{"id":1872,"date":"2017-02-25T07:15:05","date_gmt":"2017-02-25T13:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2017-03-01T07:23:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T13:23:11","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-rebellion-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1872","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 3<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jezic looked over the bridge of the carrier Cimal and thought that the name for the ship seemed a bit too pampas but realized that was exactly how Emperor Henry operated. They managed to complete the ship before the evacuation of Cimalius ahead of the Alliance heading there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, is everything to your liking?\u201d Captain Adad asked breaking Jezic\u2019s train of thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes captain, the Cimal should make a fine flagship for the first fleet, and quite an honor for you as well,\u201d Jezic answered back to the man who appeared pleased.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d Adad stated. \u201cI was surprised when I was selected for the command, but I won\u2019t let either you or the Emperor down.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t aware the Emperor made such decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well he took a personal interest in you after some small problems in other ships were made known to us. He wanted to make sure the Cimal had no problems in operations,\u201d Jezic said not stating anything else, like why they had problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall make sure the Emperor\u2019s trust is not misplaced,\u201d Adad said back to him, with a slight bow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll make up my report and inform the Emperor that he ship and crew are in good hands,\u201d Jezic said, then with a salute the captain turned and headed back to his duties as Jezic left the bridge for what would become his office on board the ship.<\/p>\n

Sitting down at the desk he looked over everything and sighed at the work he had to do now. He was now the Fleet Admiral, the highest rank he ever made and with each rise in the rank the paperwork increased.\u00a0 Part of him wished for the old days when he worked in the field doing what he did best.<\/p>\n

He reached over activating the communicator, waiting for the Emperor to answer the call. He looked over another report on the crew and trials of the ship seeing they performed adequately.\u00a0 The communicator chimed indicating the Emperor was read to hear his call and looked up to see Henry\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmperor,\u201d Jezic said automatically.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, I hope this is an update,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir, the Cimal is fully operational and passed her trials. The crew has met all expectations and any who didn\u2019t have been transferred to other, less important, ships,\u201d Jezic answered with the standard operating procedure.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to say that those other, less important ships would probably be the ones quickly destroyed in battle or which needed overhauls.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, very good,\u201d Henry replied back to him. \u201cWhat is the status of the fleet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll fleets are reporting read Emperor, they are awaiting orders,\u201d Jezic answered wondering if the emperor had an order for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the rumors?\u201d Henry asked changing the subject on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready being countered,\u201d Jezic replied. \u201cIntelligence is spreading the word that Meia is a traitorous\u00a0 pilot who was won over by the Alliance with promises of money and power, which include ruling over an entire planet.\u00a0 It\u2019s a powerful lure for some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes it is,\u201d Henry replied. \u201cKeep an ear out for any new rumors.\u00a0 I expect the Alliance to try again, and use Meia again like they did the previous time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the orders about her?\u201d Jezic asked, knowing that Meia might be a traitor but she still held the rank of Alpha Supreme, and the punishment for killing one of her rank was death.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath on sight, by my orders. She is a traitor to the Empire and must be dealt as such,\u201d Henry replied simply.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your will Emperor,\u201d Jezic replied as the communications ended. He looked over another report when a chime indicated he had another message.\u00a0 Frowning he activated the screen a bit surprised when no face appeared on the screen, instead a simple test message.<\/p>\n

Which is more dangerous, the fly or the spider. The spider, but if the fly is small you need an intricate web to catch said fly.\u00a0 The emperor\u2019s web is too complex and the fly is too small for the web to catch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jezic read and reread the message unsure about it. He reached over to delete it and paused before activating another button.\u00a0 He only had to wait a few seconds before someone answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral?\u201d Adad\u2019s voice said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend a tech to my office, someone of a higher class,\u201d Jezic said. \u201cI have a message I want them to try and track.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d Adad replied.<\/p>\n

Jezic minimized the screen and went back to work while waiting for the tech. He only hoped the person who sent the message could be tracked.\u00a0 Whoever sent the message seemed to know what the Emperor had planned, and that person must be tracked down at all costs.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Meia glanced around seeing that everyone was looking at her, waiting to hear what she might have to say after Randy had finished speaking. She understood once she spoke she had no way to back out this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt the Alliance goes in and conquers the Empire, it will only reinforce what they\u2019ve been calling you for years,\u201d Meia said. \u201cEliminating the Emperor will only create a power vacuum which might lead to more death and destruction and resistance to the Alliance, or any partnership with you.\u00a0 I\u2019m also not sure me going in with Alliance support will work either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, that eliminates both of our planes little lady,\u201d Admiral Jack White said to her. \u201cI hope you\u2019re not suggesting we do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can say the citizens of the Alliance won\u2019t stand for that,\u201d Amy said speaking up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, there is a third way which might work,\u201d Meia said, knowing how risky this plan would be. \u201cCivil war within the Empire.\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as the group looked back at her. She wasn\u2019t able to make out if they liked or hated her plan from the looks she received.<\/p>\n

