Kael's Universe Chapter 16 -- Explanations
Chapter XVI
Explanations
Many people waited to greet Sharile. Kelemenians from all over the planet had gathered at the Terha valley just to see him set foot on Kelemene soil once again. They cheered when they heard the sonic boom of his ship entering the atmosphere. The rest of the Himdun fleet stayed behind in orbit.
Sharile paid it all no attention, though. He was once again engulfed by his studies and regarded the noise of his adoration a distraction. He had returned to his old self. After their talk, Daskin and Sharile resolved that he should keep a very private life. Anything he did would be overblown. It would be best for his actions to be hidden. Besides, Sharile wasn’t a good performer anyway.
The ship docked behind the wall of the base so that no one could see him. He was rushed underground to where his quarters would be throughout the duration of the war. It was comfortable and spacious.
“You think they made this place for some sort of king.” Sharile said.
“Be careful, Sharile. This may all be a test for you. Not purposely, of course. But personally, you have to guard yourself against letting all of this make you conceited.”
“Don’t worry, Daskin. I know why I am here and what I’m supposed to do. Quite honestly, now that I see just the way people are acting about me, it’s a bit alarming.”
“You’re a good man, Sharile. Other men would fall. But not you.”
Sharile sat down after Daskin left and looked over his notes for a while. Things were difficult to decipher, such as Yav fleet movements. It seemed to him that the enemy was spreading themselves out very thinly, dangerously thin. Sharile knew this wasn’t wise, unless they had something else in store for the Kelemenian fleet.
Sharile decided to let his mind think on other matters. Before they landed he had a holo-conference with the leaders of Himdun and the asteroid colonies. Though those who lived on the asteroids were the first to offer to help. Sharile looked over what they had to offer. There weren’t very many of them that could fight.
He started to do some number crunching. Adding the estimated initial attack group that Himdun had to offer in orbit above Kelemene, as well as those from Kelemene and the asteroid threads, brought their troop estimates to around the figure of fifty-six million.
Yavamene, however, happened to inhabit a superior amount of people. The enemy’s forces matched if not exceeded their numbers. In addition, Yavamene had only one planet to defend. Sharile would not only have to send the correct amount of troops to attack Yavamene, but also leave enough behind to defend Kelemene, Himdun, and the Golgond Barrier.
Sharile fretted over this for a few days, trying to determine the correct course of action. Then he remembered that he would not have to leave a defense fleet at Himdun because they were already far out of reach. This offered him some relief. But that was only half of his problems. Much of his strategy had to be devoted to the attack. Where, when, and how were his biggest dilemmas.
The when was not as hard. As soon as they were ready they would attack. But he had to be ready, too. How and where were tied together somehow. Where they began their assault determined how they would carry it out. If they attacked Denda directly, as Daskin had suggested, Sharile assumed that all there forces would have to be involved. For surely, the president would have to stay there to represent false image of courage and nobility. They would have to surge all their forces onto Denda in order to take it and keep it until the president was found.
But Sharile was concerned about the possibly of killing civilians. He wanted at all costs to avoid the death of even one innocent life. In order to do this though, it meant no attack on Denda. That was out of the question. Lives would have to be sacrificed for the greater good. But how many?
To avoid a more upsetting statistic, Sharile determined that Denda may not be the best place to strike first. Perhaps a vital inlet to the city. Power was the first to cross his mind. Power would severely cripple the city. But because Denda was a spherical infrastructure that hovered high in the air it was important that the gravity repulsion system not be cut off, lest the entire city plummet into the ocean below.
The more Sharile thought on it, the more he liked the idea. After interrupting the flow of energy to the city, the invading fleet could lay siege upon it, bringing the president to his knees in an effort to save himself and the city. Hunger and warmth would be the best weapons the Kelemenians could use.
Daskin liked the idea as well. As Sharile’s friend and advisor, he consulted with him on the details of the operation. In the end they put together the basic timeline of actions necessary to achieve their goal.
First, the majority of the Kelemenian fleet would be sent to Yavamene. When they arrived, the Yavamene defense fleet would no doubt be waiting for them.
