline to irrelevance. Things settled down after that, and most governments turned to recycling and scavenging of trans-Newtonian resources at that time. A new series of wars broke out a generation ago, and those disastrous wars consumed the bulk of the remaining TN resources. After that times were very hard. Many of the hardest hit countries fell apart, others suffered from military coups that installed councils of colonels that then ruled the nations with iron fists. Since then we have recovered somewhat, but the last few years have seen a massive rearmament program across the planet. I’ve been forced to watch as nation after nation falls under sway of the new militancy, and at this point most of the nations on New Victoria are either directly or indirectly run by their military. Before your arrival I was sure that general war was only one to two years away.” The old man slumped in his seat. “Now, with your arrival I think you will be either our saviors or the trigger for the final war. The major nations are armed to the teeth with large conventional armies and numerous conventional nuclear missiles in silos spread across the planets.”
The Imperial officers looked at each other for a second, plainly taken aback. Finally Admiral Craig shook his head. “This is all very disturbing. We will, of course, do everything we can to avoid causing the final conflict, and we will, of course, act to prevent any use of nuclear missiles.” Admiral Craig glanced at his missile defense officer, who quickly nodded. “I think I can confidently state that no nuclear exchange will take place while we are in orbit. There is, however, little we can do about combat between conventional forces. I would like to get the various national leaders together and see if we can work some overall agreement out, but that may have to wait until we can get an Imperial Negotiator out here.”
The old man raised his hand and shook his head. “I can tell you right now that this will be very difficult for you. Ever since you appeared the various national governments have been studying up on the old Empire and they have decided that you will not bombard them, and they feel sure that they are too powerful on the ground for you to attack them there. While they will stand united against you, they will soon begin to jockey for position, and they will begin looking for ways to use you to gain advantage over their opponents.” The old man stopped, deep in thought, then shrugged. “You will doubtless find out sooner or later, so I will tell you up front. All nations on New Victoria adhere, in theory, to the old Imperial statement of human rights; however, it is honored more in breach than in practice these days. Some nations have regressed quite far, being more reminiscent of the old nation-states of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”
Admiral Craig glanced at General Edwards, commander of the Army ground force. The General leaned forward and cleared his throat. “Ah, Sir, may I ask, in general, what is the total ground strength of the major nations? I just want general numbers, nothing specific or classified.”
The old man chuckled. “Young man, it has been a long time since anyone in my family was trusted with classified information. The only reason I’m here now is because none of the national leaders trust each other, and none could come to a decision as to who should meet with you. They chose me because I’m a non-entity, and completely non-threatening.” He chuckled again, then stopped suddenly as the chuckle threatened to turn desperate as his emotions overflowed. He took a deep breath and started over. “My family and I have been reduced to running what amounts to a non-partisan ‘think-tank’ that advocates for peaceful coexistence between the nations. Our last estimates were that the main nations possessed over five hundred divisions, at approximately a three to one ratio between infantry and armored divisions.”
General Edwards settled back into his seat and looked at Admiral Craig. Once he had the Admiral’s attention he shook his head firmly.
Admiral Craig stood and came around the table to take the Hereditary Representative’s hand. “Sir, you’ve been of great help. If you are willing, I’d like you to stay with us for a while. In fact, I’m planning on sending a ship back home soon, to carry word of our discovery back and to ask for direction. I would be honored if you would consider going back with that ship. That way you would be able to present your planet’s plight to the Senate yourself, hopefully as eloquently as you did here.”
The old man sagged and almost fell back into his chair. “I would be honored! To think that after all of this time I would actually be able to visit Terra itself! I must prepare!”
The meeting broke up with the Representative chattering happily about the opportunities ahead of him. The Imperials were all preoccupied with the obvious problem ahead of them, and although they weren’t really conscious of it they had dismissed the old man as a non-entity just as the leaders of the nations below had. Unknown to either of the groups the old man was a very shrewd negotiator and an even better observer who had learned his craft at the feet of his grandfather. The old man was determined to get as far away from New Victoria as possible before it went down in flames, something he was certain would happen in the near future. He had been certain that war was imminent before the Imperials arrived, and now that these hard-faced, grim men of war were here he knew that the match was lit and that it would only be a matter of time before it was touched to the fuse. His job now was to get his extended family onto the ship that was returning along with him. Once on Terra, with his family, he would do his best to represent the best interests of his planet. Preferably from a good distance, where they would be safe.
After consulting with Captain Cox and obtaining her agreement Admiral Craig decided to dispatch the Guard destroyer Victory back to Terra with the news of their discovery. The Victory was equipped with a jump drive and was one of the fastest ships in the fleet. The trip to the home system would take just over thirty days for the Victory, substantially less than for any other ship. The Hereditary Imperial Representative, along with a truly alarming number of his relatives and “assistants” boarded the Victory before she left orbit.
