Righteous Reign Read online

  The outer hull was constructed of carbon fiber coated one-hundred-millimeter-thick 7039 - T6 aluminum armor plate, which maintains ductile strength at cryogenic temperatures, laminated to fifty millimeters 3033 aluminum plate. Thermal heat exchangers from the power generation, water reactor units and recycling machinery in the lowest deck warmed the inside of this plating and the outer surface of the inner hull. Part of the tri-layer shielding, a powerful magnetic field aligned by a core through the mid-ship was focused between the two hulls as a guard against penetration by cosmic rays and solar particles. The exterior of the inner hull was a fifty-millimeter-thick layer of 3033 aluminum laminated to seventy-five-millimeter-thick plate of Grade 38 armor plate titanium. Small ion generators would produce charged particles held in place between the magnetic field in the hull and one generated outside the ship. The magnetic - ionic - magnetic layering acts as shielding against all sorts of solid and directed energy sources. Each ship was crewed by four hundred thirty officers and enlisted personnel.

  Those two FTL vessels were christened at their dry docks, in space on February 25, 2051. Training and trials took another six months. There was a short shake-down cruise to ensure the ships could do everything they were supposed to. Most of the concepts used in the design of these vessels are still in use.

  On September 1, 2051, the two ships designated PT-1 and PT-2 left dock for Alpha Centauri.

  Once in FTL mode, they could no longer communicate with WEASA. Communications would only be destroyed, if sent through the vortex. So, WEASA would not know the status of the mission until the return of the vessels; sometime about September 22.

  The exploratory portion ended with the safe return of PT-1 and PT-2 on September 21, 2051; but, the true heavy lifting literally began the day after.

  …………………………………………………………………………….

  Over the next two years WEASA first selected and assigned two thousand to move to a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A that, they renamed Rigil in to honor Rigil Kentaurus the ancient Arabic name for the system. About six hundred were actually dispatched to it; while the balance remained detached on Earth to conduct work needed to inhabit it. The group on Rigil elected a governing council; which, formally requested membership into the Empire. A new constitution was drafted, based on the original planetary one, creating a government that would rule associated worlds within a space born Empire within a fifty light-years radius of Earth. This new empire was named Orion; the name of the arm the two systems inhabit in the Milky Way. Both Earth and Rigil formally requested membership in the Empire; signing onto the new constitution.

  The Orion Empire constitution guaranteed representation to all member planets on the basis of ten assembly members from each world; with final legislative assent resting in the Imperial Throne; as it did on Earth. The Earth assembly sent ten of its members and Rigil elected ten and sent them to the new Orion Empire Legislative Assembly to ratify the constitution and begin working on legislation. Earth’s government transferred WEASA to the Orion Empire. In marathon sittings, the Orion Assembly enacted legislation establishing the means to raise revenues through taxation; granted charters to both Earth and Rigil as members of the new Empire; wrote and enacted a criminal code; enacted business law; changed WEASA’s name to the OESA; and, enacted law chartering the OESA as a military body responsible for defending the constitution, safeguarding the citizens of the Empire, protecting territory within its borders and exploring and expanding its boundaries. Then, they embedded The Rules and Regulation of the OESA into statute; appointed its Command & Control and all senior officers; and, approved its five-year budget and fifteen-year plan.

  In the meantime, Black’s team designed a drone that could employ the Casimir Emitter to open a wormhole and carry messages; thus, establishing long distance communications, in space. A message could now be sent across the Empire’s entire one hundred light-year expanse in less than fourteen days.

  The OESA grew rapidly under C&C, Fleet Admiral Robert Simmons’, direction; meeting many of its goals and objectives within projected timelines. In twelve years, twenty-four fleets consisting of a Carrier Class Vessel supported by a flotilla of six warships patrolled its space. Each Carrier sported over a hundred Raptor Class one-man fighters and carried fifteen-hundred Marine troops and their command staff. Each Fleet was commanded by a Vice Admiral. Groups of six Fleets fell under the direction of a Quadrant Command managing all the territory within a ninety-degree wedge of the fifty light-year orb that was the Empire. They had only enough capacity to actually defend a radius of twenty-six light-years; a region that added six advanced intelligent humanoid species to the Empire, in that period; growing the Legislative Assembly to eighty members.