If they succeeded in breaking through the enemy defenses, the invasion fleet would split up; one half headed for Denda, the other advancing toward the Mygaren power complex. They would seize the compound, shut of all power to Denda, and give the word to the other armada that they were ready to begin the blockade.
It would only be a matter of time before the people of Denda would press for the president to admit defeat. After his capture, he could be properly interrogated. After that, Yavamene would be given a chance to elect a new leader. Kelemene would leave a military presence there, just to ensure no rebellion would rise up. In time, if the governing officials of Yavamene proved themselves worthy, Kelemene would withdraw much of their military strength and leave Yavamene to do for herself.
Then the hard work would begin. The people of Kelemene might not support themselves in a fashion that could be considered self-sufficient. Someone would have to rise up and lead them. Essentially, his policy must be incorruptible. His life would need to reflect that of a fix-it-yourself attitude. That was the plan.
Sharile stepped out of his quarters and walked down the hall. He felt a desire to familiarize himself with the place he was going to call home for indeterminable amount of time. The basic structure of the tunnels were as follows; three men could stand abreast through the width of them, which could only imply that movement from beginning to end was purposefully made unproblematic. Sharile had also noticed this on the battle cruiser while on his voyage to Himdun. Perhaps this base was built with the possibility of battle in mind.
The ceiling stood about ten feet off the floor. Glowing wires provided light throughout the length of the tunnels. They were hooked to the ceiling every few feet. Sharile walked passed a few metal doorways. He wondered what lie behind them. He asked Daskin if he could have a tour, but Daskin brushed the issue aside and said, “There’s just a lot of weapons stockpiled here. Many of the rooms are empty as well.”
But Sharile became too curious one day and opened one of the doors. It was dark inside, but it did not bother Sharile. He had with him a small energy lamp, which he turned on after he closed the door. He was shocked to find that Daskin had not lied to him. He just didn’t reveal the whole truth.
He saw weapons of every kind racked and packed in boxes all over the place. Ammo packs of all sorts accompanied the weapons. Sharile stepped further in only to find that the room kept going for at least another fifty feet. At the end, a small light peaked through a long crack about ten feet long. The thin shaft of light landed on a large metallic object. It was some sort of opening to the outside. Some one stepped over the breach and interrupted the flow of light. Sharile heard their boot clang against the metal. He stepped closer.
It was some sort of missile. Sharile rested his lamp of it. He examined the exterior of the object for a while, until he found a small amount of text engraved of a metal plate. It read:
“E.M.P. Missile. High yield electronic pulse emitter within. Handle with extreme care. No one except authorized personnel may handle this device. No. 12883-1.
Sharile grabbed his lamp off the top of the missile and hastily stepped back. He had heard of this technology before. It had been used in horrific ways to cripple entire provinces of Himdun in the revolution.
“An EMP missile?” Sharile said aloud.
“Yes, a missile.”
Sharile was so startled by the voice that he dropped his lamp. It went out, but another light, bright enough to illuminate the whole room, came on.
Stepping from behind a stack of metal crates into Sharile’s view was Daskin.
“What is all this, Daskin?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m sure I’ll catch on quick.” Sharile sneered.
Daskin spoke as he walked over. “This is just a few of the weapons that we have stockpiles here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me there was this much held here before?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
Sharile laughed, “It’s a little late for that now.”
“Look, Sharile. The only reason I’m going to tell you what I’m about to tell you is because of your prying. This was something you didn’t need to know.”
“It’s my job to know how we are going to defeat our enemies. What’s this missile for? I thought they were all destroyed after what happened in the revolution.”
Daskin sighed. “All but one.”
“How is this one going to be used? On Denda?”
“No! Never on a city. No. On a fleet in space.”
Sharile blinked and shook his head. “Wait, this thing works in space?”
“Yes.”
“So this is how your going to get passed the defense fleet over Yavamene?”
“No. We’re going to keep it here.”
“Why?”
“In case the enemy decides to invade in retaliation.”