October 16, 2356
The INSS Victory arrives in the Solar System to discover that humanity has a new Emperor. Captain Cox immediately sends messages to both the Guard’s and the Navy’s HQ’s laying out the situation in the Kruger 60 system.
The Emperor, after meeting with his Ministers, appoints Admiral Sir Isaac Gibbons as his Viceroy to New Victoria. Admiral Gibbons is one of Prince Victor Tannenbaum’s closest confidants and right hand man from the rebellion. Because there is no credible naval threat from New Victoria he will be given a rather small squadron of ships intended primarily to shoot down any ICBM’s the nations of New Victoria might launch. The Admiral’s orders will be to negotiate with the nations of New Victoria with the goal of bringing them into the Empire voluntarily, while doing his best to prevent a large scale war from breaking out. In addition, should he decide that the nations of New Victoria cannot be brought into the Empire peacefully he will be responsible for developing a plan to conquer the planet. To that end, Admiral Gibbons is charged with attempting to obtain basing rights from one of the New Victorian nations so that an Imperial troop presence can be established on the planet.
For now there will be no ground force component to Admiral Gibbons’ squadron, but he is told that will change as additional battalions become available.
In addition, the first UNREP ship is dispatched with Admiral Gibbons’ group, which will escort it to the Kruger 60 system where it will rendezvous with Admiral Craig’s Battle Group.
November 6, 2356
The 1st Terraforming Group, which has grown to comprise nine Gaia class terraformers, with a tenth on its way out from Terra, finally finishes adding enough oxygen to the atmosphere of Luyten A-II to make it breathable. Unfortunately, the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is way too high, but that will be alleviated by the terraformer’s next task, which is to raise the planet’s temperature.
January 3, 2357
Admiral Gibbons’ battle group arrives in orbit over New Victoria. The Support Vessel UNREP-001 is detached to replenish Sir Sam Craig’s battlegroup, along with the Imperial Guard detachment, both of which are eager to depart now that Gibbons’ group has arrived. Rear Admiral Craig meets with Rear Admiral Gibbons immediately upon his arrival, greeting him warmly. The two are old comrades in arms from the days of the rebellion, and Sir Sam takes the chance to warn Admiral Gibbons about the intransigence of the New Victorians. During the period while Admiral Craig’s battle group waited for relief from the home system there had been no less than five brushfire wars in remote locations and two semi-serious border conflicts, along with assorted terrorist and insurgent activities that appeared to be considered normal business. New Victoria was not going to be an easy assignment.
February 22, 2357
With the probe force finally assembled on Altair’s warp point #4, Admiral Craig orders his battle group to jump through the unexplored warp point. They find themselves in a binary M4-V/M5-V system quickly identified by the scientists as Wolf 922. While this system was known to the old Empire, there is little excitement as back then it was a dead-end system with no planets or other orbital bodies. Nothing appears to have changed, so there is no reason to linger. The battle group jumps out and sets its course for Altair’s #7 warp point.
March 4, 2357
The 3rd Battle Group transits out of Altair through the system’s 7th warp point. The new system is a binary system with a pair of M2-V stars in distant orbits around each other. Both stars possess planets, several of which can be considered habitable. The group’s scientists quickly determine that the system is the Gliese 745 system, previously unknown to the old Empire.
The combined force moves into the system to probe for hostile automated warships or alien civilizations. Unfortunately, the B component is too far for the Imperial ships to make the journey across the void between the two stars, so the other star would remain unexplored for now.
March 14, 2357
The Imperial Guard detachment completes its probe of the Gliese 745 system and returns to the warp point. After refueling from the Navy’s support ship, the combined force returns to the Altair system and sets out for the last warp point, which lies across the system from their current location.
April 20, 2357
The JCS Roughneck 003 completes construction on the jump gate pair that connects the Kruger 60 system to the Altair system, meaning that there is now a jump gate pathway all the way from the Solar System to the Kruger 60 system and New Victoria.
May 13, 2357
The 3rd Battle Group and the 2nd Guard Detachment jump through Altair’s fifth warp point, discovering a binary system with an M3-V primary and an M5-V secondary star. The primary is orbited by two terrestrial planets, once of which is Venus like while the other is much more Terra-like and somewhat habitable. The secondary star, which orbits very close to the primary, is orbited by three terrestrial type planets and a gas giant with 35 moons. None of the B component’s planets are particularly habitable. The scientists identify the system as LHS 471, a previously unknown system.
The Guard detachment departs the warp point immediately to probe the system.
