The North Star #3
The Korelean
General
Bryan Thomas
Schmidt
The Coalition Captain’s voice
echoed through the bridge of the Korelean Cruiser Ree as Commander Kryk’s crew bustled and chatted around him.
“Attention Korelean craft, this is Captain Janaai Resnick of the Coalition Destroyer North Star. Stop your engines immediately and prepare to be boarded.”
Kryk’s crew chuckled as they continued their duties. Small and dark, the bridge of the Ree was designed for functionality not comfort, but Kryk felt perfectly at home there. His people chattered in their native language, scanning the enemy, preparing weapons. Their voices were filled with excitement and pride.
Kryk smiled and pushed a button on his command console. “We are friendly with the Coalition,
Captain.”
“Then why are you attacking our planets?” the Coalition Captain responded.
“We answered distress calls and came to assist,” Kryk told her as he hit the video broadcast control. “By the time we arrived, it was too late.”
As he sat in the Korelean military leader’s office, the replay on a vidscreen, Kryk smiled. His English was getting better. He thought he’d even managed to sound convincing.
“If you have peaceful intent, perhaps we can work together.”
Kryk heard General Grat of the Korelean High Command chuckle beside him. The Coalition military assumed talking could resolve everything. It’s why they were known around the Universe as weak. The golden medals hanging from Grat’s black uniform glinted in the light of the vidscreen. Kryk felt honored to know him.
The screen switched back to space as the Cruiser Aak circled in behind the North Star and fired her torpedoes.
“You should have fired sooner,” Grat said as the video continued in the background. “You wasted too much time on talk.”
Commander Kryk’s voice filled the speakers again. “Farewell, honored comrades.”
They watched as the Aak
exploded into a million light particles and then the vidscreen went blank.
“You think they will attack us?”
Grat smiled. “If they remain as predictable as always, no. Their ambassador will lodge a formal protest, which our government will promptly ignore. But our aggression cannot go unanswered forever, so we must be ready.”
“We will make them pay for the deaths of Rohg and his crew!” Kryk said, his fist tightening with his expression. Rohg had been his childhood friend. It had not been easy to destroy the Aak, but Kryk knew Rohg would rather die by his friend’s hand than face the humiliation of capture.
“The Coalition has much to pay for!” Kryk could hear the anger in his commander’s voice.
His grandfather and uncles had often told stories about Old Earth missionaries who had come, calling their people “barbarians,” forcing them to adapt to the Old Earth’s idea of civilization, preaching their false religion. As the missionaries gained influence, only those who embraced this Christianity were respected and shown favoritism. Those who clung to the traditional Korelean ways lost their status and the respect of their fellow citizens.
“We should have killed them when they arrived,” Kryk said as he remembered. He had been born long after the missionaries had assimilated themselves into the culture. But he’d witnessed the revolution which led them to depart.
Grat nodded. “We made many mistakes in our past, Kryk. It is the future we can change to restore our people’s honor.”
The decision to attack the Coalition came after much debate. The Council and Governors spent years discussing possible ramifications, but, in the end, the desire for revenge overcame all objections. Those polluted by the missionaries had been killed off years before. Only those of “pure” blood, those who honored the traditions, remained. The time to avenge the great tragedy of Korelean history had come.
The Koreleans were testing the waters with raids on Coalition outposts and cities. They wanted to fight, but the Coalition had developed many technologies with which they were unfamiliar, and before launching a full scale war, they wanted the data needed to be prepared.
Kryk thought it was a waste of time. The Koreleans had the power needed to take over the Coalition right now. “Why do we still wait? Let us attack and destroy them!” Kryk pounded his fist on the arm of the chair.
Grat laughed. “I like your fire, my friend. But the Governors and Council have ordered it.”
Koreleans obeyed orders. Their reputation as fierce warriors was a source of pride, but they’d earned it as one people, not with rebellion. Officers’ personal feelings had no bearing.
The door slid open behind them and Grat’s aide, Colonel Borz appeared. “The Council and Governors thank you for your transmission, General. Preparations have begun for war. The raids are to be increased.”
Grat smiled. “Did you get an answer from our spies?”