Sharile sat down on an ammo crate and put his hands on head. “I guess that isn’t so bad. What’ll happen to the fleet? They’ll eventually be able to restore power won’t they?”
“No. As soon as their power is gone, every ship within range of the missile will start to give into Kelemene’s gravity, and lose orbital stability.”
“Daskin, your talking about the lives of everyone of those Yavamenian soldier. Potentially millions of lives will be lost!”
Daskin sat down across from Sharile. “If they’re smart, they won’t attack us. Our generals have decided to make it known to the Yavamenian president that we have an E.M.P missile, in secret of course.”
“I don’t like it, Daskin. I should have been made aware of this. My strategy would have been greatly altered with this knowledge in mind.”
“What would you have changed, Sharile?” Daskin questioned. “What would you do with this missile?”
“Destroy it.”
“How would that help us?”
“It’s a power that we can’t afford to use, Daskin. Some power is by it’s very nature evil. There’s no honor in launching this missile. The enemy wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Daskin stood up, “That’s not the point, Sharile!”
“Then what is? What’s the point in firing this thing, or even using it to blackmail the president if we’re going to war to protect life.”
“Soldiers will die either way, Sharile. That‘s there job, soldier kill each other. The last one standing is the one who deserves to live.”
“You make that statement under the presumption that both sides are correct in their intentions. What if both are wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“If we fire this missile, every last one of those effected will die. In ancient history, there was another weapon like this. It was more destructive, but there was no control over it, just like the E.M.P. It was called the atom bomb, or something like that. After a great war they realized it was better to continue fighting nobly, than end a conflict abruptly and finally, resulting in a great loss. Let me put it to you this way; if your fighting in a battle and you come across a soldier who is wounded, would you shoot him?”
“No.” Daskin looked Sharile straight into the eyes.
“No, you wouldn’t. Because he couldn’t stand a chance.” Sharile put his hand on the missile. “They won’t stand a chance against this thing. What if they used it on us? Would that be honorable?”
Daskin breathed in, “It‘s too late anyway, Sharile. The Kelemenian president has made up his mind. If they invade, he will authorize the launch of our E.M.P.”
“Than let’s hope the Yavs don’t attack.”
“Sharile, I hope that every day.”
Explanations
Many people waited to greet Sharile. Kelemenians from all over the planet had gathered at the Terha valley just to see him set foot on Kelemene soil once again. They cheered when they heard the sonic boom of his ship entering the atmosphere. The rest of the Himdun fleet stayed behind in orbit.
Sharile paid it all no attention, though. He was once again engulfed by his studies and regarded the noise of his adoration a distraction. He had returned to his old self. After their talk, Daskin and Sharile resolved that he should keep a very private life. Anything he did would be overblown. It would be best for his actions to be hidden. Besides, Sharile wasn’t a good performer anyway.
The ship docked behind the wall of the base so that no one could see him. He was rushed underground to where his quarters would be throughout the duration of the war. It was comfortable and spacious.
“You think they made this place for some sort of king.” Sharile said.
“Be careful, Sharile. This may all be a test for you. Not purposely, of course. But personally, you have to guard yourself against letting all of this make you conceited.”
“Don’t worry, Daskin. I know why I am here and what I’m supposed to do. Quite honestly, now that I see just the way people are acting about me, it’s a bit alarming.”
“You’re a good man, Sharile. Other men would fall. But not you.”
_____
Sharile decided to let his mind think on other matters. Before they landed he had a holo-conference with the leaders of Himdun and the asteroid colonies. Though those who lived on the asteroids were the first to offer to help. Sharile looked over what they had to offer. There weren’t very many of them that could fight.
He started to do some number crunching. Adding the estimated initial attack group that Himdun had to offer in orbit above Kelemene, as well as those from Kelemene and the asteroid threads, brought their troop estimates to around the figure of fifty-six million.
Yavamene, however, happened to inhabit a superior amount of people. The enemy’s forces matched if not exceeded their numbers. In addition, Yavamene had only one planet to defend. Sharile would not only have to send the correct amount of troops to attack Yavamene, but also leave enough behind to defend Kelemene, Himdun, and the Golgond Barrier.