June 7, 2357
The 2nd Guard Detachment completes its probe of the LHS 471 system without making any startling discoveries. The probe of the Altair system’s warp points is now complete, and Admiral Craig and Captain Cox decide to return home. The combined force has been out of the home system for several years, and it is past time to return. Even with the supplies brought out by the UNREP-001, fuel is running low, the crews desperately need leave, and the ships need to be overhauled. It is time.
The combined force jumps out of the LHS 471 system headed for home.
July 26, 2357
The combined force returns to the Solar System and is met with fanfare and celebration. As the troops are unloading from their transports and the spacers disembark from their shuttles the public goes wild. The combined force has been at the forefront of the Empire, pushing back the border, and is seen by most as the epitome of Imperial might and honor.
August 7, 2357
Nova Terra, the Empire’s first extra-system colony in the Luyten 726-8 system, has been terraformed! The news electrifies the public on Terra, and applications for emigration triple over night.
Its work in the Luyten system complete, the Terraforming Fleet, now composed of fifteen Gaia class terraformers with two more on their way from the Solar System, begins its long journey to its next job site. The Fleet is en route to Ross 154 A-II, a 10.6 billion kilometer trip that will take the Fleet nearly six months to complete.
October 28, 2357
The Nimitz, a brand new Bombardment Cruiser, is launched from the Terran orbital yards. This ship is a key part of the Imperial Navy’s strategy for dealing with entrenched ground units and PDC’s on worlds such as New Victoria.
December 5, 2357
Two Imperial Naval Officers, on leave from the Imperial Battle Squadron orbiting overhead, are kidnapped in broad daylight from the street in front of their hotel. The kidnapping takes place in the capital city of Talonga, one of New Victoria’s most advanced and open nations, one that Admiral Gibbons has been actively courting. The local police and national authorities respond quickly but find no leads. There are no demands, and the national government is quick to blame its neighbors. Those same neighbors immediately accuse the Talongans of kidnapping the Terrans themselves, and tensions skyrocket. Admiral Gibbons, who wants to send in his marines, is forced into a peacemaker role instead, as the situation rapidly deteriorates.
The Talongan government begins pressuring Admiral Gibbons for Imperial defense commitments, pointing out the fact that several of their neighbors are preparing for war and that they are ganging up on Talonga. Admiral Gibbons is placed in a very difficult position. The only troops he has available are the marine detachments aboard his ship, who total less than a company. He cannot guarantee Talonga’s security with so few troops, and he cannot threaten the other nations with the weapons he does have. The entire situation is ironic in that just that morning Admiral Gibbons had finally received the message he was waiting for from Naval Command, informing him that major reinforcements, including a ground combat component, would depart Terra for Kruger 60 no later than March of next year. Now, with things going downhill so rapidly, the news he had rejoiced at that morning was like ashes in his mouth.
Several days pass without any apparent advancement in the local authority’s attempts to find the kidnapped officers. The saber rattling becomes serious, and there are several border clashes. Finally, four days after the kidnapping, Imperial Naval Intelligence (INI) operatives, monitoring New Victorian communications from orbit, intercept a cryptic series of messages that, once decoded by superior Imperial communication’s equipment, yield enough information to determine the location of the officers. There is also information that leads the INI operatives to believe that the kidnappers may indeed be Talongan operatives.
Admiral Gibbons is outraged at what he sees as New Victorian perfidy, and orders a team of INI operatives and marines to recover the officers. He specifically orders the marine lieutenant to kill anyone found in proximity of the officers, with the exception of two captives that will be interrogated.
The operation initially goes off without a hitch, but while the Imperial teams were trying to extract a previously unexpected backup team intervened. One of the rescued officers was killed in the ensuing firefight, along with one of the captives and the entire backup team. In fact, nearly an entire city block was taken out by the weapons the marines deployed to stop the backup team. Talongan protests were immediate and vociferous, but fell on deaf ears.
Admiral Gibbons was tempted to wash his hands of the planet and its intrigues, and if he had any Imperial troops available he would have been willing to order them in at that instant, but he didn’t, and wouldn’t for some time. And he had his orders. In the aftermath of the revelation that the kidnapping was an attempt by the Talongans to blame their neighbors and pressure the Empire, the Talongans neighbors unified in their hatred of the Talongans and their desire to do them in. Border skirmishes were escalating, so Admiral Gibbons called for a meeting aboard his flagship to discuss a ceasefire and cooling down period. Initially it appeared as if his gesture was going to work. Unfortunately, the leaders of Talonga had already decided differently.
December 11, 2357
“ALERT! RED ALERT!”