  The Tau Ceti system, just under twelve light years from home, was the first system where humanoid life was discovered. Tau Ceti F is an earth sized world orbiting its star at a fifty-two-million-mile radius. This would have been a close orbit in the Sol system; but, the planet had low levels of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons in its atmosphere and the star has less than sixty percent of the luminosity of Sol. So, though it was a little warmer than Earth, this planet was by no means arid. The population closely resembled humans, was technologically advanced, enjoyed a rich culture and valued a long heritage. Though wary, at first, they welcomed the Empire representatives with opened arms. Things rolled along for ten days. Then, several Ceti Fleet members showed signs of illness; as did a host of planetary residents. It turned out, they had exchanged bacteria and viruses neither side had immunity to. By 2081, all initial contacts were made in full environmental suits; until medical studies were completed and immunity could be established for conflicting contagions. At any rate, all five of these worlds joined the Empire; giving it more strength than had been imagined in the planning days.

  With Orion Empire Space Agency expansion came the problem of actually managing the space and its members. The OESA was always stretched to its limits. In 2065, Simmons filed a proposal, with the Secretary of Defense, to grow and restructure the whole organization, over five years. The OESA statute was amended; so, each Fleet would contain two Tactical Groups; each with its own Carrier supported by a Cruiser, Three Frigates and two Supply Ships. In addition, two additional Fleets would be added within each Quadrant Command. Fleet command structure was modified to include a Commodore to run each Carrier Group and a Brigadier General to command the Marine Contingent.

  Over the next one hundred and twenty-five years the Empire continued to follow pretty much the same pattern. By 2206, its reach had extended to fit the one hundred light-year description in the now revised Constitution of the Orion Empire. In the middle of that year, the forty-fifth member planet was chartered by the Empire. It's Legislative Assembly now seated four hundred fifty members; all enjoying the great benefits of a symbiotic relationship. Andrew I had come and gone, after the death of Victoria I in 2085. Edward II reigned until 2135. He was followed by Steven I, who passed away in 2190. Stephen II reigned until 2216. By 2216 it was Edward III who was the Emperor. All the Delnikov rulers had lived up to everything Edward I and Old Tom had envisioned.

  By that time, an additional twenty-five percent of the former United States had recovered and was inhabited, under the Empire. The Empire now actually occupied the territory to, north thirty-seven degrees, across nearly the entire planet. More territory had returned to a temperate climate; but, it took a lot of resources to clean up and rebuild areas devastated by the weather and changing shorelines. Though badly scarred, in some regions and wiped clean in others, Earth’s policies were promoting its recovery to a parkland; with major populations away from waterways and valuable farmland.

  OESA continued to grow during the two century period. By 2216, each Quadrant Command consisted of sixteen fleets; managed in groups of eight by two subordinate Theatre Commands. The service’s one and three quarter million personnel manned its headquarters on Rigil, and the sub-commands directing over a thousand wars
hips, supported by over two hundred thousand marines, fourteen thousand fighter craft, two hundred seventy supply vessels, eight Theatre Command stations, eight Mobile Hospital Commands, two commands and assembly and construction facilities orbiting three different planetary systems.

  On the civilian side of things, Rigil boasted robust and burgeoning industrial, agricultural and economic sectors that; made it almost completely self-sufficient. In fact, the need to import basic necessities, building materials and supplies had dwindled to nothing by around 2145.

  The OESA’s new headquarters, still at the original location on Rigil, had nearly three square kilometers of floor space to support its thousands of staff members; and sat on fifty acres of parkland beside the city of Rigil New York, inhabited by more than a hundred thousand citizens; supporting the OESA and the massive ship building fabrication facility ten kilometers to its east. A new OESA Academy was under construction to the north end of the city.

  …………………………………………………………………………..

  Six commanders succeeded Simons over the years. In 2216, thirty-six-year-old Admiral David Williamson was promoted to Fleet Admiral and confirmed to the position of Command and Control of the OESA.