\u201cA civil war, for who?\u201d Amy asked speaking up first.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Empire,\u201d Meia replied. \u201cThere is already factions within the Empire who might be able to help, and start this.\u00a0 We only need to find these groups.\u00a0 I know of three people already who can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we use covert operations to find, and help them start this civil war. Then what, from what I\u2019ve read your uncle will use the military to crush any such rebellion,\u201d Admiral Hayes replied.\u00a0 \u201cIf they are beaten than our one shot, as you\u2019ve said, has been wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, there is still more to the plan,\u201d Meia said, and now had gotten to the part which was the hardest part. \u201cWe invade with the military.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought you said an invasion would only lead to more resistance against the Alliance,\u201d Jack replied to Meia\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts obvious you have more planned than that,\u201d Randy said speaking up on the subject and providing a calming presence in the room to Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I said we, not the Alliance,\u201d Meia replied back to them seeing a few unsure looks. \u201cThe military would have to act as if it under my control, act and look like it was part of the Cimalian society and military structure.\u00a0 It means pilots would have to dye their hair, more structure in how the crew operates, everyone would be provided a class ranking as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you saying what I think you\u2019re saying?\u201d Randy asked a bit of a stunned look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Meia replied. \u201cWe make it that I have my own military and have returned to claim what is rightfully mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I like replacing one dictator for another, even if she is an ally to us and I think many in the Senate will feel the same way,\u201d Amy replied back to her. \u201cWe all know you\u2019ve done so much in helping the alliance, but what prevents you from turning around and using this new power against us, or heading away into unknown parts of space?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t leadership, I even shy away from command position as I don\u2019t\u2019 like them. I guess I didn\u2019t like my commanders either growing up, most were mean, selfish and uncaring about the people under them.\u00a0 I grew up knowing what\u2019s it\u2019s like to be on the bottom and I don\u2019t wish that on anyone,\u201d Meia replied to Amy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll good and true, but how do we trust you?\u201d Amy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple, I\u2019m not really in command, I only look like I am,\u201d Meia said logically. \u201cI\u2019ll still be under Randy\u2019s command, and in John\u2019s squadron, but act like an advisor.\u00a0 Any orders given can be made to look like it came from me.\u00a0 It\u2019s not so much who is in command, but eh structure which is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when you take control of the Cimalian Empire?\u201d Amy asked.<\/p>\n

That will depend more on what the people do. How will they accept me as the Empress than anything else we do.\u00a0 If we win, then I will enact a way to slowly dissolve the position of the Emperor, set up a council ruling by those who are elected, get rid of the caste system to name a few things.\u00a0 It won\u2019t happen overnight, and there will be some who will resist the changes, and it might even take a few gen3erations,\u201d Meia replied back to them honestly.\u00a0 \u201cBut a lasting peace can be forged here and now for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make it sound like we\u2019re friends already,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much to do between the empires to ensure a lasting peace, but peace might actually be the easiest thing to achieve,\u201d Meia stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like you want us to invest time and money into this,\u201d Amy stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime, yes, money no. The Empire should be self-sufficient, as it has been for over three hundred years.\u00a0 If we become dependent on support from the Alliance it won\u2019t go over well.\u00a0 There are generations of people who think of the Alliance as the enemy and would use such things as a way to undermine any change,\u201d Meia said.\u00a0 \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s used the Alliance to stage terror attacks to keep the people in line, or eliminate people who were a threat to that standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I see,\u201d Amy finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat type of losses can we expect if we decide on your course of action,\u201d another aide asked who Meia wasn\u2019t familiar with.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all depends on the ships which are defending the planet. It could be very difficult, and a lot depends on what happens on the surface of the planet as well,\u201d Randy said speaking up.\u00a0 \u201cIf Meia\u2019s plan works our losses could be light, if not they could be severe.\u00a0 But is it any different than the other plans?\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia watched them all think about that for several seconds before someone else replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking ships away for an offensive like this is risky, and we don\u2019t know if they are planning another invasion or not,\u201d the aide said. To Meia it sounded like he was thinking outloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe latest reports are in,\u201d Jack said activating a hologram of the planet. \u201cAs you can see, intel places approximately fifteen warships in and around the Cimalian capital planet.\u00a0 We know of two battle-cruiser sized warships, four cruisers, five destroyers, three scout ships and one larger ship which we were unable to identify.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia watched the ship in question appear on the screen and had no knowledge of the ship either as she looked closer. She noticed the absence of missile launchers which were on the Yuliv class and caused so many problems.\u00a0 She noticed only one feature of the ship, four hangers on one side of the ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you show the other side of the ship?\u201d Meia asked not realizing she had interrupted a conversation she had been concentrating on the ship so much. She looked over at Randy but it was Jack who spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, the Dragon only managed to capture this side of the warship, we have no other view. Did you see something, or know anything about it?\u201d Jack asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing too much, but it lacks the missile launchers of the Yuliv class battle-cruisers, and it\u2019s got four hangers on one side instead of the normal one or two,\u201d Meia said thinking out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Amy asked her lack of knowledge of such things obvious but still wanted to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a large ship, but not a battle-cruiser, or even a battleship with that many hanger,\u201d Meia said as another thought, or a rumor came to her. \u201cOf course, the carrier to carry the bomber.\u201d<\/p>\n

End part 3<\/p>\n

Continued in part 4<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion by AJ Marks Part 3 Jezic looked over the bridge of the carrier Cimal and thought that the name for the ship seemed a bit too pampas but realized that was exactly how Emperor Henry operated. They managed to complete the ship before the evacuation of Cimalius ahead of the Alliance […]
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