Borz handed Grat a small gray data card. “They will send us information on the Coalition ship North Star as soon as it is obtained. They sent an update on the Coalition fleet and weaponry, and amusing footage of Coalition news reports about our attacks.”
Grat laughed as he slid the card into the terminal before him and watched the data begin flashing across the vidscreen. Kryk leaned in as Coalition ship counts and weapon specifications passed before their eyes. “They are an inventive people, but their intelligence fails to match our own, and their desire for peaceful coexistence makes them weak and weary of fighting,” Grat said.
Kryk nodded. He looked forward to exploiting their weakness again and again.
“Bring me the North Star data as soon as it arrives, Borz,” Grat continued. “The Commander and I will need it to plan the surprise we have in store for them.” Borz stiffened and saluted, then whirled and disappeared out the door.
“We await only the information we need to fully exploit their weaknesses and ensure maximum suffering. The damage from our raids will be assessed as the North Star moves on to other systems and sees what’s happened there. The destruction of their outposts will soon be known.”
“It is a wonder they haven’t discovered it before.”
Grat switched to English, his accent almost imperceptible to Kryk. “Our people are very good at falsifying communications and reports from the samples obtained when we captured those outposts. Until they physically go there, they’ll have no idea the outposts are completely gone.”
Kryk laughed. “If we could be there to see their faces...”
“Go and get some rest, my friend. You’ll have the honor of leading the destruction.”
~~~~~
Kryk and Grat watched the explosions on the planet below from the bridge of Grat’s command ship. When he’d first encountered Grat, Kryk had been surprised to find the top military leader using a cruiser instead of one of the larger, more impressive Korelean Warriors or Destroyers. He’d since learned that Grat was a leader who liked action, and cruisers blended in with each other, keeping him from being singled out as a target.
Grat smiled as he watched video replay of exploding buildings and screaming citizens running through the streets. Some of them were crushed by falling debris, others trapped alive but unable to move. Korelean fighters swept in for cleanup, their lasers killing even more as they strafed the ground around the buildings.
Grat’s plan had come into shape when Korelean spies provided the North Star Captain’s most recent report, laying out her plans to follow the pattern of damage from Korelean attacks around the galaxy.
Grat led a fleet of seven cruisers to lie in wait, attacking Qurol, a heavily populated planet in her path as soon as the North Star appeared on their sensors.
“Any response from the North Star?”
Borz looked back at them from the weapons and helm, where he was supervising the crew. “They’ve gone to full alert and increased speed, General.”
Grat laughed. “So predictable. This will be fun.” He turned to Kryk. “Get back to your ship and prepare to take your revenge.”
Kryk smiled. “I’m honored, sir.”
Less than ten minutes later, Kryk strode onto the bridge of the Ree and slid into his command chair, watching the continuing destruction on the planet below. He turned as warning beeps sounded from the scanner station.
“The North Star has come out of ultra-light, sir,” the scan tech reported.
Grat appeared on the bridge screen. “Commander, you’ll lead the attack. I’ve ordered the cruisers to move in from behind the moons and surround the North Star.”
Kryk grinned. “This will be a great day for the Empire!” He could taste the victory that would soon be theirs.
“Feel free to taunt the Captain,” Grat said before he disappeared from the screen.
Kryk smiled. If only Rohg could be here to witness the deaths of his murderers. But Rohg was watching from beyond, and he’d be smiling and laughing with Kryk.
The North Star came into view, moving toward the planet and began evasive maneuvers as soon as it discovered the two cruisers waiting in orbit.
Kryk watched the combat computer as the other cruisers slid out from their hiding places and began to surround the North Star. He chuckled as he imagined the panic of Janaai Resnick and her bridge crew. The end would be too quick for them, but at least for the moment, they were suffering with anticipation.
“Shields on full, bring weapons to bear,” he ordered, watching as his crew followed the orders which would lead to the North Star’s destruction.
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Born and raised in Central Kansas, Bryan spent five years working in the television and film industry. Bryan currently resides in El Paso, Texas with his wife Bianca and their cat, Doce, and dog, Louie. He has had many stories and devotionals published in magazines like Digital Dragon Magazine, and more. He is currently marketing his first science fiction novel, The Worker Prince, to agents and publishers, while working on drafting his fantasy novel, Sandman.