  As a Quadrant Commander, it had been readily apparent that, the service was stretched to meet its obligations. It sounded big; and seemed even bigger; when, you analyzed it on paper in terms of personnel, assets and budget. In fact, it seemed mammoth when, you were in the position of running it. But, there was over four million cubic light years of space and more than four hundred and fifty systems to patrol. And, the Empire now had enemies. There had been several small border skirmishes and two small wars since reaching the hundred light year border. FTL flight had exploded in the nearly two centuries since its inception; which led to a corresponding growth in first, shipping; then piracy. Williamson spent a lot of time travelling between Earth and Rigil to discuss it with his superiors. But, he wasn't sure how to achieve an increase in strength without breaking the bank. He had created a special task force of fifty people to study the problem.

  What they finally came up with was a program with some trade-offs. Two cruiser class vessels and two frigates would be added to each fleet. This would give each Tactical Carrier Group two cruisers four frigates and two supply ships with the objective of creating the ability to break up each Group into two squadrons to increase their reach. The problem was that; these squadrons would be unbalanced. One would be attached to a Carrier and one would not; since, each Group would still only have one Carrier. It was the best compromise at the time. It required the construction and purchase of two hundred fifty-six warships and an increase of nearly three hundred thousand personnel. Capital expenditures would reach nearly fifteen billion sovereigns per year; while the operating budget would exceed ninety-one billion sovereigns per year during the period. The OESA budget did not include the money for the off-campus development except for the Academy itself. The Empire was spending nearly one hundred billion sovereigns on planetary development, at the same time as the OESA expansion would take place.

  A proposal to do the expansion over a two-year period was prepared along with revised budgets for the next five years. All received legislative approval with a great sigh of relief. Any larger expansion, at this time, would have created a need for deficit spending; which was contrary to normal Empire policies.

  It was on May 15, 2247 that, Williamson became aware of Commodore George T. Bryant. He was acquainted with the man; since, he had placed his name in nomination, when he was promoted to Commodore and Assigned as Commander of the Canada Group in the Borealis Fleet, under Vice Admiral Blackman. The latest report seemed to indicate the thirty-one-year-old was a real up-and-comer.

  An incident drew Bryant and his Canada Group to Rho Corona Borealis. This is a beautiful system nearly fifty-eight light years from Rigil. It restructured its planetary government to conform with Empire requirements; when, it joined the Empire thirty-five years earlier. The old religious and political hatreds from before entry in the Empire had now resurfaced. A group was espousing replacing the planetary government and separating from the Empire.

  Vice Admiral Blackman was on leave, on Earth; so, Bryant had no immediate superior to turn to. He evaluated the situation and determined that the situation was urgent. Thousands had died. Vast areas were devastated; and an enemy column was five miles to the south of the Capital City. He deemed he didn't have the twenty-days it would take communications drones to exchange messages regarding orders on the situation. Two hundred marines were dispatched to the planet to break into squads of ten and get on-the-ground, up-to-the-minute intelligence on the situation. A day later, reports piled in. There were essentially fifteen large enemy formations fighting on three fronts; including the one outside the capital. All were heavily armed; including the armor captured from government forces in a series of blitz attacks. Several formerly picturesque regions of the planet bore the terrible scars of vicious battles; some evident from orbit. At the same time, this rebellious group had dispatched small cells of terrorists to the most populous regions wreaking havoc and terror with lightning attacks on civilians and bombings of heavily frequented retail businesses, restaurants and underground transportation systems. Two complete divisions of the planetary army, totaling over sixteen thousand troops, had been completely annihilated. Commodore Bryant formulated a plan with the planetary defense ministry to move troops away from targeted sites without giving them new objectives, got last minute intelligence, advised his teams; then, issued orders to his Group. From orbit, each cruiser and a frigate bombarded remote sites with their high powered kinetic rods; while, two frigates took on the capital city formation. The Raptor class fighters in the Canada's hangars capable of atmospheric and space operations were dispatched - thirty to each of the three fronts to support the twelve hundred Marines the Regimental Colonel sent in after the bombardment to fight alongside ten thousand government ground forces. Ten fighters were deployed to patrol the space around the Canada Group; in an abundance of caution; though the rebels were not space capable. Remnants of enemy ground forces resisted fiercely; but, their depleted numbers were no match for government troops. By May 4, 2245, the rebellion was, all but, dead; along with, thirty-seven thousand enemy combatants. Ten rebel leaders were quickly captured and summarily executed, by the planetary government, to reinforce the notion that this type of rebellion would not be tolerated. Canada Group lost seven marines. Ten suffered injuries of various degrees. Though they had prevailed in the major confrontations, the widespread guerilla units still attempted to inflict terror; so, Bryant ordered the Marines to assist law enforcement in rooting them out. He forwarded a detailed report to Blackman, at the Espanola Group and Admiral Gogorra, the Theatre Six Commander. Gogorra passed it on to Admiral Dickinson the Quadrant Three Commander. Blackman received it, first; since, he had returned to the Espanola on August 8. The Espanola Group was parked in Eta Corona Borealis, just under ten light years away. Bryant’s own contribution to the report was nauseating to read; since, it concentrated on the aftermath. He had taken time to go ashore and tour ravaged areas of the capital. Rubble from collapsed storefronts was punctuated by bloody body parts. The death, destruction and devastation, it described graphically, was sickening.