Sharile fretted over this for a few days, trying to determine the correct course of action. Then he remembered that he would not have to leave a defense fleet at Himdun because they were already far out of reach. This offered him some relief. But that was only half of his problems. Much of his strategy had to be devoted to the attack. Where, when, and how were his biggest dilemmas.
The when was not as hard. As soon as they were ready they would attack. But he had to be ready, too. How and where were tied together somehow. Where they began their assault determined how they would carry it out. If they attacked Denda directly, as Daskin had suggested, Sharile assumed that all there forces would have to be involved. For surely, the president would have to stay there to represent false image of courage and nobility. They would have to surge all their forces onto Denda in order to take it and keep it until the president was found.
But Sharile was concerned about the possibly of killing civilians. He wanted at all costs to avoid the death of even one innocent life. In order to do this though, it meant no attack on Denda. That was out of the question. Lives would have to be sacrificed for the greater good. But how many?
To avoid a more upsetting statistic, Sharile determined that Denda may not be the best place to strike first. Perhaps a vital inlet to the city. Power was the first to cross his mind. Power would severely cripple the city. But because Denda was a spherical infrastructure that hovered high in the air it was important that the gravity repulsion system not be cut off, lest the entire city plummet into the ocean below.
The more Sharile thought on it, the more he liked the idea. After interrupting the flow of energy to the city, the invading fleet could lay siege upon it, bringing the president to his knees in an effort to save himself and the city. Hunger and warmth would be the best weapons the Kelemenians could use.
Daskin liked the idea as well. As Sharile’s friend and advisor, he consulted with him on the details of the operation. In the end they put together the basic timeline of actions necessary to achieve their goal.
First, the majority of the Kelemenian fleet would be sent to Yavamene. When they arrived, the Yavamene defense fleet would no doubt be waiting for them.
If they succeeded in breaking through the enemy defenses, the invasion fleet would split up; one half headed for Denda, the other advancing toward the Mygaren power complex. They would seize the compound, shut of all power to Denda, and give the word to the other armada that they were ready to begin the blockade.
It would only be a matter of time before the people of Denda would press for the president to admit defeat. After his capture, he could be properly interrogated. After that, Yavamene would be given a chance to elect a new leader. Kelemene would leave a military presence there, just to ensure no rebellion would rise up. In time, if the governing officials of Yavamene proved themselves worthy, Kelemene would withdraw much of their military strength and leave Yavamene to do for herself.
Then the hard work would begin. The people of Kelemene might not support themselves in a fashion that could be considered self-sufficient. Someone would have to rise up and lead them. Essentially, his policy must be incorruptible. His life would need to reflect that of a fix-it-yourself attitude. That was the plan.
_____
Sharile stepped out of his quarters and walked down the hall. He felt a desire to familiarize himself with the place he was going to call home for indeterminable amount of time. The basic structure of the tunnels were as follows; three men could stand abreast through the width of them, which could only imply that movement from beginning to end was purposefully made unproblematic. Sharile had also noticed this on the battle cruiser while on his voyage to Himdun. Perhaps this base was built with the possibility of battle in mind.
The ceiling stood about ten feet off the floor. Glowing wires provided light throughout the length of the tunnels. They were hooked to the ceiling every few feet. Sharile walked passed a few metal doorways. He wondered what lie behind them. He asked Daskin if he could have a tour, but Daskin brushed the issue aside and said, “There’s just a lot of weapons stockpiled here. Many of the rooms are empty as well.”
But Sharile became too curious one day and opened one of the doors. It was dark inside, but it did not bother Sharile. He had with him a small energy lamp, which he turned on after he closed the door. He was shocked to find that Daskin had not lied to him. He just didn’t reveal the whole truth.
He saw weapons of every kind racked and packed in boxes all over the place. Ammo packs of all sorts accompanied the weapons. Sharile stepped further in only to find that the room kept going for at least another fifty feet. At the end, a small light peaked through a long crack about ten feet long. The thin shaft of light landed on a large metallic object. It was some sort of opening to the outside. Some one stepped over the breach and interrupted the flow of light. Sharile heard their boot clang against the metal. He stepped closer.