The claxon sounded throughout the Saratoga and Admiral Gibbons came straight out of his bunk at speed. “What’s going on?” He was struggling to get his overalls on as the response came back.
“Sir, something is happening down below. Military communications have gone through the roof, and both Talonga and several of their rivals are evacuating key personnel from their cities.”
“Christ. I’ll be up momentarily.” He was out of his compartment before he was done speaking.
Just under a minute later he was on the bridge. “Status?”
“Sir, the Talongans have issued an ultimatum to two of their neighbors and have threatened missile launch if they do not comply.”
“Damn it, what do they think they are doing?” He paused and looked around the bridge. Everyone was at their posts and all stations were manned. “Communications, broadcast on all channels, overpower any local transmitters. I want everyone to hear me.”
It took the communications officer nearly a minute, but then he nodded indicating he was ready.
“Nations of New Victoria, this is…”
“Sir! Missile launch detected. Multiple launches from Talonga. Now detecting launches from all New Victorian nations. Three hundred and thirty ICBM’s are in the air.”
Admiral Gibbons hit the “all ships” button on his console. “All units are to go to missile defense configuration and engage all missiles.”
The five Imperial warships of Admiral Gibbons’ squadron responded smartly to the threat. Of course, it wasn’t a threat to them, as it would take the incredibly slow ICBM’s one hundred seconds to cross the space in between them and the planet, but the missiles weren’t aimed at them. They were aimed at the other nations on the planet.
Three of the five ships were frigates intended primarily for anti-missile defense, and the two light cruisers were no slouches in this area either. The first to engage were the quad 100mm laser turrets mounted on each ship. The Imperial lasers swatted the ponderous ICBM’s from space with ease. Although there was some overkill, there were no misses. Following quickly behind the turrets were the 200mm main batteries of the light cruisers, and these too were more than adequate to swat the slow moving missiles.
Even as the lasers fired anti-missile missiles began spilling from the Terran ships and racing towards the ICBM’s. These missiles had been designed with the intent of intercepting missiles moving one thousand times as fast as the ICBM’s, which never had a chance of evading the Terran AMM’s. In a matter of seconds the ICBM’s had been swept from the skies.
Down below the people of New Victoria breathed a sigh of relief at their deliverance from nuclear destruction. It wasn’t over though. Although their governments had lost their nuclear arsenal, they still had plenty of conventional weapons, and the will to use them. Border wars began almost immediately, and within days the fighting was general. By the end of the day Admiral Gibbons decided to detach the Saratoga, which was his only jump-capable ship, to return to the home system to apprise the high command of the situation.
The Saratoga departed soon thereafter at high speed.
[attachment=1:2si9zuml]Imperial Star Map.gif[/attachment:2si9zuml]
Update, December 2357
The Empire has expanded greatly over the last several years. In addition to the colony in the Luyten system, which is now up to 9 million colonists, the Empire has taken control of Verge in the Wolf 1061 system. Finally, the Empire has established a network of automated mining complexes in the Lalande 21185 system. An overview of each inhabited/exploited Imperial system will be given below, along with uninhabited systems of interest:
The Solar System
This is the home of humanity and the center of the Empire’s power. The Imperial government is based on Terra, as are the Empire’s shipyards; however, the Empire’s industrial might is housed on Mars and its vast research capacity is located on Venus. The total population of the Solar System is 8.05 billion. Titan is the Empire’s primary mining site, with over 6900 mining complexes, both crewed and automated. Unfortunately, while Titan’s resource deposits are nearly inconceivable in size, they are almost uniformly present at low availability levels, motivating the Empire and its mining corporations to aggressively seek better out-system mining locations.
Luyten 726-8
This system is home to the new Empire’s first extra-Solar colony. Luyten 726-A II has been named Nova Terra by its first colonists, and the colony has since grown to over 9 million colonists. The Imperial Terraforming fleet recently completed warming the planet and diluting its atmosphere’s oxygen content, and in the short time since they completed their job the planet’s population has increased by 50% as colonization ramped up.
Currently, Nova Terra boasts nineteen crewed mining complexes, and enough labor capacity exists to expand this several times over. Currently, three hundred and thirty automated mining complexes have been emplaced on three moons of three different gas giants scattered throughout the Luyten 726-8 system, and Nova Terra acts as a central collection point for the resources mined on these moons. The resources are transported to Nova Terra by mass driver installations located on the three moons, and once on Nova Terra the resources are held for transport to Terra by infrequent visits by Imperial freighters.
The Imperial military presence in the Luyten726-8 system is limited to a Planetary Defense Squadron of four Type G/II gunboats in orbit over Nova Terra, a naval base on Nova Terra with limited maintenance facilities and deep space tracking capability, three Imperial Army infantry battal