  A day after his return, Blackman received the probe with its communiqué. Bryant was still at Rho. His Group was still assisting the planetary government. Blackman could see that the chain of command had been advised. He sent his own message to Theatre Command recommending a promotion and citation; incorporating the report in the request; and ordered Espanola Group to Rho to assist Bryant.

  Williamson called in all the Quadrant Commanders, after digesting the report.

  "Did you see this, Brian?" he asked Dickinson as he turned his data pad to him.

  "Yes, I saw it, David. This guy is good. He made Flag Rank at twenty-eight - the youngest ever. He has great tactical skills. He can sum up a situation quic
kly. He's very decisive. And, his people love him. They say he is the enlisted man's commander. No bullshit, though. He's all piss and vinegar, when it's business. But, he's loyal to his people and they are loyal to him. I think he should get the Order of Merit and move up a level; but, he isn't going to want to come in from the field. He's a nuts and bolts type.' Dickinson did not hold back; as, he referred to the norm of no Rear Admirals in field assignments. 'Your biggest problem may be holding him back - he's so decisive. But, I don't really think that's a problem. It hasn't been, so far. He added.

  "So, you want to recommend him for the award and a promotion. You think he's a mover and shaker, do you? Williamson chuckled.

  "For sure, David. He's the future. And, there's a couple more. A young Captain by the name of Nichols; under Bryant's Command; and, a Commodore named Tonaka; who is Blackman's other Group Commander. That Fleet is like a little gold mine. It's a real testament to Blackman. We should move him along, too." Dickinson's enthusiasm was apparent.

  "Okay, okay, let's move it along to the Secretary of Defense - but don't keep it down to just Bryant. Let's do a couple of lateral moves, at the same time. Move Tonaka and Nichols to Boots Fleet. Let's see how they do under another Commander." Williamson said with a laugh as he recovered the data pad.

  (The Group of Admirals in the room did not realize that they were creating a turning point. This would launch George Bryant. He would be a force for the OESA like no other, since Admiral Simmons.)

  Chapter 5 The Promotion!

  Thursday July 25, 2255

  The week has been a busy one. I kept the Shenzhen on site at Rho, for a couple of days after the Fleet left, to aid the government. This was the second incident there. Admiral Bryant quelled one when he Commanded the Canada Group ten years ago. He had been extremely thorough in his attempt to eradicate the infection. And, the Empire did view rebellion - especially religious - politically motivated, as an infection. The procedure for dealing with it is very clearly spelled out, in detail, in the Rules and Regulations; and, that procedure is strictly adhered to. But, a few bad seeds at Rho had obviously escaped the wrath of the Empire, that first time. Now that I'm sure we have squashed the rebellion, I am ordering the Shenzhen out of orbit and pointing it in the direction of the Theatre Command, now located in an uncharted brown dwarf system at fifteen hours, inclination plus forty-five degrees and seventy light years out from Earth. It is on the same trajectory from Earth as HR5581; but ten light years closer to home. The location is central to all eight Fleet patrols in our Theatre Command. We actually arrive there on July 23rd. The entire Fifth Mobile is in this region, on combined exercises with Quadrant 3 Command.