It was some sort of missile. Sharile rested his lamp of it. He examined the exterior of the object for a while, until he found a small amount of text engraved of a metal plate. It read:
“E.M.P. Missile. High yield electronic pulse emitter within. Handle with extreme care. No one except authorized personnel may handle this device. No. 12883-1.
Sharile grabbed his lamp off the top of the missile and hastily stepped back. He had heard of this technology before. It had been used in horrific ways to cripple entire provinces of Himdun in the revolution.
“An EMP missile?” Sharile said aloud.
“Yes, a missile.”
Sharile was so startled by the voice that he dropped his lamp. It went out, but another light, bright enough to illuminate the whole room, came on.
Stepping from behind a stack of metal crates into Sharile’s view was Daskin.
_____
“What is all this, Daskin?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m sure I’ll catch on quick.” Sharile sneered.
Daskin spoke as he walked over. “This is just a few of the weapons that we have stockpiles here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me there was this much held here before?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
Sharile laughed, “It’s a little late for that now.”
“Look, Sharile. The only reason I’m going to tell you what I’m about to tell you is because of your prying. This was something you didn’t need to know.”
“It’s my job to know how we are going to defeat our enemies. What’s this missile for? I thought they were all destroyed after what happened in the revolution.”
Daskin sighed. “All but one.”
“How is this one going to be used? On Denda?”
“No! Never on a city. No. On a fleet in space.”
Sharile blinked and shook his head. “Wait, this thing works in space?”
“Yes.”
“So this is how your going to get passed the defense fleet over Yavamene?”
“No. We’re going to keep it here.”
“Why?”
“In case the enemy decides to invade in retaliation.”
Sharile sat down on an ammo crate and put his hands on head. “I guess that isn’t so bad. What’ll happen to the fleet? They’ll eventually be able to restore power won’t they?”
“No. As soon as their power is gone, every ship within range of the missile will start to give into Kelemene’s gravity, and lose orbital stability.”
“Daskin, your talking about the lives of everyone of those Yavamenian soldier. Potentially millions of lives will be lost!”
Daskin sat down across from Sharile. “If they’re smart, they won’t attack us. Our generals have decided to make it known to the Yavamenian president that we have an E.M.P missile, in secret of course.”
“I don’t like it, Daskin. I should have been made aware of this. My strategy would have been greatly altered with this knowledge in mind.”
“What would you have changed, Sharile?” Daskin questioned. “What would you do with this missile?”
“Destroy it.”
“How would that help us?”
“It’s a power that we can’t afford to use, Daskin. Some power is by it’s very nature evil. There’s no honor in launching this missile. The enemy wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Daskin stood up, “That’s not the point, Sharile!”
“Then what is? What’s the point in firing this thing, or even using it to blackmail the president if we’re going to war to protect life.”
“Soldiers will die either way, Sharile. That‘s there job, soldier kill each other. The last one standing is the one who deserves to live.”
“You make that statement under the presumption that both sides are correct in their intentions. What if both are wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“If we fire this missile, every last one of those effected will die. In ancient history, there was another weapon like this. It was more destructive, but there was no control over it, just like the E.M.P. It was called the atom bomb, or something like that. After a great war they realized it was better to continue fighting nobly, than end a conflict abruptly and finally, resulting in a great loss. Let me put it to you this way; if your fighting in a battle and you come across a soldier who is wounded, would you shoot him?”
“No.” Daskin looked Sharile straight into the eyes.
“No, you wouldn’t. Because he couldn’t stand a chance.” Sharile put his hand on the missile. “They won’t stand a chance against this thing. What if they used it on us? Would that be honorable?”
Daskin breathed in, “It‘s too late anyway, Sharile. The Kelemenian president has made up his mind. If they invade, he will authorize the launch of our E.M.P.”
“Than let’s hope the Yavs don’t attack.”
“Sharile, I hope that every day.”
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